Topic > Disney Princess Culture Essay - 1179

Disney has definitely made great strides to please everyone, and it seems to be working a little. In one of the most recent films, The Princess and the Frog, Disney introduces the first African American girl, Tiana, who has no desire to be a princess (unlike previous girls before her), but instead wants to open a business on their own. Tiana is shown working multiple jobs, in order to achieve her dreams, through this she learns to "understand the importance of balancing hard work and fun" (Stephens 2014). She meets a frog who promises to help her with the restaurant if she kisses him. Unfortunately, this also turns her into a frog, which is where their adventure begins. In this adventure he finds love, just like in other fairy tales, but this time it is different since he falls in love with his character and not with his appearance. While Disney gives us the happy ending we always seek, they still provided a film where the character's driving force isn't a man or becoming a princess, but rather owning her own business. Another very progressive move by Disney was the film Brave, which features a princess who is anything but ordinary. Unlike Tiana, Merida was born a princess, yet still rides horses and shoots arrows as well as being "unladylike". Therefore, “Merida is not just a princess, she is an independent and intelligent female protagonist, who can save