Tiana: The Colored Princess 

In earlier Disney fairytale adaptations from the 1900s to the early 2000s, we can see a lack of diversity and character. Most of their fairytale adaptations were very vanilla and Eurocentric, and as a kid, I noticed this and thought to myself, “Why do they all look the same?” referring to the princesses featured in these fairytale stories. All these characters had similar designs, long blonde or brunette hair, and blue eyes, with a mean stepmother waiting for their knight in shining armor to rescue them. This is why, as a kid, Princess and the Frog always stood out to me and became my favorite Disney fairytale. 

As a child, I loved to watch movies. That’s all I did; my mom would always tell me about how when I was about 4 or 5, I had a rocking chair, and I would take that chair, put it in front of the TV, put on my jacket, and just watch TV. During those times, I’d say it was around 2010 that we didn’t have any of the streaming services we have now, but we had a cabinet of VHS tapes. We had all the Lion King tapes and a good amount of the Disney princess films, and one of them was The Princess and the Frog. After watching that movie, I could immediately feel a connection and see a difference between this movie and the other Disney fairy tales, and ever since then, it’s been my favorite Disney fairytale. Now, years later, whenever someone asks me my favorite Disney princess, they’re always so surprised when I say “Tiana”.

The Princess and the Frog is about a little girl in New Orleans named Tiana who hates frogs and loves to cook. The story begins with her mother telling Tiana and her friend Charlotte a story about a princess kissing a frog and turning it into a prince, where Tiana says she’d never kiss a frog, while Charlotte, who dreams of being a princess, would kiss 100 frogs if that meant she could marry a prince and become a princess. Her mom, Eudora, is the best seamstress in town, and her father, James, is a WWI veteran who dreamed of opening his own restaurant. He was the reason why Tiana loved to cook, but he also taught her that she needs to work hard to achieve her dreams and that wishing is only part of it, that fairy tales can come true if you work hard to make them happen. Her father passed away along with his dreams to open his restaurant, but his dream still lived on with his daughter. Tiana saves up for a down payment for her restaurant but gets outbid and loses her building for her restaurant, then wishes on an evening star for help, and a prince that was turned into a frog appears. The frog thinks if Tiana kisses her, he will turn back into a man, but Tiana hates frogs, but the prince promises money if she kisses him, and Tiana reluctantly agrees, but instead of the frog turning back into a man, Tiana turns into a frog as well. So now they both go on a long adventure to transform them back into humans, and they fall in love, and they eventually turn back into humans, and Tiana gets her restaurant. 

The Princess and the Frog provided a story that people of color could relate to and a character for them to look up to. There was a lot of Black culture throughout the film from the music to the food to people and the way they spoke to the setting in Louisiana. It takes place through the Roaring 20s and stuck with that theme for parts of the movie, and we can see that from the music, the style of clothing, to the way people danced. The movie had a strong Southern vibe and was filled with Black culture, which made the movie special to me and gave me a deeper connection with the movie besides it just being my favorite movie. The story strayed away from the typical Disney princess narrative, which is another reason it stood out to me.

The lesson that I took away from this movie was that being Black is a challenge in itself, but regardless of our skin color, we’ll inevitably face trials. Our job is to overcome these trials. It doesn’t matter if you’re Black, White, a donkey, or a unicorn; hard work conquers all. That hard work will help you achieve your dreams. I incorporate this lesson into my daily life; it’s my guiding principle.

Recently, I’ve started going to the gym because I want to look like the Scarlet Spider from Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse or Trunks from BoJack Unbound. These aren’t easy goals, so I must be consistent in my gym routine and healthy eating habits. Whenever I feel tempted to skip the gym or indulge in unhealthy food, I remind myself of my future aspirations and the sacrifices I need to make to achieve them. This mindset is similar to Tiana’s determination to work tirelessly and sacrifice her social life to achieve her long-term goals.

I apply the lessons from Princess and the Frog to drive my work ethic in both my school and work life. I’m an avid car enthusiast, and I’ve always had dreams of owning a dream car. My current dream car is the Aston Martin Valkyrie, which costs around three million dollars. This is a long-term goal, but I’m saving up for it. In the meantime, my short-term goal is to own a Toyota Mark 5 Supra, which costs about sixty thousand dollars. My desire for this car has motivated me to become a diligent saver. I ensure that I get paid well at work and then save most of my earnings to eventually drive a Supra off the lot. This mindset is similar to Tiana’s dedication to saving every penny so that she can open her own restaurant. 

Working hard and sacrificing are inherent parts of life, and I’m gradually coming to terms with this realization. When I was admitted to City College, I had to take a math placement test. Instead of studying, I likely indulged in video games or relaxation, resulting in a poor grade. I was then placed in a low-difficulty math class, despite my higher understanding of math. My intended major is mechanical engineering, and to gain admission to the engineering school, I need to complete four math courses., I’m currently in one of these courses, so I had to make a choice: take a winter semester math class to fast-track my admission into engineering school, or take my winter break and relax. This experience opened my eyes and reminded me of the purpose of my college education: to work diligently and achieve my objectives. It’s crucial to understand that no one will study for me or complete my work; I must be fully committed and willing to make sacrifices to reach my long-term goals, just like Tiana.

Tiana, the “princess” of the story, has dreams and goals along with a work ethic to back them up.  She undoubtedly has the most character and personality out of any princess in any other story. In other stories, the princesses are all the same, a beautiful blonde/brunette waiting for someone to save them while all they have going for them is their looks. Tiana, on the other hand, has beauty and so much more; she’s a character that can be looked up to and admired. In her story, she doesn’t wait for a knight in shining armor to save her. This is why I admire the story and character so much. Even though it’s a fairy tale, there are lessons applicable to real life. Tiana is strong, passionate, and hard-working; she goes through trials and tribulations but still pushes through. She’s told that she’s in over her head, that “she’s never going to raise the money for a restaurant”, and that due to her background as a Black woman, “she’s better off where she’s at” but despite all the negative thrown her way, she proves everyone wrong and turns those negatives to a positive. Tiana proves time and time again that she’s truly a character whether you look up to Black or not because the lessons taught don’t apply to only one group of people. In today’s world, being Black and being a woman is a struggle, but to be a Black woman during the 1920s where there was segregation and women’s rights issues, and still be successful is a massive accomplishment. This is just another reason why Tiana isn’t your typical Disney princess. 

This movie provided me with life lessons and the ability to write about Black culture and struggle and how these issues are so deeply rooted in our modern-day world. The movie helped me realize life is always going to throw obstacles your way, but it’s your job to push through them because no one is coming to save you; it’s your job to put in the hard work and create a name for yourself. If you want to make it in life, you need to stay strong and passionate in whatever you’re pursuing, and don’t let anyone tell you that your dreams are too far-fetched because the things in this life that seem impossible just require some hard work and perseverance.