It was only a month ago that Disney was weathering a new controversy. The studio’s latest film, the sequel to the successful “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Ralph Breaks The Internet,” faced backlash over the CGI-animated depiction of Princess Tiana from “The Princess And The Frog.” Many who had seen the first trailer, and later the official stills from the film, noticed something peculiar about the beloved Princess’s appearance.
Compared to the trailer, the stills that Princess Tiana were included in depicted her with sharper features and lighter skin. Fans took to social media calling out the animation and Disney itself for drastically altering her appearance in the new film. They also noted the changes to her facial features, particularly her nose and lips. According to the Princess herself, Disney has now taken steps to go back and reanimate Tiana to her true characteristics.
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Anika Noni Rose, who lent her vocal – including singing – talents to “Princess And The Frog” in 2009, confirmed in a social media post that she had met with the studio to address the controversy. In her statement, Rose addressed that she, too, was taken aback by the stills and included that fans had reached out to her to address their misgivings. “My team and I immediately put in a call to the studio about the visual changes,” she wrote. “And three weeks ago I had a meeting in person with the ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ team, my original animator Mark Henn, and others.”
Rose went on to explain the importance and value of seeing a character like Princess Tiana has to audiences, “…I was able to express how important it is to the little girls (and let’s face it, grown women) who felt represented by her that her skin tone stay as rich as it had been, and that her nose continue to be the little round nose that Mark so beautifully rendered in the movie; the same nose on my very own face and on many other little brown faces around the world, that we so rarely get to see represented in fantasy.”
The actress then thanks Disney for stepping up and making the changes, “I also appreciate that this far into the process Disney had enough care and respect for all who love Princess Tiana and her legacy to spend the time and money to make the adjustments necessary.”
With the actress’s confirmation on the open, positive dialogue she had with creators, hopefully this will mean the final product will reflect the authenticity and representation many were seeking. Another hopeful outcome will be that in the future Disney and its animators will be more vigilant and thoughtful when rendering characters. Rose’s own social media has received enormous compliments for her work to have a dialogue with the studio, addressing what so many have been vocal about. Soon, fans will get to see their beautiful Princess CGI animated on the big screen just as she should be.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” hits theaters on November 21.
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