Film Response: Representation of Race in The Princess and the Frog

After watching Disney's The Princess and The Frog, I'm really torn about how I feel about the way race is represented in the film. While in many ways it's really refreshing to see a Disney film with an African American princess that on the surface shows how far Disney has progressed. While Disney does many good things about representing race, such as having Prince Naveen being a different race from Tiana which sends positive messages regarding interracial relationships. With a setting in New Orleans, a city deeply rooted in African American culture, the film often uses the location as both a tool to enhance it's themes as well as a crutch at times. Moreover, despite the many forward-thinking and progressive ideas presented in The Princess and the Frog, there are undoubtedly issues that lie beneath the surface that are unavoidable. 

For instance, from the very start of the film one can clearly see the class divide between African American's and white's in New Orleans when Tiana is sitting wither her white friend, Charlotte, and both are listening to Tiana’s mother about the story of the princess and the frog. Her friend is in an extravagant dress while Tiana herself is dressed in a much simpler fashion. Then when Charlotte’s father comes into the room, Charlotte demands to have another dress made for her. This contrast is further demonstrated by the visual transition from extravagant mansions to small and single-story shacks as Tiana is taking the bus home with her mother. 

In addition to class comparisons made between white and blacks in the film, the film has many anthropomorphized animal characters with obvious racial comparisons drawn. One of the most obvious examples is Louis, the trumpet-playing alligator that draws parallels to the legendary African American jazz trumpeter, Louis Armstrong.

 The other major example is Ray, the self-proclaimed firefly of Cajun descent that most accurately stereotypes an old and unintelligent African American cajun man. While entertaining and a hilarious character, it's hard to deny the connotations of Ray's character that sends a negative image of African Americans of Cajun descent. Despite this, I have to say I loved Ray's love for Evangeline the star and thought that it was a really endearing part of the story.

In spite of the negative depictions of African Americans and their distinctions from white individuals in the film, the one overwhelmingly positive message in the film is the symbolic notion of Tiana and Naveen falling in love with one another as frogs. While some could criticize Tiana's transformation into a frog that could be seen as Disney finding a way to make the audience forget that she is African American, I thought that the fact that they fall in love with frogs is Disney's way of saying that love is independent of race. Moreover, the fact that Tiana and Naveen fall in love with one another as frogs highlights the triviality of race as an influence in whether one falls in love or not. This, by far, is the best message that Disney sends about race in the film.