Did Disney really think nobody would notice?
Princess Tiana became the first black princess in the studios 100-year history, making her one of their most iconic characters.
When Princess & the Frog was released in 2009, it was a huge victory for all the little black girls of past, present and future who yearned to see a crowned Disney character who looked just like them.
So when Tiana rocked up in the Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 trailer looking eurocentric, yes, we were going to notice, Disney. And rightfully pull you up on the sheer audacity too.
It was hard not to spot that Tianas skin had been lightened and her nose shrunk a few sizes and that, even more clear as day, her formerly kinky hair had been transformed into more friendly, messy European curls.
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Evidently, Disney didnt consider what message they were sending to the young black girls who sit for hours in their living rooms watching the studios classic fairy tales and dreaming of their own happy ending one day.
The blatant whitewashing of Tiana screams: If youre a black girl in a group of lighter-skin women, you also need lighter skin, a thinner nose and fewer kinks in your hair to fit in.
Thats how your fairy tale goes, kids.
Disneys ignorance to the issue of colourism shows just how easily young childrens perception of people of colour can be influenced while theyre still in nappies.
Mulan, who also appears in the Wreck-It Ralph 2 poster, didnt change. Neither did Moana. Merida from Brave still sports her rich red hair and actually, Tianas new curls look a lot closer to the Scottish princess than her own afro hair.
All of this seems to suggest that Disney only thought about what was marketable and a poster of princesses with fairer skin shifts more box office tickets than a dark-skin Tiana, right?
Wrong. Princess & the Frog grossed around $267 million (£202 million) at the box office in 2009, so surely she has some pulling power as her authentic self. Also, at a time when were even more ferocious about supporting diversity in Hollywood, Disney probably would have earned brownie points for showing Tiana in her natural form amidst the other princesses.
So to say that theyve made a huge misstep is a big understatement.
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By going back to the drawing board and reanimating Tiana to correct her features, Disney have definitely made the right move. The Wreck-It Ralph team consulted with Color of Change, a group who campaign for racial representation in Hollywood, to determine a solution on how to bring Tiana back to her roots.
But, this only exposes another glaring problem with Disney. Are there really that few black employees in the studio who could have advised them on how best to fix the issue? Clearly, Disney were unaware of what they did wrong in the first place and that, coming from one of the biggest production companies in the world, is a terrifying prospect.
It highlights the lack of diversity in the animation industry and perfectly shows exactly why its important to have black animators, writers and producers in these influential positions.
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Maybe then, there wouldnt be such a disconnect between the studio and issues of race.
Disney do have another chance to get it right. Producers are developing an African princess called Sade and, goodness knows what shell look like. But, with their newly enlightened insight into how black animated characters should be represented on-screen, theres no reason they should get it wrong.
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