When Wishing Still Helped

What interests me about Zipes' article, "What Makes a Repulsive Frog So Appealing: Memetics and Fairy Tales" is how it interacts with Disney's "The Princess and The Frog". Zipes spends the early part of his essay discussing how the Frog Prince story evolved throughout the Grimms' collections. I'd argue that the "The Princess and The Frog" is that story evolved to modern times. If the Frog Prince is interested in partichal control and rebellion against it, then "The Princess and The Frog" is interested in being a self-made man (or woman) while maintaining that feeling of rebelling. Truly American, no?

Walt would be proud of how his company has continued to craft its morals to attract a larger audience. Instead of being a princess, Tiana is poor, having to work menial jobs to support herself. What audience member wouldn't want to see some of themselves in that description I just gave?

Instead of having a strong father figure who knows best, Tiana's father is dead. She must fend for herself. She's tough. She's independent. She works hard. Yet she isn't happy. She is going to lose the building she'd hoped to open her resturant. Life isn't fair. Who can't relate to that?

In true Disney fashion, the only way for Tiana to be happy is fall in love and get married. However, she's the one who must be transformed from a tough cookie into a more tolerant girly-girl. Thus it makes sense that when she kisses the frog, she is turned into "ugly beast," as Zipes calls it, as well.

Prince Naveed is not the focus of the story. Sure, he changes too. But the drama and the pay-off of the film come from Tiana allowing someone to help her. That's when she gets what she wants. That's how she is able to rebel against the status quo. Only by joining the upper-class by marrying Naveed can she best the rich and mighty she used to serve. She needs Naveed's money (and handywork as the montage shows) to complete the resturant. No way she can do it on her own! Everything ends happily. Down in New Orleans...blah blah blah.

Maybe I am alone in this but I enjoyed the old Tiana more, the one who didn't take crap from anyone. She deserved a man that could handle her as she was, rather than changing onto the typical Disney princess. Productive, hard working, beautiful, blessed with good fortune. Sounds like Cinderalla to me. And that's a shame. The MRS degree is not the most worthwhile thing in the world and Disney should stop acting like it is.