Disney and Race in Disney's "American Legends"

With Disney's The Princess and the Frog being our newest film to study, I thought it would be interesting to note that The Princess and the Frog was not the first Disney film with an African American protagonist. The first major African American Disney story centered on the tale of John Henry, a freed slave who's enormous strength made him a legendary role-model to other African Americans at the time. The short was released in 2002 as direct-to-video animated anthology film hosted by none other than Darth Vader/Mufasa, or James Earl Jones, that was featured on Disney’s American Legends DVD. The short can be seen on the link below

http://www.watchtheyard.com/video/john-henry-disney-watch/

Having never seen this short before until today, I was thoroughly impressed by how well Disney did on the short that effectively portrayed John Henry's story in a powerful way. The short truly sends a positive message about the strength and togetherness of African Americans to pick one another up and make a new life for their self following the Civil War. I thought that the short was amplified by the music played during the story that explains the importance of both hard work and perseverance to children out there. Having seen this short, I'm excited to see how Disney tackles the issue of race in The Princess and the Frog!