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(Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana)
Oh, boy.
After years of flack from the African American community, in 2006, the Disney company saw fit to finally include an African American princess in its pantheon of animated royals – which in the past had representation from every other racial and ethnic group (Jasmine, Pocahontas, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, etc.)
In December of this year, the company is set to release 'The Princess and the Frog,' set in New Orleans and featuring Princess Tiana, voiced by actress Anika Noni Rose. Oprah Winfrey is voicing Eudora, Tiana's mother.
Oddly enough, though, Princess Tiana is black; her prince is not. That's right – even though there is a real-life black man in the highest office in the land with a black wife, Disney obviously doesn't think a black man is worthy of the title of prince. I guess Sasha and Malia and all the other little black girls out there should just shut up and be thankful to have something! Little black boys will have to wait another 20 years.
Famous Interracial Couples
Tara Wilson and Chris Noth
The two are the proud parents of a baby boy, Orion Christopher Noth, born in January 2008. They met in 2004 when she worked as a bartender at his now defunct music venue in NYC The Cutting Room.
Monica Morgan, WireImage
Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush
Stars in their own right, these two have risen to tabloid stardom with their very public relationship. While he is a football phenom, she is a gorgeous socialite made famous by a reality show and a racy sex tape.
Johnny Nunez, Getty Images
Seal and Heidi Klum
One of today's most striking 'it' couples, these two first met when Heidi was pregnant with ex-husband Flavio Briatore's child. They were married a year later and now have two gorgeous sons together.
FilmMagic.com
Ice T and Coco
Rapper turned actor Ice T married voluptuous swimsuit model Nicole Austin, known professionally as Coco. The 'Law & Order: SVU' regular and his wife speak often of the secret of their seven year marriage -- great sex!
Astrid Stawiarz, Getty Images
DJ Ironik and Danielle Lloyd
Former Miss Great Britain and reality TV star is the on-again-off fiance of MOBO nominated rapper. In October, they were off again -- or it could be a publicity stunt?
Chris Jackson, Getty Images
Cuba Gooding and Sara Gooding
Cuba Gooding has been married to Sara Kapfer since 1994, but the two were high school sweethearts since 1986. The Goodings have three children: Spencer, Mason and Piper.
Giulio Marcocchi, Getty Images
Thandie Newton and Ol Parker
Bi-racial British actress Thandie Newton married her writer/director/producer husband in 1998. The pair have two daughters, Ripley and Nico.
Jon Furniss, WireImage
Iman and David Bowie
Somalian supermodel Iman and rock luminary David Bowie have been married 19 years and have one daughter, Alexandria Zahra -- they make an amazing power couple.
WireImage
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
These two were introduced in 2001 and by 2004 were getting married at an exclusive golf resort in Barbados. The two have two children, Sam Alexis and Charlie Axel.
WireImage
Emma Bunton and Jade Jones
Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) has been with her partner, singer Jade Jones, for nearly a decade. The two have a son, Beau Lee Bunton, born in August 2007 and say they have no plans to marry.
WireImage
Prince Naveen of Maldonia is voiced by a Brazilian actor, and his skin is ... tan. His hair and features are decidedly non-black. This has left many in the community shaking their head in befuddlement and even rage.
It's not like Disney isn't used to the controversy. Over the years, it has offended blacks, Jews, women's groups and some shade of everyone else. Appropriately, controversy has dogged the 'The Princess' since its inception. Originally, the black princess was named Maddy, a maid working for a white family set in 1920s New Orleans.
Both the name (which sounds eerily close to Mammy) and position made many take pause, so Maddy became Tiana, a more African American name. Even choosing New Orleans with its history of slavery and voodoo had some in an uproar. That toothless firefly that sounds like a slave (see video) isn't likely to convert many fans either.
Some, including Rose, think it's all good: "It's great and wonderful, and bigger even is being the first American princess," the Tony Award-winner told Black Voices. "They have chosen to give the world an American princess who looks like me. I really can't think of anything else that would be more exciting," she added.
I'm sure folks could come up with a couple.
Comments: (3101)
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By: BrigitteAntoinette on 3/26/2009 9:05PM
Right, I agree. I am black. The issue we should all be up in arms about, is on tonight's news, Charles Gibson is saying the monkeys from the Congo, who are endangered, are our closest cousins, and our relatives!! Charles, the only reason monkeys are similar to man is because God, our God created them, and us. The Bible says, "God made man in his own image". Is God a monkey? Does the Bible say monkey was made in God's image. Hell No! Please people, stop comparing us to any animal; they each have their own kind, and it's nothing to do with us!
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By: moskiah on 3/26/2009 9:03PM
Pocahontas really isn't a good example since John Smith and Pocahontas's ethnicities have been known since the beginning. That fact that one was English and the other Powhatan was definite. This is just Disney choosing not to make the prince black.
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By: Lanette on 3/26/2009 9:03PM
this site is not about Native Americans it is about African Americans...
people make me sick trying to down play this kind of crap......
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By: Angela on 3/29/2009 7:04PM
As a black woman who is married to a white man I for one can't wait to see this movie with my children. There are very few interracial examples out there... with the exception of the president of course : )
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By: Mickey Webb on 3/26/2009 11:08PM
Yes and as usual the white man is the hero that gets the woman of color.Big deal.
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By: Sherrill on 3/26/2009 11:50PM
Well honestly no matter what Disney does someone will be offended. We have to look at this and be proud that Disney is making a stand pro interracial realtionships. I mean it's not often we see a white person and a black person in relationships on screen. Instead looking at it as they chose a white male over a black male because white men are better, look at it as times are changing and Disney chose to follow the times. Come on its 2009.
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By: Christy on 3/29/2009 1:40PM
I think that maybe, just maybe we could look at this movie and the couple as a "color doesn't matter" situation. One of my favorite stories (and the Disney version of it) is Beauty and the Beast, in which the princess falls in love with the Beast's PERSONALITY. I think it's wonderful that Disney is teaching the lesson that you can fall in love with someone without worrying about the color of the skin. I'll certainly take my nieces and daughter to watch it.
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By: nika on 3/29/2009 8:20PM
I totaly agree! Its okay for her prince to not be black, in fact in a way I think its a good thing, so many tv shows and movies keep whites with whites and blacks with blacks. Not only is this movie bringing in a black princess, its showing that mixed gender relationships are far from uncommon or strange
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By: Inverse925 on 3/29/2009 8:43PM
I feel like whites have a disadvantage in this argument because you dont know what its like to live in a society dominated by another race. Someone earlier said we should change every character to purple, but I think we should make every character African American and get rid of all the white characters, then your children can grow up with role models that never look like them
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By: CMA on 3/29/2009 9:14PM
OK, Andre, Disney based their CARTOON MOVIE of "Pochahontas" off of f TRUE STORY. They couldn't change it just because people may get offended. I agree with your statement on people blowing this out of proportion though. Everyone, honestly, if you don't want to go watch another sappy G-rated film, fine, who cares? STOP RANTING THOUGH. (I am not ranting right now, FYI. A rant requires focus on a single topic and I am randomly topic-leaping.)
Let's try to change something ELSE instead: how about PG movies shouldn't use the f/s/c words? And no innuendos in G rated movies either. And honestly, can we keep ALL the sex talk out before the PG-13 movies? I am all for freedom of speech, etc., but I really don't want to be sitting around trying to explain to my little cousins why they shouldn't always repeat what they hear in Shrek, or Madagascar, or A Series of Unfortunate events. If you haven't noticed anything wrong with THOSE movies, you should watch them again and REALLY LISTEN/LOOK, so you won't continue being PART OF THE ISSUE.
Thank you.
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