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Critical reviews for Disney’s The Princess And The Frog have already started to trickle in and they are mostly positive. There are a couple of beefs I had with this movie once I knew the storyline, mainly that Disney re-purposed a fairytale from the Grimm tradition instead of using a story from Black or African folklore. The other issue I had was the prince, once I saw him. My first reaction was that he was not Black (that instinct was correct) and would it be too much for Disney to depict two Black main characters in a romance?

Now neither of those things bother me, since I’m a sucker for classic Disney animation and fully intend to see this movie, in spite of the fact that I strongly dislike children and dislike children in movie theaters even more. Let me repeat, I do not have a problem with the prince not being Black. Tiana and Prince Naveen both spend the majority of the film as frogs anyway, and this device within the narrative allows them to appreciate each other in the absence of race. Hopefully that aspect of the story resonates with people and teaches kids (and adults) a valuable lesson.

But here’s the thing: Whenever someone points out that Prince Naveen isn’t Black, there are those among us that like to fire back with “Why are you assuming he’s not Black? He could be light-skinned! He could be Creole! Black people exist in many shades!!” Etc. These spirited knee-jerk defenses are not without merit, but let’s examine the plot:

When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia (Bruno Campos) comes to town, a deal with a shady voodoo doctor (Keith David) goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Naveen is supposed to receive a kiss from a princess to return to human form. He mistakes Tiana for a princess (as you can see in the trailer, she’s outfitted in princess digs, crown and all) and when they kiss she turns into a frog like him, a side-effect of the enchantment. This synopsis itself clears up two misconceptions about the film: 1) Tiana’s not a princess and 2) Naveen is not a Black man. (Sidenote: If Tiana was a princess during America’s Jazz Age, she wouldn’t have been working as a poor waitress.)

Unless Naveen’s homeland Maldonia is populated with Americans descended from African slaves, then he is not Black. This certainly isn’t to say that he can’t be descended from Africans at all, but do you really expect a Disney film to address something that complex? Looks aside, he’s voiced by a Brazilian and he is not an American. His name is Hindu. He’s not Creole. He’s a Prince from a land that has actual royalty as its rulers and he is not Black. By all indications Naveen has not even been cultured as a Black man. Part of being Black, as we know it, is being an American.

It would’ve been nice if the prince ended up being Black, but whoever made this movie went out of their way to make sure the audience understands that he isn’t. Don’t be naive. The evidence is practically tripping over itself.

Tags: bruno campos, disney animation, fairytale, princess and the frog, tiana