In Disney's nearly 100-year history, there has been only one Black Disney princess — Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 animated feature starring Anika Noni Rose. The singer Brandy starred in a 1997 made-for-TV film version of “Cinderella,” a remake of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
Most Disney princesses are adapted from European fairy tales and novels. Ergo, they are all predominantly going to be white. The Arabic Jasmine, Polynesian Moana, and Native Pocahontas are all exceptions in this regard.
According to a Disney spokeswoman, Sofia has a mixed fairy-tale heritage; her mother and father are from Galdiz (which is based on Spain) and Freezenburg (which is based on Scandinavia), respectively.
Nationality. Polynesian. Inspired by Polynesian mythology, Moana is depicted as the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.
As for whether Elsa and Anna are white … the Northuldra are modeled on the Sami, an indigenous people scattered across northern Scandinavia and northwestern Russia who have faced a great deal of discrimination, but there's a lot of disagreement about the genetic and linguistic origins of Sami to this day.
Minnie Mouse - Steamboat Willie (1928) As one of Disney's original characters, Minnie Mouse has been around for decades. She never received the title of a princess since Mickey was never considered royalty. The two are just seen as mice just living their lives with their friends.
One thing to note, Hans Christian Andersen left out race, skin color, and character names. For the animated movie, Disney made the little mermaid white, made her hair red, and gave her a name, Ariel.
Her country of origin, for example, has been frequently disputed. While some claim Jasmine is Arab because the movie opens with a song called Arabian Nights, others believe that the architecture in Agrabah is clearly based on the Taj Mahal, making Jasmine Indian.
The new version stars Halle Bailey, most known for her role in the Grammy-nominated Chloe x Halle R&B duo, as Ariel in the actress's first starring feature film role. This casting of a Black woman as the iconic mermaid has made waves.
Disney Debuts First Plus-Size Main Character in Animated Short Film “Reflect” It's a story about body image and self-love. Say hello to Bianca, Disney's first-ever plus-size heroine.
As Disney starts to diversify their movies and Princesses, it is important this is done correctly and to the highest level of authenticity possible. Moana strays from Disney tradition to allow Moana's cultural authenticity to come through and ensures that Polynesian culture is correctly represented.
Princess Jasmine, a fictional character from Disney's animated film "Aladdin," is not explicitly identified as Indian in the movie. Instead, she is depicted as a resident of the fictional city of Agrabah, which is often seen as a blend of Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures and influences.
Here's a baby name you won't want to let go! Though now a personification of empowering self-acceptance, Elsa first founds its mark as a feminine variation of the Hebrew name Elizabeth. With Hebrew, German, and Swiss origins, Elsa means "God is my oath," and will bolster baby's connection to their faith.
(Note: Much of Frozen 2 appears to be a reaction to the reaction the first film received for not including many people of color and for “whitewashing.” The problem with how Frozen 2 handled this is that they really couldn't up and change the race of the lead characters, so instead they just had them retroactively ...
Originally Elsa was simply a short form for the biblical name Elisabeth and some of its variants: Elisabet, Elisabetta and Elizabeth. The first record mentioning the name were in Sweden at the 15th century, and became generally used after the 19th century.
Encanto follows a multigenerational Colombian family, the Madrigals, led by a matriarch whose children and grandchildren — except for Mirabel Madrigal — receive magical gifts from a miracle, which they use to help the people in their rural community, called the Encanto.
But fans of the beloved animated film are questioning the company's choice to cast Agudong for the role based on her ethnicity and skin complexion. Lilo and her family are Pacific Islanders of Hawaiian descent.
