Better Had: Disney Makes Princess Tiana Black Again After Whitewashing Her Image

(Image by Disney Junior via Getty Images)

Princess Tiana Appears To Be Black Again In Wreck-It Ralph 2

Previously, we reported that animators on Disney’s upcoming ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ sequel had TRIED IT with Princess Tiana’s image. The fictional character from “Princess And The Frog” fame appeared in trailers for the film looking biracial, and Black Woman were calling them out on it. Pixar not only changed Tiana once — initially changing her hair texture and nose, but in later trailers they seemed to also lighten her skin — thinning her nose even further.

You can see the stark differences here…

Folks on twitter went off about Tiana’s image, tagging everyone involved with the film to no avail. But reportedly, Tiana is BACK to her original image in the film, after Color Or Change representatives had conversations with Disney Animation about the “new” Tiana and Black people were feeling about it.

Color of Change President Rashad Robinson broke the news on twitter. He said, “Because of COC members and convos with @DisneyAnimation, Princess Tiana has been restored to her original depiction. Now when Black girls watch #WreckItRalph2, they’ll see Tiana and other princess of color that actually looks like them on screen #BlackGirlMagic.”

In a statement received by Shadow and Act, Color of Change’s Brandi Collins-Dexter added,

“After the release of a set of images from Wreck-It Ralph 2, which showed Princess Tiana starkly different from her depiction in Princess and the Frog – a slimmer nose, loose curly hair and a significantly lighter skin tone- Color Of Change engaged in a series of conversations with the leading members of Disney’s animation team to address why these changes shocked and hurt our community. Because of these conversations, Disney restored Tiana and the other princesses of color to their original depiction. 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. Color Of Change will continue to challenge companies like Disney to ensure that their characters appropriately reflect the diversity of their audiences.”