Disney Should Makes Lots of Money with Black Princess

By Holly Wood

Chiquita and Shaniqua will be spending big bucks this Christmas on the Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog,” because the princess is black. The question is whether white preteens will embrace a black princess? Our bet is yes because it is something different and Michelle Obama is a real life queen with two little princesses. The timing couldn't be better. Maybe if this movie had been released any sooner, it might not work. But now even little white girls know that there are real black princesses right here in America. And what little girl would not want to share some of the world inhabited by Sasha and Malia.

Soon Princess Tiana will be right up there with classic Disney characters like Cinderella and Snow White. Princess Tiana is being voiced by Tony-winning actress Anika Noni Rose. “The Princess and the Frog” is set in New Orleans in the 1920s and unfolds against a raucous backdrop of voodoo and jazz. Tiana, a waitress and budding chef dreams of owning a restaurant. Unfortunately she is persuaded to kiss a frog who is really a prince, but the spell backfires and — poof! — she is also an amphibian. Accompanied by a Cajun firefly and a folksy alligator, the couple search for a cure.

We predict this film will be a blockbuster. Oprah Winfrey and the NAACP are looking over Disney's shoulder and so there shouldn't be any stumbles. Plus, AAEA Hollywood is endorsing the film. That sign off should be worth $100 million alone. (NYTimes, 5/29/09)