In a move that might be one of the greatest wins for media representation, Disney has decided to redo their rendition of Princess Tiana for their upcoming Ralph Breaks the Internet sequel after being called out for colorism.
Wreck-it-Ralph’s sequel easily lived up to its name back in August when a new trailer dropped by Disney and featured images released by Entertainment Weekly went viral. People were excited to see that Disney had formed the ultimate girl gang from all their princess franchises and to see their modern Disney au’s come to life. But for Black female fans, the trailer drop turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment as the beloved Black princess Tiana looked way different than what many had expected.
From her skin to her hair, Wreck-it-Ralph‘s rendition of Princess Tiana looked much lighter than her 2009 depiction. Her facial features were also reduced making her nose look slimmer and less broad and her lips way smaller. Seeing as those are some of the most defining features of Black women, the switch up didn’t sit well with many including Tiana’s original voice actor, Anika Noni Rose.
In a post on instagram, the actress spoke out about how she reached out to the sequel’s animators and Tiana’s original animator, Mark Henn about the issue.
Rose wasn’t the only one working behind the scenes to bring back Disney’s first Black princess. In a post on twitter, Color of Change President Rashad Robinson shared that the organization had met with the sequel’s animators in order to help restore Tiana to her original look.
In a statement to media outlets, COC’s senior campaign director Brandi Collins-Dexter hit on why this move was so important.
“Disney’s decision to restore Princess Tiana’s image to that of an unapologetically Black princess with full lips, dark skin and dark hair in Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 is a victory for Color Of Change members, Black children and their parents, and Black audiences who want to see the variety of shades, shapes and sizes of Black characters accurately represented in the arts,”
She added, “By redrawing Princess Tiana — Disney’s first and only Black princess — in Ralph Breaks the Internet as she was in Princess and the Frog, Disney has shown its commitment to addressing the concerns of Color Of Change members and the Black community. Disney is an incredibly powerful and influential company and its decisions have far-reaching implications for other companies that provide entertainment for children and adults around the world.”
Looking at the latest trailer for Wreck-it-Ralph, it definitely looks like Disney made good on their word. Shots from the trailer showed that Tiana’s features had been fixed. But before anyone starts feeling relieved, it’s still unclear whether or not the company corrected her hair. Dexter mentioned that Disney agreed to darken the tone of Tiana’s hair, but that wasn’t really the problem people had with it.
Black woman pointed out that Wreck-it-Ralph’s animators gave Tiana a hair type that really wasn’t hers. It looked more like the waves light-skinned women tend to have rather than the kinkier texture a dark-skinned woman would have.
https://twitter.com/klhsmn/status/1027612578006986752
With the way her hair looks pressed when she’s geared up in her princess gown, Tiana should really have had type 4 hair. And as many pointed out on twitter, Tiana’s laid-back look would’ve involved her hair being wrapped up in a bonnet so that her hairstyle could stay in place.
Given the level of research Disney’s animators normally conduct to get their films as accurate as possible, it was definitely disappointing to see that they didn’t give Tiana’s design that same energy (could’ve at least watched a natural hair tutorial or two).
Hopefully once Ralph Breaks the Internet hits theaters in November, Tiana will have gotten her much needed upgrade.
Featured Image via Youtube
Glamdom 