'Disney's first black princess - a good thing?'

[RJ Dalton]

I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone gives a shit. If the movie is good, then nothing else matters. If the movie is bad, then we just throw it into the big pile along with everything else Disney has ever made. Adding a black character doesn't have any effect on the quality by itself. It's not what you have, it's what you do with it.

 

[Sky Captanio]

What the hell is wrong with the press? To be honest this just seems like carefully concealed racism. Someone who isn't racist wouldn't pay any heed to that fact. I didn't even notice she was black because who cares if she is?

 

[cainx10a]

RE4 comes out, zombies are spanish or whatever they where, noone says anything...
RE5 comes out, zombies are black, people go crazy....

The funny part was the majority of "black" zombies in the game looked more like Indians than Africans.

 

[Woodsey]

The world would only be truly racially free if a film like this could be released without people even talking about it. Why should there be a fuss? It's a film set in the South, like anywhere, it has black people there. It's the same people who kicked up a fuss when they heard that there was black zombies in L4D2.

This, exactly.

Oh, and is the article implying there are reasons against it?

 

[Agayek]

The world would only be truly racially free if a film like this could be released without people even talking about it. Why should there be a fuss? It's a film set in the South, like anywhere, it has black people there. It's the same people who kicked up a fuss when they heard that there was black zombies in L4D2.

This.

People caring about race, on either side of the fence, are the entirety of the problem.

 

[regallmighty]

it doest really matter the skin color....is a disney movie

 

[Vigilantis]

I wouldn't care what kind of princess she was, Disney already has plenty of other races I don't see the problem here other than it being historically incorrect which may be the big fuss about this movie. But honestly its a DISNEY film and shes not blood royalty so its no difference than the first black princess in history. However I was sad to find that the movie was not all that great compared to other disney films, I found it to be very forgettable after I saw it, normally disney cartoons get a song stuck in my head or something but this one did not. One way or another black white yellow or purple (seriously disney think about the purple one you can go make a Martian Princess for your next movie) it shouldn't matter to have people go see a cartoon for kids.

 

[JWAN]

I personally think that people are trying TOO hard at not offending people. I don't think that race issues should dominate society, or the media, but that makes me crazy.

 

[Treblaine]

Change title to "people still care about the race of Disney princesses? Is this a good thing?"

Disney has had white female protagonists as well as Native American Indian (Pocahontas), Chinese Asian (Mulan), Arab (Jasmine in Aladdin) and even a bloody ginger (ariel in My Little Mermaid) and I'm not even sure if ginger is a proper race.

Seriously, big. fucking. deal.

I'm one of those people who gets fed up of people referring to Obama as the "first Black president" to the point where that is practically all he is defined as. How about the president who brought universal healthcare to the USA? That would be a better legacy. I'm not saying we should all be dipshits and act like "what is race" just that we stop having it being the defining feature of people and characters.

 

[RussetRanger]

How exactly is having a black princess revolutionary... is it because it's the first non sterotypical black role in a disney animation.
Wait, actually it is.

What about Esmerelda?

 

[bad rider]

My one question is will it retain that Disney racism that has been so apparent throughout the films in the past?

 

[Treblaine]

I'm betting the bigger fuss if Aladin was released today would be over depicting Muslim characters. Oh, and when the Sultan says, "Praise Allah", there would be rocks thrown at Disney. But anyways...

Ah the 90's, so nostalgic for the good old days when Arnie could fight Islamic terrorists in the semi-satire True Lies and we would all just find it hilarious.

The 2000's was one shitty decade, but will this one be any better?

 

[ohellynot]

RE4 comes out, zombies are spanish or whatever they where, noone says anything...
RE5 comes out, zombies are black, people go crazy....

The funny part was the majority of "black" zombies in the game looked more like Indians than Africans.

The funny part is most people who knew about this were gamers who knew the game wasn't racist and didn't give a shit, whilst the media tried to big it all up.

 

[Treblaine]

My one question is will it retain that Disney racism that has been so apparent throughout the films in the past?

Could you explain specifically how that is racist?

I don't see what negative racial stereotypes it plays into or even how it denigrates a race, though I am not American so...

 

[Eekaida]

How exactly is having a black princess revolutionary... is it because it's the first non sterotypical black role in a disney animation.
Wait, actually it is.

What about Esmerelda?

I forgot about her...but she's a gypsy...romany? But not black. I'm glad to see that so many people aren't caring, and that its a media non-story as far you're all concerned. Its made a wave amongst us animators because its hand-drawn, but I think the media has grasped the wrong end of the stick.

And yes, the 2000's suck.

 

[bad rider]

My one question is will it retain that Disney racism that has been so apparent throughout the films in the past?

Could you explain specifically how that is racist?

I don't see what negative racial stereotypes it plays into or even how it denigrates a race, though I am not American so...

To be honest this one is a example which people point at and tell me that it is, racist. Which I honestly never really got because if you say that this clearly portrays a black stereotype then surely you are in fact saying. When I see black people this is what I think of and thus really the problem is your a racist, not the cartoon with funny talking birds. Anywhooo, I therefore put this one in as a "Hey look it's that one everyone knows about" to make an easy conversion rather than go for a try. Really if you look at the other video, it's a hell of a lot more racist and hits home easier.

 

[Ashbax]

yeah it's a waaaaay bigger deal that disney's actually drawing movies rather than using computers.

Yeah...Anyway, the movie looks great. I see no big deal in having a black princess. They've always been varied, and this one just looks like another Classic.

 

[Soxafloppin]

I imagine that it means allot to little black girls.

But people getting worked up over it.

I allso admire disney for having the balls to create a black character, if shes portrayed wrong people would complain.

 

[brainfreeze215]

Now, if I'm not mistaken, this movie has not come out yet in Great Britain, has it?

I'm in the states where it has been out for a while. I saw the film and enjoyed it, and I think Disney did a good job of introducing a black princess in a way that made sense instead of just drawing her darker to appear more equal-opportunity. It was done very tastefully, and Tia's ethnicity is part of a greater design aesthetic instead of just a random choice.