Rumor: New Disney Prince Not African-American

[atmtcprincess]

I found this article. I'm not exactly sure how trustworthy this site is but it's interesting:

http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/20...sneys-first-black-princess-has-a-white-prince

If this is indeed true then I'm very excited about this decision. Good for Disney! Mix things up a little bit! In my opinion, he doesn't look white really... he actually looks more Hispanic.

Thoughts?

 

[gymnastgirlflips]

I didn't know Oprah was going to be in it...

And im not bothered by that at all. Its different than what I expected, but I think its going to be a great movie.

 

[MJMcBride]

why does anyone care?

 

[dharmster]

My first thought is that the new princess is beautiful! I love her hair and her green gown. I could see how after waiting for such a long time for a Disney full-length animation with black characters it might be frustrating that there's only one of the two. On the other hand, the prince doesn't exactly look Irish or Norwegian...he could be Hispanic, Mediterranean, or represent a person of mixed race...and there are many children like that in this country who I'm sure would love to see a Disney prince with their background, too!

There will always be more Disney films and more princes.

 

[spider0215]

I'll be so glad when things like this don't even make the news anymore.

 

[jewelsangel]

It doesn't matter. Clearly that movie is going to suck!

 

[Meg13]

It doesn't matter. Clearly that movie is going to suck!

Why is that?

 

[SarahandPaul]

I just don't like the fact that they are tagging her as a princess (even though there isn't any American royality and this does take place in America) after not using that title on characters like Mulan and Pocahontas, just to appease a certain community.

 

[SaratogaShan]

I don't get the uproar over using the name "Maddy" (Maddie?) for the princess either. It is a very popular name, and a cute one at that. I think you really have to look for something to nit pick to think that the name is an underhanded reference to "mammy". I mean really.....People act as if Disney was going to draw her with a "do-rag" or something.

Also...the prince looks latino to me, and is voiced by a brazilian actor. If Folks were saying that Disney needed an African-American princess, then why not a Latin-American prince. Seems very inclusive to me!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I think that prince looks like a big dork with his big cheesey smile... and it is very clear from the trailer that has been out for a while that the prince is not black, he is GREEN! My guess is that the dorky looking "prince" will be like Gaston, either trying to win over the princess or her beau untill she falls in love with the frog.

The article honestly annoyed me, yes I understand the point that "Little black boys will have to wait" for a disney prince but honestly how many boys relate to the prince as much as little girls relate to the princesses? Little girls go the the BBB and dress up like their fav princess, what do little boys do? The want to be pirates. Little girls dream of being rescued by their prince, boys pretend they are the hero and defeat the bad guy. Think of little girls fav Disny movies, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid... boys like Cars, Nemo, Toy Story. Yes I am making wide generalizations but I think it is far more signifigant to have an african american princess and would commend Disney if she did have a white prince. Why would it be expected for a black princess to have to fall in love with a black prince, if so then we might as well tell her she has to drink from a different water fountian and go to the back of the bus. No matter what Disney does their will be flack surrounding this movie because of the color issue...

 

[yitbos96bb]

I just don't like the fact that they are tagging her as a princess (even though there isn't any American royality and this does take place in America) after not using that title on characters like Mulan and Pocahontas, just to appease a certain community.

Actually you are wrong about that... Pocahontas was ALWAYS called a princess... The movie is based on the John Smith accounts which called the Chief a king and Pocahontas an Indian Princess. Its not accurate, but that is how Disney described her.

Mulan, I'll give you wasn't sold as a Princess at the release of the movie. When Disney realized they could make BIG BIG BIG bucks on marketing the Princesses the way they did the Villians, they called her a Princess. I don't think now they necessarily mean royalty as much as just calling the Heroine a Princess. That being said, If you read the article cited, the Prince IS actually a prince from a country called Maldonia. If Prince Naveen is indeed the prince she ends up with and marries... just like what happens Cinderella (or to Aladdin), she would become a Princess by marrying a Prince. I have also heard some rumors that Mardi Gras involved... she may be the Mardi Gras Princess or something like that... But I am guessing the Marriage of the Prince (or implied marriage) is the reason she is a Princess.

Either way, as you can see from the Disney Website, Mulan, Pocahantas and a host of others are Disney Princesses.
http://disney.go.com/princess/princess.html

 

[yitbos96bb]

I don't get the uproar over using the name "Maddy" (Maddie?) for the princess either. It is a very popular name, and a cute one at that. I think you really have to look for something to nit pick to think that the name is an underhanded reference to "mammy". I mean really.....People act as if Disney was going to draw her with a "do-rag" or something.

