Once upon a time, video hoes ruled the media airwaves. They were a plentiful bunch that would do ANYTHING for a buck. They’d shake it, wobble it, and act very strange…but only for a small piece of change. They should have known that they wouldn’t get far! For Disney has set sail a ship into uncharted waters…a Black princess.That’s right! Black females finally have a princess to call our own. Her name is Maddy, and she is The Frog Princess.
Disney has commenced production on a new project, The Frog Princess.The “musical fairy tale” takes place in New Orleans’ French Quarter, and is long overdue! The storyline has not yet been released, but I don’t need a plot to know that this could be just what little Black girls are missing.
There are several benefits to this new picture. It is the first time in years that a Disney film will be completely hand drawn. I can appreciate them returning to the original form of the art of cartooning. The New Orleans setting is a plus too. Bringing The Big Easy back from out of sight could only help the partially rebuilt city.
Disney didn’t wait a moment too soon either. At a time when Black children are choosing White dolls to play with over Black dolls, we badly need a positive image to cling to. As a young girl, I watched and enjoyed Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.
However, my subconscious would not allow me to attach myself to any of them. That’s another story, though! I did, at one point in 1995, adopt Pocahontas as my own, but as a freshman in High School, I was unquestionably too old to be a princess. It is VITAL for a young Black girl to have positive images at an early age. Without a princess, one might find a Black girl hating herself, hating other Black women (guilty as charged), or even shaking it fast in a video! And we all know that a girl like that wouldn’t get far.
Look out for Maddy, The Frog Princess! She is scheduled to make history in 2009.
