Quick Question Plz Come Here!

[tashasKraz4WDW]

hey guys. i recieved a petition in the mail from another disney related thread and wanted to kno what you guys thought about this issue.. sorry if its long or if the issue was previously. discussed but im kind of new to dis.. and this is something i too wondered about growing up as a child

Dear Disney Company,



In December 2005, I made my first visit to Disney World with my family. The experience was breathtaking. Throughout our journey, the adults were astonished by how the themes were brought to life. The children were fascinated and engaged particularly by the Princess', Minnie's House, the fake snow that fell at night, the

parade, meeting the characters and asking questions as well as taking pictures with the characters. Above all, the girls were intrigued by the Princess' mini shows. However, my daughter had a question. She said, "How come there's no Princess here like me?" I asked, "What do you mean?" She replied, "You know, a Princess like "That's So Raven or Penny Proud". I responded by saying, "Unfortunately, Disney has not
created fairytales for children like you. In other words, there are no Princess' of African American descent."
As the evening came to an end, I began to ponder on her question. I thought to myself...well, why aren't there any African American Princesses in such a place where the motto is "We Make All Dreams Come True". I decided to email your company to ask why. A few weeks later, I received a surprising call. The woman I spoke to reassured me that my question and concern was taken seriously and would be looked into further.
During this conversation, I asked why there aren't any African American Princesses. The woman stated because there aren't any African American fairytales. She said, "Well we have Pocahontas who represents Native America, Mulan who represents the Chinese, Jasmine who represents the descendants of the Middle East and the African Americans have Lion King out of Africa ". That reply left me with the thought that she just compared African Americans to wild animals. After that statement, I just laughed and respectfully ended the conversation. One thing I realized was that I can't blame her for her response. Disney has not created an African American fairytale.
As an educator/parent, we all know that through life experiences what we can touch, see, feel, taste, and hear leaves a lasting impression. Disney, you hold the power to make life experiences become a reality to a melting pot world, which includes African Americans. Disney's motto is "We Make All Dreams Come True".
Well Disney, my child and other children like her have a dream and through their Disney experience, they are depending on you to make it come true.

 

[rob'n]

wow...that was very thought triggering... I honestly have never thought about that...but it is a very serious issue... after i read the letter i thought why aren't there?? there is every other kind of princess african americans deserve one also! that makes me angry... i hope you get your princess and i will also discuss this with my family good luck!!!

 

[tashasKraz4WDW]

wow...that was very thought triggering... I honestly have never thought about that...but it is a very serious issue... after i read the letter i thought why aren't there?? there is every other kind of princess african americans deserve one also! that makes me angry... i hope you get your princess and i will also discuss this with my family good luck!!!

Thanks robin.. When I read the letter it kind of brought tears 2 my eyes.. Because I can understand how the little girl must have felt because I once was that little girl

 

[2HOT2touch]

that is really weird. i never really thought about it till now. that is really wrong they should do something about that.

 

[PatriotsRule]

I never thought that the Lion King ever suggested that Africans were wild animals, but I see this person's point.

 

[Loves Disney]

Most of all Disney's "princesses" come from ancient tales and stories told a long time ago. The main princesses being Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, and Jasmine. While it is true there are not any African American princesses, that could be due, in part, to the fact that African American tales and/or stories had not reached the ear of Americans or Disney creators. With different worldly affairs taking place throughout those ages (during the uprising of Disney), characters such as Jasmine came into play. Princesses such as Belle and Snow White were very ancient tales told during the matriarchy ages and Cinderella was as well with some respectful differences. Now, it could also be argued that Disney likes to "kill" off the mothers. This could also be due to the time of which Disney really reached its height. Almost all, if not all of these fairytales are not Disney originals. The Grim brothers, for example, were the original writers for a lot of the Disney stories. They had no mother and the time period strongly encourage patriarchy. Now, I mention this because it assists my theory on the topic. If these tales were told now and Disney was made popular later, I am sure we'd be seeing a lot more African American princesses. Time back then, as we all know, was more in favor to the whites. With Mulan, it is different. That movie is more recent but does follow an ancient storyline. With that said, I must make mention to the thought of African Americans being compared to "wild animals". The Lion King is an old African American tale that appeals to a child's eye...just as all of these others are. The only difference being its characters are animals instead of humans. I don't believe it is Disney sending a poor message about African Americans, it could be that Disney is just bringing out a popular old, African story...just as it has with the other stories. I agree, there should be African American princesses for the sake of the children growing up knowing that everyone is involved with the Disney magic and everyone is a "princess". I do not disagree there, but I think Disney does have its reasons whether we like them or not. With time, I believe there will be another Disney African American princess, however, the classics are not of that ethnicity particially because way back then, it was not common. "That's So Raven" and "Penny Proud" are Disney created characters. That is, they do not derive from ancient stories, but are in fact Disney originals. This shows progress in the development through time. If only times could have been different way back when, I think we'd see more of a diverse community of princesses. That would have been very nice. But as much as it may "suck", that wasn't the case. Only time can tell what comes next in the Disney timeline...

