Tia and Lottie I did for someone <3
the princess and the frog
“You know how long it took me to save that money?”
“Exactly! Which is why a little woman of your background would have had her hands full, trying to run a big business like that.No, you’re better off where you’re at.”
What Tiana has taught me, quite sadly (and probably what Disney didn’t really intend) was that hard work wasn’t good enough to overcome systemic racism. Tiana got a feel good ending, but I feel like her story has been told many times in real life without a happy ending. There are people who work extremely hard, but never being able to catch up due to the color of their skin.
So here is Tiana, muscles tense with labor, tired and contemplative, and struggling against the system that prevents her success.
This is probably the most symbolic of all the Disney paintings I’ve done so far – the verticality of the walls, the position of her shadow looming over the segregation signs, Tiana sitting right between the divide, and the nearly imperceptible lean of her body to the right.
We don’t need a Frozen sequel, we need a sequel to The Princess and the Frog where Tiana and Naveen are human during the entire movie.
There’s a ton of responses on this like “the whole point of the movie was turning into frogs” and “how would it be princess and the frog anymore”
Look, it’s simple. Call the movie “The Princess and the FROGS”
Facilier escapes the underworld, leading a horde of demons and spirits, and curses the ENTIRE town to become frogs.
Tiana and Naveen are immune because they went through it before, but Facilier kidnaps Naveen as revenge.
Tiana is now the only human left, and it’s up to her to train and lead an army of frogs against an army of the damned to rescue her prince.
Perfect. Lets do it.
Okay but can we give Lottie a girlfriend in this one? The girlfriend can also be a frog.
Disney’s: The Princess and the Frog
Lupita Nyong’o as Tiana
Oscar Isaac as Naveen
based on this post (x)
YES YES YES
okay, so, maleficent. i was watching it and thinking things. it’s a fun movie and everything but… superfluous? i guess? in that for as fun as it is, i don’t feel like maleficent needed a hero back-story. part of her incredible flair as a villain is the sheer preposterous evilness that she basks in. she’s petty and dramatic and just plain fuckin bad, and that’s great. i love her that way. i love a lot of disney villains that way.
if i had to pick a disney villain to give a redemption story to, however???? easy pick, come on
dr facilier
listen, dr facilier is one of the greatest disney villains with his charisma and showmanship. but seriously, you can already argue he’s not even the movie’s reaaaal villain. unlike other ‘bad guy’ songs that loudly boast of the villain’s schemes and character, his song is called ‘friends on the other side’ and he credits all his supposed darkness to them. everything truly sinister he seeks to achieve is because he’s promised his ‘friends on the other side’ that he will procure power over new orleans – only to relinquish it to them. he, however, has no seeming interest in power. the only thing dr facilier is ever shown to desire is wealth. “big daddy labeouf” (a wealthy white sugar baron) and his fortune is a particular fixation (and frustration).
dr facilier is not wealthy, even remotely. he makes pocket change and his living shadow taunts him about it.
and speaking of the shadows that follow him, his ‘friends on the other side’?? he’s terrified of them. how many other disney villains have multiple breakdowns and “i’ll do it! i promise!” moments, long before the final confrontation? and yet, even in the midst of this terror, he isn’t weak or pathetic or helpless. at all. facilier is talented and clever and strong. his skill is renowned. he made these deals in the first place. he’s willing to do the work asked of him. they call him the shadow man and his reputation is well earned. we can see what he’s capable of.
but unlike a lot of disney villains, he is never once in a situation of real power. whether you mean his place in broad society or the shadow realm. the man is up to his neck in debt. the clock is ticking and he’s scared, and doing everything in his power to come through with his side of the bargain.
he’s not all that different from tiana, with big dreams in a world that kept knocking them down. facilier, however, seems to lack a support system and clearly walked himself into a situation he thought he could handle until it overwhelmed him and – well, come on, talk about one of the most terrifying villain deaths. he’s sucked into the shadow realm, kicking and screaming and clawing all the way, promising he can pay back his devils if they just give him a little more time.
i just find it silly that im being sold maleficent 2 and other lacklustre adaptations when there’s potential for a story about dr facilier in a turn-of-the-century new orleans trying to do more than make a living but fulfill huge dreams, ending up in a world of magic and shadows and devils, and uncovering his own inner darkness in the process.
(and while i’m here, leslie odom jr for young facilier, thanks thanks)
animated heroine appreciation week: favorite disney heroine
It serves me right for wishing on stars. The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work. — Tiana