Analysis of "Blackness, Bayous and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World"

“Blackness, Bayous and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World” written by Sarah E. Turner discusses the controversial issues around Disney's production of The Princess and the Frog.  Tiana is Disney’s first black princess.  Many aspects of the Princess and the Frog are under criticism for being racist.  First of all the story is set in New Orleans in the 1920’s.   The fact that Tiana is black and the story is set in the Deep South raises question about what Disney is trying to suggest.  Also, the prince Tiana marries is considered “brown” because he has no definite race.  It would make sense if the Prince Naveen was black like Tiana, but instead Disney chose to depict him as being of a mixed race.  One of the major Turner points out is that Tiana has to work to be successful.  All of the other Disney princesses had success and love basically handed to them.  Although the fact that Tiana has to work hard is a positive message to send to kids, it cannot be ignored that she is the only princess who had to work hard and she is black.  Turner also recognizes that there is very little reference to Tiana’s “physical attributes.”  Most of the other Disney movies place an emphasis on the princess’ physical features.  It is unarguably a good thing that Disney is focusing less of physical attributes and more on mental strength, but it is under criticism because it is the first movie to show this new idea and also the first movie where the princess is black.  Despite all of these possible critiques of The Princess and the Frog, Turner is a strong believer that Disney is “colorblind.”  What she means by this is that despite all of the unique characteristics of Tiana, she is a princess just like Cinderella, Belle, Ariel and all of the other Disney princesses.  Race does not matter, it is simply an external quality like hair color.  In my opinion, I believe that Disney does have an aspect of colorblindness in their films, especially the Princess and the Frog.  I believe that Tiana was supposed to be a normal Disney princess, but critics over analyzed the movie to find issues simply because they wanted to prove that Disney is racist.  For example, if Tiana had married a black prince, critics would have asked why does the black princess have to marry a black prince, why can’t the prince be white?  Also, the fact that Tiana is a hard working princess is a great improvement to the stereotypical Disney princess.  Many of the other princesses take very little action in their respective films.  They are usually rescued by a prince, who they immediately fall in love with, and then live happily ever after.  I believe that the reason that Tiana had to work to get what she wanted is a reflection of the time period the movie was produced in, and has nothing to do with her race.  In the 21^st century, women are more empowered and strive to achieve success.   Tiana is a great representation of a modern and progressive princess.

"Home Is Where the Heart Is: Pixar's Up"

In "Home Is Where the Heart Is:  Pixar's Up," Dennis Tyler explores the success and message of Disney's production Up.  He starts with explaining the immense success that Up achieved.  Tyler points out the statistical evidence of Up's success by recognizing "as of February 2010, the film had made over $720 million worldwide.  This box office success surpassed all other Pixar films except Finding Nemo (2003)" (Tyler 268).  The first point that Tyler emphasizes is how Up may not necessarily be a strictly children’s movie. When considering the messages that Up portrays and the situations that the characters face, the movie is more meaningful and realistic than past Disney movies.  In “Home Is Where the Heart Is:  Pixar’s Up,” John Lasseter, a movie producer at Pixar, explains how Pixar movies were structured to appeal to children as well as other age groups.  He says, “We make movies for the kind of movies we like to watch” (272).  Lasseter continues to say “there’s so often that I’ve been to a movie for my kids that I’m bored to death.  And I said I just don’t want that to happen in our movies.  It’s not about the cynicism, or getting humor from putting somebody else down.  That doesn’t happen in a Pixar film” (272).  In this article, both Tyler and Lasseter emphasize how Pixar focuses more on ‘heart’ and this may be the more mature piece that attracts people of all ages to Pixar.  Up is an example of a Disney movie that offers the idea of family not being limited to blood related connections.  Tyler states that “throughout the Pixar canon, 'the family' is not simply the biological entity of the nuclear family, but rather a grouping of individuals who care for each other whether technically related or not” (269).  This is an example of a life like situation and a more mature message to be presenting.  In my opinion, Up, as well as many other Pixar movies, are far more entertaining then earlier Disney movies.  The plots are more complex and the characters have a personality and more ‘heart’.  These are all contributing factors to why Up is such a popular Pixar film today. 

"If Disney Movies Had Honest Titles" - BuzzFeed

There are tons of interesting articles, blogs, and posts about Disney on the internet.  In my opinion, some of the funniest ones are featured on BuzzFeed.  This one is titled "If Disney Movies Had Honest Titles," and it is hilarious because it is completely true.  Some of the messages Disney movies portray can be interpreted in different ways, and this author chose to recognize a clear perspective on the message she received.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/if-disney-movies-had-honest-titles
My two favorites are Cinderella being renamed Make Overs Change Everything and The Little Mermaid being renamed Change for Your Man.

Adult Disney Halloween Costumes

This past week I found myself searching through pinterest for hours trying to find a good Halloween costume idea.  As I was browsing through the pages, I could not believe the amount of adult Disney themed costumes there were!  I understand the obsession with young kids wanting to dress like their favorite Disney characters, but the fact that adults still have to desire to do that shows how universal Disney is (no pun intended).  Here are some examples,

Cinderella..

Jasmine..

Rapunzel..

Snow White..