The Princess & the Frog was the last hand-drawn 2D animation film that Disney released, and was based on the classic fairytale The Frog Prince. The movie follows the story of aspiring restaurateur Tiana who stumbles across a talking frog, formerly Prince Naveen and, in a twist of fate, when she kisses him to turn him back into a human, she turns into a frog. The two go on a journey down a Louisiana bayou and seek the help of Voodoo priestess Mama Odie to help them get back to their original forms.
The Princess & the Frog is the first of its kind in many aspects and upon its release, it shook the world. Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, The Princess & the Frog both recreates the charm of original 2D hand-drawn animations like Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs while telling a story from a Black woman's perspective in the 1920s. The film was so influential that it sparked the making of a sequel series which will be brought to Disney+ in 2023. The film also earned a number of awards for its music and history-making screenplay. Here’s what makes The Princess & the Frog a groundbreaking Disney movie.
First Black Disney Princess & Heroine
Pricness Tiana is the long-awaited Black heroine, and this is the biggest reason that The Princess & The Frog shook the world, as the Black community finally gained some representation within Disney. Tiana is a waitress working two jobs to save up money to live her father’s dream and open a restaurant. Despite not having much, her life is filled with the love of her family and the belief that her hardwork will pay off, so Tiana can achieve her dreams. The actress who voiced Tiana, Anika Noni Rose, said, "When we don't include children of colour in fantasy, we are saying that they don't exist in that space of adventure and imagination.” Disney never realized what they were denying the Black community, and The Princess & the Frog brought many things to light, especially when it comes to the importance of children feeling represented in the media. Since 2009, Disney has upped its game with films like Coco and Moana focusing on culturally specific—and proper—representation.
Explores Voodoo Culture, Both Good and Bad
Mama Odie versus the villain Dr. Facilier: one good, one bad. No Disney films have ever looked upon Voodoo as a whole, but what makes this particularly poignant is that The Princess & the Frog shows that Voodoo can be used for both good and evil. When Naveen and Tiana are turned into frogs by Dr. Facilier, they go to find Mama Odie, who they hope will make them human again. While Dr. Facilier, whom Tiana refers to as “the shadow man”, uses his powers for selfish reasons and personal gain, Mama Odie uses her powers for the good of all, even granting lessons to those who seek her guidance. In her musical number “Dig a Little Deeper”, she helps Naveen realize that it's not money he wants, but love, specifically Tiana’s love. While she doesn’t turn them into humans, she does show them the way.
Tiana Doesn’t Just Become a Princess
The hard-working Tiana eventually falls in love with Naveen and marries him, but the story doesn’t end there. Tiana proceeds to open her restaurant and with the help of Naveen, brings her and her father’s dream to life. This is revolutionary for Disney, as it was the first film that showed Tiana didn’t just marry and become Naveen’s wife and gain the status as Princess. After marrying Naveen, she was still Tiana, and she still built her restaurant, fulfilling her life-long dream. Tiana’s life is not just living in a castle and lounging around, it is now full of music, laughter and good food as her restaurant thrives with her at the helm. This is yet another first for Disney as Tiana maintains her own personal dreams while joining forces with Naveen to make those dreams a reality.
A Gold-Digging Prince
When Naveen arrives in New Orleans, he is looking for a wealthy bride so that he can get some money, as his parents cut him off financially. This flips the script of the poor princess needing to be saved and sees Naveen as a conniving self-centred man who only cares about money. While Naveen changes throughout the film, losing his focus on money as he falls for Tiana, who never had money, he still begins his journey trying to find a rich wife to marry. Naveen also explains why he values money so much and why he fears working as he was pampered his whole life and was never taught the value of hard work as even his teeth were brushed for him.
Meaning Beyond Appearances
Tiana and Naveen spend most of the film’s run time as a frog. Some say that this preaches “colour blindness”, but it’s arguable that the intention of keeping Tiana a frog for majority of the film proves that appearances don’t matter. What matters is who you are on the inside. Similar to Beauty & the Beast in the sense that it involves humans trapped in animal form, in this case amphibian form, The Princess & the Frog is a marvelous display of love. Naveen and Tiana fall in love, while still as frogs and when they believe that they will be stuck as mucus-covered frogs together, they accept their fate, so long as they get to be together.
The Prince is the One Who Needs Saving
Twisting the typical “damsel in distress”, Tiana gets turned into a frog, but only after Naveen gets himself turned into a frog by trusting Dr. Facilier. Naveen is the main target of the antagonists and Tiana just gets caught up in the mix trying to help him. For a change, Tiana doesn’t need saving. Disney has a habit of painting the heroine of the films as young, innocent damsels whose naivety gets them into trouble when the opposite is true of Tiana as when faced with Dr. Facilier’s promises, she refuses what he offers and fights him off. Tiana is a determined, hard-working woman who insists on working for things and not having anything handed to her.