 

[tashasKraz4WDW]

Most of all Disney's "princesses" come from ancient tales and stories told a long time ago. The main princesses being Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, and Jasmine. While it is true there are not any African American princesses, that could be due, in part, to the fact that African American tales and/or stories had not reached the ear of Americans or Disney creators. With different worldly affairs taking place throughout those ages (during the uprising of Disney), characters such as Jasmine came into play. Princesses such as Belle and Snow White were very ancient tales told during the matriarchy ages and Cinderella was as well with some respectful differences. Now, it could also be argued that Disney likes to "kill" off the mothers. This could also be due to the time of which Disney really reached its height. Almost all, if not all of these fairytales are not Disney originals. The Grim brothers, for example, were the original writers for a lot of the Disney stories. They had no mother and the time period strongly encourage patriarchy. Now, I mention this because it assists my theory on the topic. If these tales were told now and Disney was made popular later, I am sure we'd be seeing a lot more African American princesses. Time back then, as we all know, was more in favor to the whites. With Mulan, it is different. That movie is more recent but does follow an ancient storyline. With that said, I must make mention to the thought of African Americans being compared to "wild animals". The Lion King is an old African American tale that appeals to a child's eye...just as all of these others are. The only difference being its characters are animals instead of humans. I don't believe it is Disney sending a poor message about African Americans, it could be that Disney is just bringing out a popular old, African story...just as it has with the other stories. I agree, there should be African American princesses for the sake of the children growing up knowing that everyone is involved with the Disney magic and everyone is a "princess". I do not disagree there, but I think Disney does have its reasons whether we like them or not. With time, I believe there will be another Disney African American princess, however, the classics are not of that ethnicity particially because way back then, it was not common. "That's So Raven" and "Penny Proud" are Disney created characters. That is, they do not derive from ancient stories, but are in fact Disney originals. This shows progress in the development through time. If only times could have been different way back when, I think we'd see more of a diverse community of princesses. That would have been very nice. But as much as it may "suck", that wasn't the case. Only time can tell what comes next in the Disney timeline...

I agree with you.. And I'm sure disney has already had this issue brought up to them many times... I just feel as though when your a child visting the happiest place in the world you shouldn't have to wonder why there aren't any princeses that look like you.. And its not disney fault because like you said their hasn't been any tales on african american princesses... But I myself know a few that would make a great movie.. Thanks for the responds..

 

[MuNkY]

That is strange.

 

[2HOT2touch]

actually there is a movie I am not possitive if Disney made this, but it is Cinderella, but more modern technology with making the film, and Brandy plays Cinderella...

 

[Loves Disney]

actually there is a movie I am not possitive if Disney made this, but it is Cinderella, but more modern technology with making the film, and Brandy plays Cinderella...

Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. The performance (or version) is played on Broadway. In this particular case Cinderella happened to be played by an African American.

 

[tashasKraz4WDW]

W

actually there is a movie I am not possitive if Disney made this, but it is Cinderella, but more modern technology with making the film, and Brandy plays Cinderella...

Yea that was a nice modern twist to cinderella because they use all ethnic groups as different characters.. Which is kind of the way families are 2 day..

 

[Maleficent909TL]

I've never really thought about that. I mean, yes, it's true that the Disney movies with the princesses are based on tales that have been around forever. But with people bringing up this problem, I think that it would be nice on Disney's part to either research African history to find a tale that would make a suitable Disney movie, or create one of their own.

And as for Lion King comparing Africans to wild animals, I don't believe that's the case at all. As Loves Disney pointed out, it's a way to show a tale from a perspective that would appeal to children, as well as adults. If you thought about making that movie and replacing the animals with humans, I think that reality of it would have been too harsh for small children to comprehend.

 

[CyanFey]

You know, I've wondered that myself...

They have caucasion blonde, brunette, and red headed princesses; they have a middle eastern princess, they have a chinese princess, they have a native american princess, and yet they don't have an african american princess.

 

[tashasKraz4WDW]

I've never really thought about that. I mean, yes, it's true that the Disney movies with the princesses are based on tales that have been around forever. But with people bringing up this problem, I think that it would be nice on Disney's part to either research African history to find a tale that would make a suitable Disney movie, or create one of their own.

And as for Lion King comparing Africans to wild animals, I don't believe that's the case at all. As Loves Disney pointed out, it's a way to show a tale from a perspective that would appeal to children, as well as adults. If you thought about making that movie and replacing the animals with humans, I think that reality of it would have been too harsh for small children to comprehend.

Yes I agree with you... I too don't think disney were trying to compare africans americans to animals.. Because most of african american stories are told using different animals.. But like you said it would be great if disney would make a movie that other ethnic groups can identify with.

 

[tashasKraz4WDW]

You know, I've wondered that myself...

They have caucasion blonde, brunette, and red headed princesses; they have a middle eastern princess, they have a chinese princess, they have a native american princess, and yet they don't have an african american princess.

Yes.. But I do believe that soon enough we will have one... Lets just keep our fingers and toes crossed.. For the love of disney