*As previously reported, Disney has received a number of complaints regarding alleged racial and ethnic insensitivities that popped up in its original announcement of the film, “The Princess and the Frog,” which is due to be released in 2009.
All hell broke loose when a character list appeared on Wikipedia showing lead character Maddy (now named Tiana) – Disney’s first African American princess – worked as a chambermaid. Also, her love interest was listed as a “European prince,” while the movie’s villain is a black voodoo priest whose last name is Duvalier. Some have complained that his name is a reference to Haitian dictators Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier.
Disney blogger Jim Hill has more details regarding the complaints of racial insensitivity, and the changes Disney has made to address them.
According to Hill, the original title, “The Frog Princess,” might be regarded as a slur on the French, so it was changed to “The Princess and the Frog.” The character name Maddy was changed to Tiana because Maddy reportedly sounded too much like common slave names “Mammy” or “Addy.” And she will no longer be seen as a chambermaid working for a rich, white, spoiled Southern débutante.
Read Hill’s entire take on Disney’s “damage control” behind “The Princess and the Frog.