Opinion written by Guest Contributor, Liam Mulligan
When Disney’s Princess and the Frog was released into theaters worldwide, the Walt Disney Company not only won $269 million at the box office, but also millions of hearts in this heart-warming story of The American Dream, the socio-economic inequality of America, sacrifice, the corruption of capitalism, embracing who you are, racial-inequality, and love found in unlikely places. While the narratives of other princess focus on the fantastical and magical elements of fantasy, the realism of Tiana’s story as a working-class woman who, with hard work and the tenacity to succeed, becomes the princess she always was regardless of a crown makes her so much more relatable as well as a greater figure for the inspiring the next generation of empowered women.
From a feminist critique, Tiana is a powerhouse of strength and will, and Naveen, though he has his heroic moments, allows her to be the strong woman we need her to be. Unlike the other princesses who wait around for a kiss or a shoe by some man they just met or think they know, Tiana is not afraid to rescue her man and fight for her life no matter the danger or the odds against her. This could be because she was grounded in a homelife without great amounts of monetary wealth but instead a wealth of love. Whether fighting alligators, Cajuns, Evil Spirits, or the pressures of a racial injustice-stricken society that only allows males to succeed, Tiana defies expectations, not by her strength but the strength of her determined heart. At the beginning of the movie, Tiana is working two jobs as both day shift and night shift all for the potential of seeing her dreams realized. She recognizes the value of hard work and what it takes to move up in the world. Not only that, but her dream is to share her gift of food to provide comfort and joy in people’s life. I know she is technically a princess, but to me, she is a certified queen. For this, she is an inspiration to us all.
Looking at Naveen within the confines of masculine stigmas, Naveen has two different sides to him: what he shows and who he is. Naveen’s introduction portrays him as the suave and debonair charmer who serenades the women till then swoon and has not a care in the world. He offers to buy drinks for people to make them love him as a rich prince when secretly he is bankrupt. Even when transformed into a frog, he tries to convince Tiana that he is a good kisser. With time, he shows how he is helpless in many ways. He is unable to fend himself alone to the crocodiles in the bayou and is unaware of how to cook. He even admits to Tiana that he does not know how to live because he was raised in royalty where everything was done for him. As a man, he is aware that most men do not openly admit when they are not capable of many tasks and do not always have the answers. When he realizes he loves Tiana and wants to propose, he is so caught up in nervousness that he cannot keep up the smooth facade he used to sell so easily for other women. He stumbles and can’t even work up the courage to tell her. For guys like myself, this is so refreshing to see. It’s hard to constantly live up to “Prince Charming” standards and be the perfect guy that women expect. The fact that we can see Naveen out of his element speaks to the integrity of the movie to show “real” people who function in “real” ways. In summation, Naveen is such a compelling prince because he is so complex and contradictory. In his flaws, we can see ourselves and know that we are beautifully us despite our flaws and our inability to find the right solutions.
As a couple, Tiana and Naveen allow each other to grow together and we see their characters develop as they learn from each other and learn of love with each other. Admit it: Aurora and Prince Philip, Cinderella and Prince Charming, Ariel and Eric, and Snow White and her prince have no character development. Belle and the Beast are an iconic duo who I will not slander in this piece because they are an exception, but, nonetheless, Disney princesses and their princes often do not see character changes or shifts in motives and intention, and rarely do both of them see change. For Naveen, he is introduced to us as a self-indulgent Prince who is focused on marrying for money and wasting his life playing jazz. He is gullible and superficial. However, Tiana changes him to love for love. He not only wants Tiana regardless of how it affects him financially but he is willing to give up his new dreams in order to make Tiana’s dream a reality. When all fails and the two are stuck as Frogs, Naveen still loves her the same and wants to marry her because he sees how his life finally has value not as a prince but for having Tiana in his life. For Tiana, she is so focused on living her dream that she does not care for finding love or being loved by friends. She is determined to reach her higher calling and won’t give up even if the world tells her she can’t do it. Through her relationship with Naveen, she realizes that her fantasy of being a restaurant owner would not be the same if she did not have someone to share it with. Where before she acted in the interests of living up to her dad’s and her own expectations, she eventually is willing to risk it all to ensure the safety of Naveen. Not to mention, like Belle and the Beast, Tiana and Naveen are not “star-crossed”, “love at first sight”, instantly passionate lovers. Their first interactions and the first half of the film shows the two working out their differences and embracing what makes them human. I think the expectations of Disney’s Rules of “Instant Happily Ever After” sets such a lofty goal for our broken reality and crumbling reality. The fact that Tiana and Naveen can lead an example of a realistic path to love and communal understanding through the experience they face and the communication they make gives a greater idea of how love should be formed and built in the world we inhabit. Because of their sacrifices and their awakening to who they are through each other, they make the ultimate couple goals.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge two distinct moments of the film that set Tiana and Naveen apart from other Disney couples. The first is the exchanges Tiana and Naveen make when Tiana teaches Naveen how to mince. From a gender-role lense, Tiana asserts her dominance in the situation as being the aficionado of cooking while also encouraging Naveen to participate. It’s in these scenes where we see a reversal of flirtation and confidence. Whereas in their introduction Tiana was less certain on how to interact with froggy Naveen and Naveen was confident and flirtatious, we see Tiana, now in her element, confident and flirtatious and Naveen constantly second-guessing himself and his worth when with her. This is a beautiful moment because Naveen allows Tiana to see him with his walls down and even make some jokes about who he is. Again, these are not teens falling in love across the dancefloor in a single glance: these are “real” people who need time to feel comfortable and collective in order to feel like they truly know someone. By learning to mince and trying to help Tiana prepare, it shows how Naveen really wants the approval of Tiana and wants her to see value in him. At the same time, it shows how Tiana is willing to share a part of her that gives purpose to her existence. This beautiful moment makes us fall in love with them as much as they fall in love with each other. The second moment I’d like to point out is when Dr. Facilier offers to give Tiana her dream in a trade for the talisman that holds Naveen’s blood. Though she sees her dream before her so vividly, her love for Naveen allows her to smash the talisman saving Naveen at the cost of more easily gaining her wishes. Tiana is faced at the crossroads of two ambitions: love and success. However, Tiana realizes through the understanding of her own upbringing that her success is worth more with love to give it purpose. That takes not only wisdom but the moral fiber to commit to it.
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