Posted on 05/13/2007 12:38:40 AM PDT by lainie
Almost two years before its hoped-for release of its first hand-drawn animated film produced under the supervision of Pixar's John Lasseter, Disney has already drawn fire for alleged racial and ethnic insensitivities that were detected in its original announcement of the film, according to Disney watcher Jim Hill. Since the original title, The Frog Princess, might be regarded as a slur on the French, the title has been changed to The Princess and the Frog. The main character, named Maddy -- who was to become Disney's first black princess -- has had her name changed to Tiana, since Maddy reportedly sounded too much like Mammy. She will no longer be seen as a chambermaid working for a rich, white spoiled Southern débutante. In a statement, Disney, which said that it ordinarily does not comment on its animated films in the early stages of production, observed: "The story takes place in the charming elegance and grandeur of New Orleans' fabled French Quarter during the Jazz Age. ... Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney's rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity."
Disney. (Spit!)
What does the cleaning lady, Maddy Albright, have to say about this?
"Yessum, Disney is a bunch o' effeminate politically correct cowards...dats what Uncle Remus says!"
.
Holy crap...Ain't it good enough that the story is sure to have a happy ending? And why would a young lady be called "Mammy?" Is there someone so moronic that they think there's some sneaky guy at Disney that thinks he's putting one over on the PC police that has the studio keeping Song of the South in a vault? Has Al Sharpton created clones in a laboratory and sent them to annoy everyone in the entertainment industry?
You just watch -- some Brit is going to have a cow over "Princess Tiana" and how it trivializes the life of Princess Diana. Hopefully by that time Disney will have grown some balls and will tell them to pound sand.
Good point — “Tiana” is clearly derived from “Diana”; while “Maddy” sounds nothing like “Mammy” (at least how we pronounce things in Canada).
Well, they could have gone to "Nappy" and caused a stir for both Brit and Yank viewers.
And what about Princess Jasmine? Wasn’t she a princess of color? Or wasn’t she colored enough?
I remember seeing that movie in the 50’s when I was a little kid. I had the album, but sure would like to see it again.
I thought that we need to remember history so that we will not be doomed to repeat it. Maybe we should not ever watch ‘Gone with the Wind’, or other films showing african americans as slaves.
that is insensitive to what this nation is. we have to accept our flaws, not lock them in a vault...
“original title, The Frog Princess,might be regarded as a slur on the French,...”
You know, this concept is so ridiculous, words fail me. The French has no problem putting frog legs on a restaurant menu,just how can we interpret that?
“— has had her name changed to Tiana, since Maddy reportedly sounded too much like Mammy.”
Heaven help us all.This is the height of absurdity.
When this project was first announced down here, my daughter, obviously more savvy than myself said,”Uh oh, there’s trouble written all over this one”. In my naivete, I was sure that she was wrong. Guess not:(
I guess they are modeling her after this woman...
;-)
And hey...isn't "Tiana" close to the name of the Greek Huntress--oh, my! How the Bambi fans will be offended!
I'm getting good at this "I'm offended" game!
Not till there's part with some violence in it. Disney always has to have a good fight first.
I saw a bootleg copy of Song of the South a few years ago and was struck by the fact that Uncle Remus is potrayed as the major stabilizing force in the children’s lives because of his wisdom and kindness. The white adults in the movie come off as self-absorbed twits.
The movie is in no way demeaning to black people.
You can still watch it on YouTube.
Was anyone named “Tiana” during the Jazz Age in New Orleans? “Maddy” is simply short for Madeleine as in Madeleine Halfbright. I guess Disney is going to remove the word “niggardly” from all of its publications and corporate papers, too!
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