Also...the prince looks latino to me, and is voiced by a brazilian actor. If Folks were saying that Disney needed an African-American princess, then why not a Latin-American prince. Seems very inclusive to me!

I don't think 99% of people care... but its usually that small minority of vocal people who get their way... squeaky wheel and all that. Why do you think some shows who say one thing get fined by the FCC, while others don't? Its all about who complains.

 

[djm99]

Actually you are wrong about that... Pocahontas was ALWAYS called a princess... The movie is based on the John Smith accounts which called the Chief a king and Pocahontas an Indian Princess. Its not accurate, but that is how Disney described her.

Mulan, I'll give you wasn't sold as a Princess at the release of the movie. When Disney realized they could make BIG BIG BIG bucks on marketing the Princesses the way they did the Villians, they called her a Princess. I don't think now they necessarily mean royalty as much as just calling the Heroine a Princess. That being said, If you read the article cited, the Prince IS actually a prince from a country called Maldonia. If Prince Naveen is indeed the prince she ends up with and marries... just like what happens Cinderella (or to Aladdin), she would become a Princess by marrying a Prince. I have also heard some rumors that Mardi Gras involved... she may be the Mardi Gras Princess or something like that... But I am guessing the Marriage of the Prince (or implied marriage) is the reason she is a Princess.

Either way, as you can see from the Disney Website, Mulan, Pocahantas and a host of others are Disney Princesses.
http://disney.go.com/princess/princess.html

I just wanted to say that Jasmine was born a Princess, her father was Sultan (King). Alladin was a peasant. She "made" him a prince.

 

[wdwpins]

Perhaps someone can explain to me why we use the terms "African American," "Native American" and "Asian American," but the term "European American" is nowhere to be found.

It's wrong to recognize one group's nationality and continent of origin and not do the same for another group.

Contest:

What's wrong with this sentence? "The suspect was described as an African-American male."

 

[jewelsangel]

Why is that?

I just have a feeling. I know movies and judging by the clips I've seen so far, it is in no way intelligently put together.

 

[kissofcraziness]

Instead of people looking at the movie in a negative light saying there is not an African American man, why is no one looking to see that this is a great inter-racial relationship depicted in the movie showing that love can be blind to race?

Disney had that a LITTLE bit with Pocahontas, but since Pocahontas and John Smith don't really get together, since she ends up marrying another man and such, I absolutely love the idea that the main love story is an interracial one.

And for those people upset that there is not an African American male in the movie, perhaps Disney will focus on one in a later project. Or, perhaps, they wanted to emphasize Tiana's ethnicity as the first Black Princess, and creating another major Black character might take away from it.

And I agree that the name should've stayed Maddy instead of Tiana. Maddy is such a sweet sounding name and sounds nothing like "Mammy."

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I am looking forward to this movie! I think the new princess is beautiful! I hope that she will be available for meet and greets when get go back to WDW in 2010!!

There are always naysayers whenever a new Disney movie comes out, those who will pick a part a 30 second trailer and decide that the movie is bad, not sending the right message whatever... I can say that there have been a few Disney movies that I have not enjoyed. So I am not one who is all "Disney can never miss the mark" because sometimes they do. In this case I think this movie will turn out to be a good thing for them.

Incidently, on the Prince, not that it should even matter two hoots, Prince Naveen as named in the article; the name Naveen is rooted from the name Navin which is considered to be Sanskrit/Hindi in origin and meaning youthful or new depending on which name meaning source you use. So if one goes strictly on the origin of the name which I am not suggesting we should do, the prince would be Indian (as in India). Since the story takes place here in the US , I'll "assume" that both characters are American, even if we don't have an American royal family- maybe we do now!.

 

[Informer1906]

I just have a feeling. I know movies and judging by the clips I've seen so far, it is in no way intelligently put together.

What does that mean, how do you know how it was put together, I doubt the director has even made the final cut yet, he/she does not even know how the movie is put together--how could you?

 

[djm99]

I'd sure like to know how a FAIRY TALE is intelligently put together. None (fairy tales) are based on/in reality nor should this film be any different. This film like any other fairy tale should be light, fun, cheerful, and possibly a lesson learned. Nothing more and not too much less. No one wants to watch a fairy tale based around the horrors of that time period. How much reality can this film be wrapped in - a princess is supposed to kiss a frog to return him to a prince.

 

[xoxorockon1]

god... people need to stop complaining about somethin dat made them happy.... i cnt believe people r criticizing disney just because the prince isnt african- american........ i thought people were above dat