*Final essay for GRSJ 224C 001: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice in Literature Feminist Re/Visions: Folk & Fairy Tales 

It is evident that Disney as a lifestyle has permeated into many different aspects of society, and specifically the lives of youth. Not including movie ticket sales or awesome theme parks, Disney’s consumer products have exceeded $4 billion worldwide whether it be through merchandise, toys, school supplies, or accessories (Wormer & Juby 580). Because Disney plays such an integral part in the lives of youth and they are exposed to it from an early age, it molds their vulnerable minds into believing what is ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ in Western society. In this research paper, I will examine and juxtapose Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Cinderella (1950).

I will discuss the ways diversity is represented in these two movies, and the general problems imminent in both films, while focusing on the depictions of race and how it can affect young minds. Then, I will analyze the presence of Disney movies in children’s lives and why the enterprise must positively portray a variety of different characters, especially in the 21^st century, and how that can impact future generations. Furthermore, if a child of color was to watch these movies, in order to develop a positive self-image, they would need to be able to visualize themselves in the products of this mass corporation that has the power to either “reinforce or counter negative notions of self-image” (Hurley 221). It can be argued that Disney movies are for the sole purpose of entertaining youth, hence there is no need to politicize them and sow the seeds of skepticism in their minds, especially at a young age. However, by using the research and opinions of other scholars, I will dissect Cinderella and The Princess and the Frog from a racial perspective and attempt to argue why multiculturalism and a diversity of characters are necessary for Disney to adopt, since it will ultimately condition and prepare youth from a young age of the reality of a racially diverse and complex world.

Cinderella is by far one of Disney’s most well-known movies, and arguably the most popular princess to be recreated by Disney. A rags-to-riches girl, she exemplifies the image of a ‘true’ Disney princess: white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, along with her fairy godmother to ease her life with magic, as well as a happily ever after with her Prince Charming in a beautiful and faraway castle. As innocent of a movie as it may seem to show a child, it contains several negative depictions of race. Firstly, there are a grand total of zero people of color (POCs) in this movie. What kind of a subliminal message does this convey to young minds? To white children, it could confirm the notion of white privilege, which as argued by Sharp, is most effectively conveyed by the lacking representation of “non-whites” (61). It also implies that colored people do not hold the importance to be depicted in these movies. To the non-white children viewing this film, it creates a divide between them and their white counterparts because they do not see themselves on screen alongside them, which ultimately detriments their self-image (Hurley 221) and polarizes the relationship between the two groups. Furthermore, as pointed out by Towbin et al., only Western and Christian values are depicted in this movie (33). Given the thousands of religions and socio-cultural values prevalent in the world, it is extremely insular to only reference one in this entire film. There also exist certain underlying negative connotations about color throughout this movie. Cinderella is presented as being the ‘good’ character and the protagonist, having white skin and blue eyes. Au contraire, her ‘bad’ stepsisters and mother are visibly darker than she is. Even when her mice friends are transformed into either humans or other animals, their skin changes from brown to white after the metamorphosis. The stepmother’s black cat being named ‘Lucifer’ also does not help this case (Hurley 225). Therefore, white privilege and color symbolism equating white with good and black with evil only exacerbates the ‘whites-only’ character issue in Cinderella, and implies the un-importance of anyone who does not fit into that category (Hurley 228).

The production and release of The Princess and the Frog invoked many controversies because of its feature of Disney’s first black princess. As claimed by Turner, Disney’s decision to appoint a black princess was pure cynicism because of increasing pressures of inclusivity from their non-white, as well as liberal white audience. However, they only implemented these changes to such an extent that it would not stagnate their profit or decrease the support from the opposing audiences (84). Whether it raised eyebrows, invited applause, or led to exasperated sighs, there was much debate about this movie. Although it introduced the first black princess, there are still multitudes of racial problems contained within its plotline, its characters, and its overall being. Firstly, even though Princess Tiana is black, this ethnical difference is not celebrated, even though it is technically the underlying reason for the conception of The Princess and the Frog. Rather, it is expected of viewers to view her as a princess who just happens to be black rather than a ‘black princess’ (Turner 84), thus using a colorblind lens to view this film, which defeats its purpose. However, even as a “princess who happens to be black”, Tiana is still not the usual princess that young black, or other colored children would expect with Disney’s jump aboard the multicultural bandwagon. Contrasted with a stereotypical princess like Cinderella, she does not have a fairy godmother grant her wishes or end up living her married life with a capable and charming Prince. Rather, he is depicted as more of a casanova and a generally rude man. Her principle of hard work remains consistent, which as Dundes and Streiff note is the fuel for her success. The emphasis that is placed on the importance of physical labor, rather than dependency on a magical being is what differentiates her from other white princesses (9). They argue that “fairytales in their most conventional form are associated more with white people, because traditionally, those enjoying power and privilege have been largely white” (11). Whereas other princesses eventually end up living luxurious lives in fantasy worlds, The Princess and the Frog ends with Tiana owning her own restaurant named ‘Tiana’s Palace’, thereby displaying a willingness to settle for more humble aspirations, compared to her white princess counterparts (Dundes and Streiff 1). Furthermore, it also ends with her serving food to her wealthy white best friend and her father. These modest aspirations, which do not apply to other princesses can potentially implement racial stereotypes in the minds of colored, especially black children, that no matter how much they achieve, they will still be of subordinate status compared to the white folk. This movie also hinted at the fact that men of color cannot be completely in power, because even though Prince Naveen is royalty, he is neither explicitly black nor white, and is also voiced by a Brazilian actor, with an indistinguishable accent (Turner 93). His character’s racial ambiguity would not empower a wistful child because of its inability to be relatable.

So far, I have vaguely discussed the implications of negative racial portrayals by Disney in two of its very popular films and how it can affect youth, but now I will delve further into this issue. As Towbin et al. noted, children learn about societal constructions through many means, with media especially playing an important role (20). In a study conducted on children by Yeoman, instructions were given out for them to draw the protagonist (who was supposed to be black) that came to mind upon hearing a Cinderella-type tale, being expected to use their intertextual knowledge of the fairytale to do so. Shockingly, no matter what color the children were themselves, they almost all drew white characters who were “pretty” and “good” and had “yellow hair”, without being able to provide their logic as to why they did so (438). Hence, visual recognition is key for kids, and if they do not feel represented in mainstream media like Disney movies, it will result in them forming negative self-images relating to issues such as sub-ordinance to white people because they are the ones who are “good”. It is vital for mature and critical thinkers to be aware of the subliminal messages fed to youth under the façade of an animated movie, because even if they are unintentional, continual repetition will engrain those thoughts in a naïve and unaware child’s head. It is the responsibility for those who can see through this guise to vocalize these issues and educate others, as well as encourage them to be proud of their diverse backgrounds, languages, cultures, and religions, despite conglomerates like Disney not cooperating in this mission as effectively as they should.

Thus, after examining a classical fairytale trope like Cinderella and a more ‘multicultural’ one like The Princess and the Frog, it is evident that although efforts are being made to be more inclusive of people of colour by Disney, substantive work still needs to be done in this field because of how it affects future generations. They live by these popular and widespread movies, and as increased globalization forces society to continue to intermingle and diversify, the need for a multicultural approach to these movies, without underlying negative connotations or messages is more important than ever. Sharp’s belief of the West marginalizing and oppressing different viewpoints than theirs, and not representing them as blatantly or vehemently as Western viewpoints (11) is one that is accurate and needs to disappear, especially because of the times we live in where inclusion and appreciation of differences are crucial to the betterment of the world in its entirety.

      Works Cited

Dundes, Lauren, and Madeline Streiff. “Reel Royal Diversity? the Glass Ceiling in Disney’s Mulan and Princess and the Frog.” Societies 6.4, 2016: 35,n/a. ProQuest. Web.

Hurley, Dorothy L. “Seeing White: Children of Color and the Disney Fairy Tale Princess.” The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 74, no. 3, 2005, pp. 221–232. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40027429. 

Sharp, Casi Lynette. “A Fairytale Gone Wrong: Critical Analysis of Disney’s Representational Politics in the New Millennium.” Order No. 1504175 Stephen F. Austin State University, 2011. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web.  

Towbin, Mia A., Haddock, Shelley A., Zimmerman, Toni S., Lund, Lori K. & Tanner, Litsa R. “Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films”, Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 15:4, 2004, 19-44, DOI: 10.1300/J086v15n04_02

Turner, S., Blackness, Bayous and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World. In: J. Cheu, ed., Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and Disability. [online] McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2014, pp.83-99. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ubc/reader.actionppg=107&docID=1109590&tm=1519857971630.

Walt Disney Pictures (Producer), Clements, R., & Musker, J. (Directors). (2009). The princess and the frog [Animation]. Hollywood, CA: Walt Disney Animation Studios.  

Walt Disney Pictures (Producer), Geronimi, C., Jackson, W., and Luske, H. (Directors). (1950). Cinderella [Animation]. Hollywood, CA: Walt Disney Animation Studios

Wormer, Katherine V. and Juby, Cindy. Cultural representations in Walt Disney films: Implications for social work education, Journal of Social Work, Vol 16, Issue 5, 2015, pp. 578 – 594, https://doi-org.exproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1177/1468017315583173

Yeoman, E., ‘How does it get into my imagination?’ Elementary school children’s intertextual knowledge and gendered storylines. Gender & Education, 11, 1999, 427-440.