Friday, March 29, 2024

Disney Redraws First Black Princess After Criticism Over Her ‘Too White’ Skin Tone

*Disney animators were forced back to the drawing board with their first black princess after anti-racism campaigners claimed she had been ‘whitewashed’ for her latest role.

Princess Tiana was the first black princess created for the film The Princess and The Frog” in 2009. She has been re-animated for the new film “Wreck It Ralph 2,” in which all the Disney princesses have a sleepover.  

When the trailer was released in May, fans noticed Tiana looked considerably lighter and her curls had been straightened.

As noted by The Telegraph, Color of Change set up a petition to tell Disney to “stop whitewashing” their black characters. The anti-racism charity said it had been in conversation with the company, which agreed to restore the princess to her “original depiction.”

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Wendy Williams On Her Cocaine Addiction & Why She Decided to Get Help

The original petition said:

“Princess Tiana looks nothing like her original character. She is shown here with Eurocentric features; a slimmer nose, loose curly hair and a significantly lighter skin tone than her previous depictions.

“This is unacceptable. Yet again, Disney made the choice to whitewash an image that represents us. They’ve totally removed and replaced Princess Tiana’s full lips, dark skin and kinky hair. By doing so, they are showing us that they don’t care about reflecting the diversity of the Black community. “

Following further criticism from fans, the animation company released a new image of Princess Tiana featuring darker skin and tighter curls.

Brandi Collins-Dexter, Color of Change’s senior campaign director, said in a statement:

“Disney’s decision to restore Princess Tiana’s image to that of an unapologetically Black princess with full lips, dark skin and dark hair … is a victory for Color Of Change members, Black children and their parents, and Black audiences who want to see the variety of shades, shapes and sizes of Black characters accurately represented in the arts.”

She added: “By redrawing Princess Tiana — Disney’s first and only Black princess — in ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ as she was in ‘Princess and the Frog’, Disney has shown its commitment to addressing the concerns of Color Of Change members and the Black community.

“Disney is an incredibly powerful and influential company and its decisions have far-reaching implications for other companies that provide entertainment for children and adults around the world.”

Disney animators reportedly consulted Anika Noni Rose, the actress who voices Tiana, before redesigning the character.

Rashad Robinson, the CEO of Color of Change, tweeted: “Big news. Because of COC members and convos with @DisneyAnimation, Princess Tiana has been restored to her original depiction. Now when Black girls watch #WreckItRalph2, they’ll see Tiana and other princess of color that actually looks like them on screen #BlackGirlMagic” 

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING