Richard Breaux: The Princess and the Frog

Summary: In his article “After 75 Years of Magic: Disney Answers Its Critics, Rewrites African American History, and Cashes In on Its Racist Past,” Richard M. Breaux analyzes The Princess and the Frog and argues exactly what the title suggest. The article is divided into three major sections. First, Breaux focuses on how the film responds to many critical complaints regarding the lack of African American protagonists, the absence of mothers, and the depiction of weak and helpless princesses, entirely dependent on their prince. Overall, Breaux believes that The Princess and the Frog successfully addresses many of these critics. Breaux claims the “Princess Tiana is Disney’s most firm answer to its critics for the absence of non-white characters in its line of princesses” (400). More so than Aladdin, Pocahontas, or Mulan, Breaux believes that the film directly addresses race, and that it is much more progressive and politically correct than some Disney’s earlier works. Breaux observes that the film is also unique in its depiction of family, as it is rare for Disney to create a complete nuclear family, and have a mother present for the entirety of the film. As far as creating a more independent and strong female character, Breaux believes that Tiana sets forth a completely new image for what a princess can be. Breaux’s second argument looks at the representations of animated black women in films throughout history. After investigating the portrayal of any animated black women, Breaux focus’s on Disney’s specific portrayals. Breaux looks at most all of Disney’s black female characters in its early films, as well as black voice actors, and live action depictions. In Breaux’s third argument, he looks at the corporate side of Disney, and how the film is used for both its image and its profit. Breaux believes that the film used a black princess to help increase sales on merchandise from the black consumer market.

Response: There are several reasons I chose to read Breaux’s article over Ajay Gehlawat’s “The Strange Case of The Princess and the Frog: Passing and the Elision of Race.” Firstly, I felt as though Breaux’s writing was more organized and easier to follow. As for the content, in Gehlawat’s introduction, I was not impressed nor compelled by his arguments. After having read an article on how The Princess and the Frog is whitewashed, I did not feel the need to read more about “the Elision of Race” (417). Additionally, Gehlawats’s claim that Tiana being a frog is a metaphor for blacks being animals seemed like a flimsy argument to me. Also, after having read mostly negative criticism about The Princess and the Frog, I wanted to read a more positive interpretations about the films depiction of race.

            I found Breaux’s article to be organized, well written and compelling. Breaux successfully sets up a roadmap for his arguments, and the various sections of the article make it very easy to follow. Breaux’s use of quotes is effective, allowing him to enter the conversation of the film, and to better place his argument into a broader context. What I found most effective about the article was how Breaux was able to transition back and forth between the movie and the context surrounding the movie (both in 2009 and 1920’s New Orleans). By incorporating critical interpretations of the film and discussing racial climate within the real world, Breaux was able to convey the larger importance of his argument, the “so-what.” Overall, I found myself agreeing with everything Breaux argued, and I was particularly interested by his discussion of economic implications of having a black princess, something I had entirely overlooked.

Breaux, Richard M. "After 75 Years of Magic: Disney Answers Its Critics, Rewrites African American History, and Cashes In on Its Racist Past."Journal of African American Studies J Afr Am St 14.4 (2010): 398-416. Web.