Raw footage!
Rope of Silicon has posted 5 minutes of raw PAF footage on its website. The clip includes several minutes of black and white, unfinished animation, but the date of the clip can’t be determined. My first reaction after seeing it was neither positive nor negative. It starts off with Tiana and her mother in the house of a spoiled rich girl. I liked the little crown Tiana wore, and how both little girls were so innocent and wrapped up in the story Tiana’s mother was telling, even as the scene — in the eyes of an adult — was ripe with contrast: the rich and poor girls, one white, one black, one willing to do anything for “her prince,” the other, not so much — and some historical significance.
I wasn’t sure what to make (again) of Disney bringing historical context into a children’s film that is based on a fairytale. Especially a history wrought with injustice and suffering. The end scene of the film was a bit trite, with Tiana’s father telling her that wishing on a star will only take her so far, that she must be willing to work toward her goals. Overall, that is a good message, but “working hard” is a moral that seems misplaced in a film about a fairytale princess. That’s not to say that princesses don’t work hard. Look at Cinderella and Mulan. But the goals of a princess – generally happily ever after — do not require hard work, even if she is a hard worker. Fairytale princesses do work when the situation requires it, but hard work, striving, that’s not usually a fairytale theme.
Is Disney trying to appeal more to feminists? Or is it just falling in line with the trendy theme of hardworking women? Hollywood is big on that, pushing women to be career-driven, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but most real women need balance to be fulfilled. A life filled with hard working can cull a lot of tangibles, but often leaves severed relationships in the fray. Even men relax.
In reality, Tiana, as a black female in New Orleans at the turn of the century (or so it seems) would have had to work hard, but a child watching the film wouldn’t necessarily know that or care. And, again, a fairytale should break from reality.
It will be interesting to see where Tiana’s hard work takes her, and if it brings her any more fulfillment than the other of the Disney princesses. But what will be even more interesting to see is how the mix of reality and fantasy presented in the film resonate with viewers.
Here’s the clip: Rope of Silicon
