Disney's Uneasiness with African Americans

After decades of failure to feature a black lead in one of its animated films, the Walt Disney Company is finally offering the world its first black princess in The Princess and the Frog. The film, which is scheduled for release this December, is set in New Orleans and will star Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) as the voice of Princess Tiana.

Although Disney has had princesses of color in films before (Aladdin, Mulan, Pocahantas), the company's failure to include positive black characters in its movie is well-noted. For instance, Disney has had animated films set in Africa but either the film only had animals (e.g. The Lion King) or white characters (e.g. Tarzan.) More specifically, movies like Song of the South retread negative black stereotypes.

With The Princess and the Frog, Disney is hoping to correct some of this history. However, the film has not been without controversy. Even months before its release, The Princess and the Frog has undergone several changes -- from the actual name of the movie (changed from The Frog Princess) and the name of its star (from Princess Maddy.) Furthermore, there have been concerns expressed about the setting of the film and the nearly white Prince that falls for Tiana.

Even though this is long overdue, I'm glad that Disney has finally made a movie with a black princess. For the first time, young African American girls can finally have a Disney Princess that looks and sounds like them. There's been a bevy of European princesses so I don't think this is too much to ask. I trust that the movie will feature positive portrayals of its black characters and that the film will do well at the box office and in DVD sales, which would encourage Disney to make more movies like it. Now if only they could begin to have animated films where the girls have a mom that's still around...

Our Last Two Presidents

Kinda weird, isn't it?

(Image created by smallislander, flickr)

Why So Few Good Christian Films?

Why is it that there are so few quality films with a Christian theme that gain widespread acceptance? Is it because the general public will reject any movie with an overt Christian message or is it because much of the Christian-based movies that are offered are just not that good? The overwhelming success of The Passion of the Christ a handful of years ago demonstrated the powerful potential that is contained in movies that appeal to both Christian and mainstream audiences. So why are there so few examples like "Passion" to turn to?

Dallas Jenkins, a filmmaker and son of Jerry Jenkins (of "Left Behind" fame), offers his take on this in a post entitled "Why Are Christian Movies So Bad?" He says this:

"What took Hollywood so long to discover the Christian market? Why can’t they replicate even half the success of “The Passion?” And when Christians make up over half the population, why are faith-based films still relegated to the low-budget, straight to DVD world? The seemingly obvious answer would be that there are few Christians in Hollywood, both at the studio and creative level, but even that would raise the question of why.
I think I know the reason(s), although it’s a bit embarrassing because I happen to be a Christian evangelical. But we must face the truth, and as Dr. Phil so eloquently and charmingly puts it, “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.” The fact is, Christian movies have been pretty bad for a few decades. Yes, Hollywood had largely ignored the Christian market, but it’s not like there have been good examples for Hollywood to learn from. And now that Hollywood is actively seeking faith-based material, there’s still a lack of quality scripts and filmmakers available, with a few exceptions, and among the films that are being made in this genre, there are still more crappy ones than good ones."

Jenkins goes on to point out how the relative absence of influential Christians in Hollywood, the emergence of alternative Christian media and the emphasis placed on message over art in many Christian films all play a role in the lack of quality, popular movies made by Christians. Since Hollywood is one of the greatest influences on our society, it only makes sense that the products that Christians put out there are as good, if not better, than what others offer.

You can read Jenkins' full article here. (Thanks to The Point for the tip on the article.)