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Hi All!

I know it may feel like I’ve been MIA for a spell, but rest assured that I’ve been busily writing at some of my other camps online. Be sure to check out my latest review of Disney’s new film The Princess and the Frog, out in theaters this weekend. Here’s a sneak peek, but be sure to head over to UrbanFaith.com to read the full review:

Months before the film officially hit theaters, black women everywhere were already referring to Princess Tiana of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog like her last name was Obama. That’s how momentous the arrival of Disney’s first black princess felt to us. And while we could compare this landmark animated character to the decade’s other cultural trailblazer, I think Tiana is less President Barack Obama and more Will Smith. I imagine that somewhere in the land of happily ever after, she’s saying to Cinderella, tiara fully cocked to the side while sliding on a pair of black Ray Bans like Smith in Men in Black, “You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good.”

I’ll admit I went to The Princess and the Frog fist-clenched, fully prepared to hate it based on the speculative criticism of multiple writers over the past year leading up to the film’s release and my own angst about the cartoon. I’ve waited 26 years to see myself reflected onscreen by Disney, longing to break through the negative self-image the lack of a black princess has reinforced in my life. With only Oprah and a few others to latch onto as a high-profile black woman in America who is the star of the show, I’ve often thrown myself into playing the role of strong, supportive best friend or faithful employee rather than the leading lady in my own life. Black women are never leading ladies; that plotline isn’t available to us. We don’t get the prince or live happily ever after; we don’t get swept up in fairytales. At least that’s the implied message Hollywood traditionally has sent to us.

(Keep reading…)