Role of first black Disney princess revised

Leah Zanolla | Posted: Jul 22, 2008 | Updated: Oct 19, 2014 - 9:25:27 AM

Following criticism of Disney's upcoming animated film featuring the first black princess, a major reworking of the film's plot has been announced.

Originally Disney's "The Princess and the Frog: An American Fairy Tale" was based on the story of Maddy, a black maid working for a white debutante in 1920's New Orleans. The tale included a 'fairy godmother' in the form of a voodoo priestess who helps Maddy win the heart of a white prince after he saves her from a voodoo magician.

Leaders in the black community were vocal in their belief that the chambermaid role and the name "Maddy", which is similar to "Mammy", would only perpetuate stereotypes and hearken back to the days of slavery.

In the newly conceived storyline, Maddy is now Tiana. Disney's latest princess will be a 19 year old living in a land which has never had a monarchy. She'll live "happily ever after" with a newly recast hero who is rumored to be of Middle Eastern descent and named "Naveen." The villain has also undergone a change, the details of which are unknown.

Disney previously changed the movie title from "The Frog Princess" which was felt to be a slur.

Disney stated "The story takes place in the charming elegance and grandeur of New Orleans' fabled French Quarter during the Jazz Age... Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney's rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity."