For all of you guys saying, "Oh! We already have a Latin princess, Esmeralda." No. Esmeralda is just Mexican. Latin is a mix off Africans and Hispanics. And still we don't really have one, Tiana is black. Mulan, Asian. Pocahontas is Native American. And Moana is Hawaiian.
I'm pretty sure that Esmeralda is of Gypsy origins- especially considering the geographic and historical context of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It takes place in France of which, especially in that time period, there were no Mexicans. Everything else your comment includes is spot on though.
kylie,
i recommend you to watch the hunchback of notre dame again, girl... Esmeralda is of Gypsy origin. i dont where you got mexican from. the movie doesnt even take place in mexico.. it takes place in france. French arent mexican.. theyre french. and moana isnt hawaiian.. shes Polynesian.
i recommend you to watch the hunchback of notre dame again, girl... Esmeralda is of Gypsy origin. i dont where you got mexican from. the movie doesnt even take place in mexico.. it takes place in france. French arent mexican.. theyre french. and moana isnt hawaiian.. shes Polynesian.
This is just terrible. Esmeralda is Mexican in 15th century France? Did you even watched that movie? She's a gypsy.
There will never be a Disney "Latina Princess" because there is simply too much diversity in Latin America. The best they could do is focus on individual countries. But it's simply impossible to create a personification of Latin America into a single character. Like other posters said before, Cuba isn't Peru, Argentina isn't Mexico, etc. Spain isn't even in Latin America yet it's not rare to see Spanish actors being categorized as "Latin".
The reason Moana worked was because despite there being a conglomeration of different Polynesian cultures, they were all still close enough and above and all, being a single race. It simply cannot happen when there are Indigenous Peruvians, White Argentinians, Black Cubans, etc.
I just feel the need to make an honorable mention for one movie that might represent a small percentage of hispanic culture wether its positive or negative is up to personal opinion and still she's not really a princess but yah The Book of Life
I agree, but I think this article is focusing on Disney's representation of Latino cultures- of which there are no movies doing them justice.
Listen, lady, don't fall into the same mistakes many non-Hispanics make and perpetuate stereotypes. "Hispanic" or "Latino" isn't a race. Go to Latin America. It was settled at the same time as the United States by all kinds of people. The difference is Spain and Portugal did the settling there and Britain and France did it up here. Hispanic is a culture, a culture that draws from Spain the way the dominant culture in the US draws from Britain. There are white people, black people, indigenous people and even Asians in Latin America. So saying you're Latino only tells part of the story. It's this difference that is poorly understood by non-Hispanics and why it's a terrible mistake to pander to the "Hispanic vote".
Plenty of us latinas are white, you know, like Cameron Diaz.
Simply put: Latina and Latino are pejorative words, such as Anglo or Gringo.
The Latins (Latin: Latini), sometimes known as the Latians, were an Italic tribe which included the early inhabitants of the city of Rome. From about 1000 BC, the Latins inhabited the small region known to the Romans as Old Latium (Latium Vetus), that is, the area between the river Tiber and the promontory of Mount Circeo 100 kilometres (62 mi) SE of Rome.
The Latins were an Indo-European people who probably migrated into the Italian peninsula during the late Bronze Age (1200–900 BC).
Do not perpetuate the mistake, be part of the solution and call them what they are perceived to be: "Brown skinned Americans of Hispanic and native heritage. Good luck with the correctness.
The Latins (Latin: Latini), sometimes known as the Latians, were an Italic tribe which included the early inhabitants of the city of Rome. From about 1000 BC, the Latins inhabited the small region known to the Romans as Old Latium (Latium Vetus), that is, the area between the river Tiber and the promontory of Mount Circeo 100 kilometres (62 mi) SE of Rome.
The Latins were an Indo-European people who probably migrated into the Italian peninsula during the late Bronze Age (1200–900 BC).
Do not perpetuate the mistake, be part of the solution and call them what they are perceived to be: "Brown skinned Americans of Hispanic and native heritage. Good luck with the correctness.
2
Even had it been more culturally sensitive, the characters in "The Emperor's New Groove wouldn't have sounded like your family unless you spoke Quechuan at home. The Inca empire was devastated by Western imperialism. Still, roughly 10 million people throughout the area of the former Incan Empire have preserved their culture and still speak Quechuan.
2
I think Disney has trouble defining what "Latina" means. It encompasses many cultural groups -- beyond Mexico and Spain. You can't simply create a character who lives in South America and have them represent all of who relate to "Hispanic" culture. As they said in "Selena" it's difficult to be what white people expect us to be. A Mexican American doesn't fit in Mexico, nor do they fit in America. A Cuban may not identify with a European Spaniard. Disney can't put a label on us or fit us neatly into a box and create a character, which is why we have no "Latina" heroine.
2
Latino does not mean Spaniard at all! "Latino" does not encompass the Spanish cultural group. That is in no way a justification for why Latinos do not have a heroine and if anything it perpetuates Disney's dodging of giving the Latino community representation.
1
I am sorry but I fail to see what "their culture" or "sounded like us" means exactly. I am sympathetic to the fact that in terms of appearence there is still work to be done, but is the author of the article implying that Latinos in the US are not Americans and therefore have their own distinct culture that is somehow completely separate from that of other Americans? Did the comment about James Spader and Patrick Warburton and others, in an animated feature, not sounding like they spoke "her language" mean that Latinos necessarily need an accent or English is not their primary language when they are American and have chosen to live in the US full time? Latinos sometimes seem to be a group of immigrants who, contrary to previous waves of immigration, seem to prefer to live in a salad bowl rather than in a melting pot. It is unfortunate. It is to their detriment and that of the US as a whole.
5
Agreed. I once interviewed applicants for a bilingual position, and the wide diversity of backgrounds, looks, countries of origin and linguistic abilities astonished me. Some of the least fluent were 100% Hispanic, while the most fluent was a white Mormon ex-missionary. And we hired a Pakistani....
TrumpNation seems to have been unleashed - the theme of most of these Keep America White Again comments would have been appropriately kept to themselves 1 month ago.
Media images & rhetoric matter. The simple minded are easy led by simple thoughts.
Those of us looking to shape our nation in an image within which our minority children can pursue life, liberty, & happiness to the same extent as the majority, need to do the long hard work over generations to recreate the infrastructure.
Don't spend your money on the crumbs prior established brands Disney & Mattel leave for you. Spend your money on new franchises founded by minorities without Barbie legacies. Time for the Robert Rodriguezes of the world to found their own Pixar and dominate kids' box offices.
1 billion indian kids are waiting for a brown Luke Skywalker. The avalanche from that stampede will reshape all media from then on.
Media images & rhetoric matter. The simple minded are easy led by simple thoughts.
Those of us looking to shape our nation in an image within which our minority children can pursue life, liberty, & happiness to the same extent as the majority, need to do the long hard work over generations to recreate the infrastructure.
Don't spend your money on the crumbs prior established brands Disney & Mattel leave for you. Spend your money on new franchises founded by minorities without Barbie legacies. Time for the Robert Rodriguezes of the world to found their own Pixar and dominate kids' box offices.
1 billion indian kids are waiting for a brown Luke Skywalker. The avalanche from that stampede will reshape all media from then on.
I've been a NYT subscriber and - this is important - supporter for over half a decade now. I am socially active and support liberal causes that seek to foster equality among all sorts of groups (medical, economic, gender and color). I am devastated by the election results. But honestly? After reading this article I said to myself, "I'm starting to understand why Trump won." Do we have to continue to pick apart every single peceived slight ever? "Elena of Avalor" (which my kids watch, and enjoy) is subpar because it doesn't have a full marketing effort and high production values and therefore you're offended that Latinas aren't on the same level? Should they have shelved "Moana" until they had a movie that represented every color of the Crayola box ready to go? This is getting to be too much. Even for liberals.
5
With regard to "Latinas", the whole premise that Latinas are necessarily "non-white" is completely wrong. What is a Latina? It can any woman from Latin America. This can be an African American Puerto Rican to a German American Brazilian such as Gisele Bundchen. Mexicans and many other Latin Americans can be purely Spanish or purely native American, so their racial classification and skin color can be vastly different. Do we think of Spanish or Portuguese people as somehow different than other Europeans? Are they somehow non-white? So why do we need to classify all Latinas as inherently in some other category? Penelope Cruz is from Spain yet she has done a fine job portraying Latinas, as has Paz Vega. And Al Pacino convincingly played Tony Montana- is Al Pacino not white? In terms of "genetic background" many Latin people are purely European. And this point is not to demean those who are of mixed background, only to point out that terms such as Latina and Hispanic (a term which cannot be used for Portuguese-speaking Brazilians) are actually quite useless because they really don't reliably correspond to useful genetic, ethnic or even linguistic divisions.
3
I find this review bland dispersed. A better one, IMO, is found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/movies/moana-review.html.
Disney is one of very few companies which has made an effort to include women of all venues of life in its productions. The "racially-diverse" list of Disney girls is long: Jasmine, Tiana, Mulan, Pocahontas, Merida, even the forgotten Esmeralda, from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Moana is a delight to watch to both children and adults because of its cinematography and music. However, what I find most refreshing about Moana is that it is the first time there is not a "love story" (other than her love for her land and its people) enmeshed in the plot, signaling that girls do not need a "prince" (just a little help from a demi-god ;-) to fulfill their dreams. This, by itself, is a big step forward.
Disney is one of very few companies which has made an effort to include women of all venues of life in its productions. The "racially-diverse" list of Disney girls is long: Jasmine, Tiana, Mulan, Pocahontas, Merida, even the forgotten Esmeralda, from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Moana is a delight to watch to both children and adults because of its cinematography and music. However, what I find most refreshing about Moana is that it is the first time there is not a "love story" (other than her love for her land and its people) enmeshed in the plot, signaling that girls do not need a "prince" (just a little help from a demi-god ;-) to fulfill their dreams. This, by itself, is a big step forward.
Surprise!!! travel "south of the border" and you will see that light-skinned models are almost always used to advertise/rally citizens.....look on the television, look on the walls and billboards of the cities. Light skin is preferred over dark skin just about everywhere I have traveled and lived around the world (20+ years, 20+ countries).
Oops.
Oops.
1
???
Of Disney animated feature films with a lead female protagonist, 75% have featured "women of color" since 1992: Aladdin, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, The Princess & The Frog, Pocahontas, Moana. In the last 25 years, only Tangled and Frozen feature white female protagonists.
Seems like an important stat to include in a piece railing against the lack of diversity among animated female Disney leads.
Of Disney animated feature films with a lead female protagonist, 75% have featured "women of color" since 1992: Aladdin, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, The Princess & The Frog, Pocahontas, Moana. In the last 25 years, only Tangled and Frozen feature white female protagonists.
Seems like an important stat to include in a piece railing against the lack of diversity among animated female Disney leads.
5
Yesterday we took the whole extended family to see Moana, including my 2 caucasian granddaughters (aged 9 and 4) and my East Indian/African grandson and granddaughter (aged 7 and 6). Afterward, we went to lunch. The kids were drawing pictures of the movie's characters. When it came time to draw Moana, my 6 year old granddaughter said "I'll just draw me." because Moana looks very much like her. It was wonderful to hear that! And my 7 year old grandson could hardly wait until he could get a fish hook like Maui's. We should never underestimate the power of media images on children, both positive and negative. They help shape the inner self images of our children.
3
Disney's Moana characters are sadly a mishmash of Polynesian types. They teach very little that is authentic about any of the many diverse cultures from that part of the world.
I relate to you.
Italian-Americans also are systematically stereotyped in films, television, etc. -- even in Disney kids' movies. The media believes that Italian-Americans are except from the mandates of political correctness.
Italian-Americans also are systematically stereotyped in films, television, etc. -- even in Disney kids' movies. The media believes that Italian-Americans are except from the mandates of political correctness.
Only The NY Times and far left take the release of a joyful and wonderful movie and try to use it as an indictment of this country. It's race baiting like this that cost Clinton (who I voted for) the election and will continue to make many on the left appear to be constant whiners.
1
Latino is a unique American designation resting in a nominal Spanish language and cultural heritage that has nothing to do with race, color, ethnicity or national origin or any combination of those factors. Anglo denoting a nominal English language and cultural heritage is a proper analog. Rafael Cruz, Marco Rubio and Robert Menendez are as white European as were Eva Peron, Desi Arnaz and Fidel Castro and is Pope Francis and Raul Castro.
2
Without diversity off screen, at the upper echelons of the industry, it will take a long time to have true diversity on the screen.
3
With their big eyes and perfect features, all Disney characters look alike to me. Maybe that's what we expect diversity in the real world to be like, which is why we're having such a hard time making it work here. I miss Goofy.
3
How about male and females of color?
The other side of this story depends on where and how one lives. I grew up in Manhattan a long time ago. And when I saw the movie Saludos Amigos I wanted to go to South America right away. My younger sister & I dressed up in my mother's silky nightgowns. draped scarves over our heads, and went to Lima, Buenos Aires, Caracas and Montevideo. We loved saying those beautiful names. When later on we saw The Three Caballeros we were hooked. South America was a kind of heavenly place to us, two Irish American girls who knew a lot of Spanish words even before we started school. New York was and is a cosmopolitan city where influences are myriad and resonate for decades. When we went to boarding school later on more than half the boarders were from South America. And we never saw the racist attitudes that prevail in so much of the U.S. What fabulous luck! Everyone should be that lucky.
3
I don't understand this notion that not seeing oneself onscreen negatively affects self-esteem. What does one thing have to do with the other? It is the parents' responsibility to build their children's self-esteem, why do they pass off this responsibility to Disney, Toys-R-Us and other corporations? Watching princess movies, going to theme parks, etc should be secondary to what is taught at home.
3
Further, if you look at these characters, their body types hardly fit real women.
I never identified with Snow White or any other cute little animated character as I was the tallest in my class and was the chubby intellectual nerd. I saw these movies as entertainment (and as fiction!) not as something to emulate or define myself by.
As far as I know, my self esteem never took a hit because there were no chubby, glasses wearing bookworms on screen.
I never identified with Snow White or any other cute little animated character as I was the tallest in my class and was the chubby intellectual nerd. I saw these movies as entertainment (and as fiction!) not as something to emulate or define myself by.
As far as I know, my self esteem never took a hit because there were no chubby, glasses wearing bookworms on screen.
It should be but the reality is that these images of white/skinny princesses are everywhere, whether we want them to be or not, and socialize the children exposed to them. For the children who do not identify with these images, it can be crushing to their self-esteem and identities not to feel or look like the people society and big corporations deem to be ideals. Ultimately, of course parents play a pivotal role in helping their child's self-esteem, but they cannot save them from the messages and images society emits- which makes it even more important that Disney promotes more women of color and correctly celebrates different cultures.
Sorry to remind those who bemoan the lack of darker pigmented Disney princesses, but Disney makes animated movies to sell to the market. Disney is not a philanthropic enterprise.
For reasons of family and friends I would welcome darker skinned Latinas becoming the next Disney princess. That wish will go unfulfilled so long as paying customers beyond our circles choose not to put their money where their mouth is.
For reasons of family and friends I would welcome darker skinned Latinas becoming the next Disney princess. That wish will go unfulfilled so long as paying customers beyond our circles choose not to put their money where their mouth is.
2
Hey! What about the wonderful "Lilo and Stitch?!" The visiting aliens theme was a bit strange, but its depiction of a cranky but clever and exuberant Hawaiian child was terrific. My daughter and I watched it again and again.
So the cultural Disneyfication of princesses is such a pressing issue?
Good grief, why would you want to put your young daughter through that?
Equal opportunity sexism?
I hate those characters, movies, stereotypes, commercial hype, all of it.
Good grief, why would you want to put your young daughter through that?
Equal opportunity sexism?
I hate those characters, movies, stereotypes, commercial hype, all of it.
Our local theater company had a multicultural Von Trapp family when they performed Sound of Music. When will Disney princess fans be okay with the idea of a dark-skinned Cinderella?
Already happened. Brandy played Cinderella in a tv movie and Whitney Houston was the Fairy Godmother.
Are there not enough Latina Disney Princesses? Probably. But while reading this article, I couldn't help but picture a Fox-news talking head type pointing to it and shouting "The economy is a mess, our standards of living are declining and all they care about over at the New York Times are Latina Disney Princesses".
This is well written, thoughtful article, but does it belong on the homepage of the most prestigious newspaper in your country? I'm not sure, because it can also serve as the very fuel to the fire that just elected Donald J. Trump to the presidency.
This is well written, thoughtful article, but does it belong on the homepage of the most prestigious newspaper in your country? I'm not sure, because it can also serve as the very fuel to the fire that just elected Donald J. Trump to the presidency.
2
Lamentations such as this article reinforce the most base of ethnic stereotyping, namely "what race do they look like". It is the focus upon the surface, rather than the substance, that caused in part the electoral result we have. Please move on.
1
As a white woman, I was oblivious to this problem until I volunteered at an after school program in North Philly where all the kids in the center were African American. On Halloween, these kids came to the center dressed up as Snow White, Batman, Spiderman.... you see where I'm going? It was horrific and disturbing. Every year these poor kids have to go to Walmart and choose which white person they want to pretend to be. It's about time we had an array of superheroes that was more reflective of our actual society!
1
I am a Latino I am not a woman but I do have 5 daughters some of who do like to dress up and play. My oldest are too old to care about what princesses there are at Disney but my youngests are 9 and 11 and they loves Disney.
My family and I go to Disneyland about 4 times a month and we see all sorts of girls dressed up as different princesses regardless of race or color. Recently I have noticed a trend where I see lots of Anglo girls dressed as Elena of Avalor. It may not be a movie but I think it has reached many people. I saw the same girls waiting an hour for pictures and attending a parade with Mexican and Brazilian folkloric dancing. Maybe one day we will have a latina princess but till then I try to teach my daughter's not to see race or color.
I think that any show or movie that can give girls a positive image is a good thing. My daughter 9 years old loves Elena but also likes Pocahontas, Mulan, and Snow White. I'm sure one day Latins will have a Disney princess but till then Elena is a good role model. I think Disney is trying to make more of an effort to bring diversity in to its movies. Just look at theRogue One cast.
My 11 year old daughter's favorite princess is Leia from the Star Wars universe which is also at Disneyland. But even more then any princess she loves Chewbacca.
My family and I go to Disneyland about 4 times a month and we see all sorts of girls dressed up as different princesses regardless of race or color. Recently I have noticed a trend where I see lots of Anglo girls dressed as Elena of Avalor. It may not be a movie but I think it has reached many people. I saw the same girls waiting an hour for pictures and attending a parade with Mexican and Brazilian folkloric dancing. Maybe one day we will have a latina princess but till then I try to teach my daughter's not to see race or color.
I think that any show or movie that can give girls a positive image is a good thing. My daughter 9 years old loves Elena but also likes Pocahontas, Mulan, and Snow White. I'm sure one day Latins will have a Disney princess but till then Elena is a good role model. I think Disney is trying to make more of an effort to bring diversity in to its movies. Just look at theRogue One cast.
My 11 year old daughter's favorite princess is Leia from the Star Wars universe which is also at Disneyland. But even more then any princess she loves Chewbacca.
1
Boy, am I tired of this scoreboard. Isn't this the liberal identity problem we have? Movies aren't made first and foremost to represent an ethnic segment of our society. They are made first and foremost to make money. When the film makers find an audience, they cater to that audience. Sometimes they're early; sometimes they're late. They risk the millions it takes to finance the movie and make business decisions to decide how to tell the story and to whom. Keeping score is counter productive and fuels the fires of the newly empowered anti-PC crowd. Can we stop this now and just go to the movies and enjoy the good ones and let the bad ones slip into cable re-run purgatory?
I'm looking forward to taking my 7 y.o. niece who is Ethiopian to see Moana. I have taken care of her since she was a toddler and read diverse books to her daily.
I look at websites such as "We Need Diverse Books." to find books with African American characters as well as Latinx, Native American. Asian, Middle Eastern, and LGBT characters as well as characters with a disability. I find or request these books from my local library.
According to the Cooperative Children's Book Center, children's books' s characters are : 0.9 % Native American, 2.5 % Latinx, 3.3 % Asian Pacifics, 7.6 % African American, 12.5 % Animals/Trucks etc, 73.3 % White.
My niece is now in school where most of her classmates are white and they are biased. They have told her her hair looks silly and the food she eats (injera, an Ethiopian bread) looks yucky. One classmate told her another classmate didn't like her because she was brown. The other girls' ideal of beauty is Elsa from Frozen. And these girls, who are white, know they resemble Elsa much more than my niece does. These little girls most likely have seen very few black or brown girls in their books or movies to give them any other ideal.
While I do strongly agree that children of color need to see characters who look like them in movies and books, I also strongly believe that white children need to see characters such as Moana too. Otherwise they are more likely to grow up biased. Their lives are poorer for it and our society suffers.
I look at websites such as "We Need Diverse Books." to find books with African American characters as well as Latinx, Native American. Asian, Middle Eastern, and LGBT characters as well as characters with a disability. I find or request these books from my local library.
According to the Cooperative Children's Book Center, children's books' s characters are : 0.9 % Native American, 2.5 % Latinx, 3.3 % Asian Pacifics, 7.6 % African American, 12.5 % Animals/Trucks etc, 73.3 % White.
My niece is now in school where most of her classmates are white and they are biased. They have told her her hair looks silly and the food she eats (injera, an Ethiopian bread) looks yucky. One classmate told her another classmate didn't like her because she was brown. The other girls' ideal of beauty is Elsa from Frozen. And these girls, who are white, know they resemble Elsa much more than my niece does. These little girls most likely have seen very few black or brown girls in their books or movies to give them any other ideal.
While I do strongly agree that children of color need to see characters who look like them in movies and books, I also strongly believe that white children need to see characters such as Moana too. Otherwise they are more likely to grow up biased. Their lives are poorer for it and our society suffers.
2
It sounds like your niece has some poorly raised classmates.
The problem isn't Disney or cartoon characters. The problem is parents. It's nice for children of colour to see characters that look 'just like them' but it's not Disney's job to change the world or educate children. I'll bet that your niece's classmates came out of their screening of this latest film just as 'biased' as they were when they went in because they were probably accompanied by parents who are passing on their ignorance to their children.
My identity as a Black woman had nothing to do with the tv shows or movies I watched and had everything to do with how my parents raised me. As 10% of the Black population of my public school, I suffered racism but I was lucky. I grew up in the 70s and 'Say it loud: I'm Black and I'm PROUD' was my family's theme song.
Your niece is lucky to have an aunt like you. Tell her the children who torment her are to be pitied not feared, because they're not as fortunate.
The problem isn't Disney or cartoon characters. The problem is parents. It's nice for children of colour to see characters that look 'just like them' but it's not Disney's job to change the world or educate children. I'll bet that your niece's classmates came out of their screening of this latest film just as 'biased' as they were when they went in because they were probably accompanied by parents who are passing on their ignorance to their children.
My identity as a Black woman had nothing to do with the tv shows or movies I watched and had everything to do with how my parents raised me. As 10% of the Black population of my public school, I suffered racism but I was lucky. I grew up in the 70s and 'Say it loud: I'm Black and I'm PROUD' was my family's theme song.
Your niece is lucky to have an aunt like you. Tell her the children who torment her are to be pitied not feared, because they're not as fortunate.
You tell your dear niece that I'm a white lady who grew up down south, and I LOVE inerja and berebere and doro wat. I wished my hair would hold a braid, and I always wanted beads in my hair like some of my friends had. People who don't see the beauty in a different culture are cheating themselves. I hope someday she can feel sad for people who don't value culture rather than feeling her history isn't as important.
This issue is much more important than many people realize. When I was growing up in the 1960s and 70s, I discovered comic books (in the early 70s) and became hooked on the Marvel characters. However, the only character I could envision myself being was the Black Panther - not just because he was (along with Luke Cage and the Falcon) the only non-white hero but because he had a costume that covered everything- he could be any race under his costume so (in my young mind) his race did not matter. But when my imagination went wild, I could not see myself as any of the white characters. It was not until I was an adult that I fully understood what I had been doing and how important it would have been to me, as a child, to have someone in the area of pop culture that I was so involved in who "looked like me." Interestingly, it was only very recently that Marvel introduced a character who comes closest to one to whom I can identify - Ms. Marvel, a teenage Muslim girl of Pakistani background who, despite her cultural differences, is simply another American teen in most ways. Before her, all characters of South Asian background (the very few that exist) were portrayed in some stereotypical way. American popular entertainment has a very, very long way to go in portraying the many different elements of the American cultural mosaic in ways that are not dismissive or degrading. But this does matter, especially to children who want to feel they "belong" to the larger culture.
1
Surprise surprise! the identity politics industry strikes again in a NY Times Op-Ed... This is just one of many reasons why the Democrats lost the election... Disney and these other entertainment behemoths will create content they think will make money, plain and simple... Articles like this are just one step closer to demanding racial quotas in the arts, and I'm sure we will be hearing the same exact thing come Oscar season... And you admit here that a Latino male has created the biggest Broadway sensation of tbe 21st century, and somehow failed to mention that Dora the Explorer is one of the most popular and profit making characters in childresn entertainment today. Yet, the "victim" industry narrative continues again and again in the pages of this newspaper. It's interesting and timely to contrast grievances aired in this article and Fidel Castro's movement. Both economic in origin. Fidel was concerned with the economic equality of his fellow citizen, and the author here is simply complaining that the corporations aren't utilizing their identity as often as they'd prefer in order to turn a profit... How times have changed.
1
What about Disney's "Princess Protection Program" (2009)? It is admittedly guilty of stereotyping, especially the villain, but there are numerous Latinos and Latinas in the cast, including the Princess and her Louisiana sidekick - a real-life Latina playing a "regular American" (not identified as Latina) high school girl (Selena Gomez).
1
One of the great characteristics of Moana is that she is NOT a princess. Although being groomed to become a chief of her people may not be too different, it is a step in the right direction.
1
At at time this country is having some resurgence of integration and acceptance (embraced more by our youth than more senior members of this country) there is hue and cry over whether or not an animated character has a specific skin color?
Does a character's voice need to 'sound' like a stereotyped vision of what a person's heritage must be, at least in the part of the listener? With cries of racism when many black sports players speak after the game and comments made that their diction is hard to understand, to the criticism of George Lukas for JarJar Bink's voice being a poor choice, where does one decide the characterization is right, or racist?
A voice should go with the character, and not stretch the imagination to say it 'must' be done by an actor who I know their heritage and therefore 'must' identify as being authentic. If that were the case, then the entire Hamilton phenomenon is dross.
Does a character's voice need to 'sound' like a stereotyped vision of what a person's heritage must be, at least in the part of the listener? With cries of racism when many black sports players speak after the game and comments made that their diction is hard to understand, to the criticism of George Lukas for JarJar Bink's voice being a poor choice, where does one decide the characterization is right, or racist?
A voice should go with the character, and not stretch the imagination to say it 'must' be done by an actor who I know their heritage and therefore 'must' identify as being authentic. If that were the case, then the entire Hamilton phenomenon is dross.
I would welcome an article detailing life experiences of working (and non-working) people of color. It is easy instead for journalists to focus on media images of minorities. The Times carries too many of these latter stories in comparison with the former, for those involve the hard work of research. Stories of the sort published here perpetuate the sense of echo chamber journalism.
1
Disney, so when are you going to make a little Latina girl proud? Brown isn't brown when it comes to skin color. Why not be bold and do something for the largest brown community? What's holding you back? I sure hope it isn't fear of ticket sales but I bet it is.
I hear you.....I'm a white Latina with an "ethnic" face. Even as an adult, I was so happy to see women like Penelope Cruz, Idina Mendel and Lea Michelle co e to the forefront.
.......everyone looks for their place in the stories they hear......
.....and let's not forget LGBT and other miborities......
Diversity still has a long way to go in Hollywood.
.......everyone looks for their place in the stories they hear......
.....and let's not forget LGBT and other miborities......
Diversity still has a long way to go in Hollywood.
Bottom line is that Disney provides what sells in the current market. Not very many companies are willing to put out a product that does not only have a return that breaks even but one that has tremendous profit. The investors for such products do not care what nationality or race the stars are, only that they receive a hefty return on their investment. In this day and age it is becoming too common to blame everything on an ism, phobia or ist. Do not forget that old fashioned greed is what fuels the market.
4
Can we take a break on the cynical/political idea that everything is racial or gender identity and simply enjoy that there is a new Disney movie that celebrates, albeit in a superficial but still very positive way, a culture and set of stories that will be new to most Americans? Cheers to Moana, and sailing, and Hawaii and Maui and his magic fishhook and tattoos and fun!
1
Neither Esmeralda (French Roma) nor Mulan (Chinese) nor Pocahontas (Powhatan) are Latinas. Do they count towards helping young Latina viewers with their self-esteem just because the color of the skin in the cartoon?
2
Let's create films for each culture. We will keep a tally to make sure each culture has the same number of new films each year. We don't want the number of films to be based on population numbers.
Forget about artistic, meaningful films. Concentrate on the agenda so no culture might be offended. It seems the new cultures like to see themselves on screen. That is how they evaluate a film so create enough films from their culture to satisfy their need for their culture on film.
Forget about artistic, meaningful films. Concentrate on the agenda so no culture might be offended. It seems the new cultures like to see themselves on screen. That is how they evaluate a film so create enough films from their culture to satisfy their need for their culture on film.
6
Spoken like someone who is certain that they will look like the majority of film or book characters created.
Why does every Disney heroine have to be a Princess?
6
There's plenty of Disney heroines who are not princesses, you just haven't looked. But the princesses move merchandise. Blame the consumer for that, not the company.
I have never napped on to any character in any film because they are always different from me at some level, at least at a superficial level. In terms of appearance, I am sort of a mix between Daniel Day Lewis and Stanley Tucci, but I don't relate to them more than I do to other actors. I think I can more easily insert myself into male than female roles, but not always, and I am a heterosexual who is comfortable with my conventional masculinity. I suppose what I am saying is that I am me and the people on the screen are who they are, and that is as far as the relation goes. Would I feel differently if I were a child who was an ethnic or sexual minority? Maybe. But once I grew up and figured out who I was, all people seemed pretty much the same. At least that is how it seems to me now. In fact, I empathize even with nonhuman characters, and I think this must be true for most people.
1
Disney is a company founded and, traditionally, dominated by white Americans of European descent. So, they made a lot of movies about white people, and even their movies about nonwhite people are pretty white. The characters are nominally from different races, but the art is pretty typically white.
Non-white Americans don't have good role models in movies because there are no non-white movie companies. Tyler Perry is the only non-white American movie presence I can think of, and he has a very specific thing he does.
I think it is a serious issue that this is true, children need role models and everybody needs to feel like they belong and have paths forward in life. But I don't think demanding more "diversity" from companies like Disney is the way to go. Why do Latino kids need Latini role models from white movie makers? People in the US need a more diverse and dynamic intelligentsia and art scene.
Right now, Disney takes a story steeped in European themes and values (nuclear family, royalty/princesses, fulfilling quests set by moral superiors, outgoing women & staid men, etc) and then makes the characters and setting different, as if making a character black were as simple as changing a dress. It isn't enough.
People today, though, only seem to care about the names and look, but I don't get it. I loved the Lion King as a kid, and I related to Simba. I do not look like a large cat. It was probably the most popular children's movie of its generation. No humans in it.
Non-white Americans don't have good role models in movies because there are no non-white movie companies. Tyler Perry is the only non-white American movie presence I can think of, and he has a very specific thing he does.
I think it is a serious issue that this is true, children need role models and everybody needs to feel like they belong and have paths forward in life. But I don't think demanding more "diversity" from companies like Disney is the way to go. Why do Latino kids need Latini role models from white movie makers? People in the US need a more diverse and dynamic intelligentsia and art scene.
Right now, Disney takes a story steeped in European themes and values (nuclear family, royalty/princesses, fulfilling quests set by moral superiors, outgoing women & staid men, etc) and then makes the characters and setting different, as if making a character black were as simple as changing a dress. It isn't enough.
People today, though, only seem to care about the names and look, but I don't get it. I loved the Lion King as a kid, and I related to Simba. I do not look like a large cat. It was probably the most popular children's movie of its generation. No humans in it.
3
"Tyler Perry is the only non-white American movie presence I can think of...."
Spike Lee, Gary Gray, Steve McQueen (OK, he's a Brit and not American), Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, John Singleton, Melvin and Marco Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, among the best known.... There are plenty of others, and there should be many more.
Many of the prominent Latino filmmakers are not American--Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaran, and Alejandro González Iñárritu, for example, are all Mexican. But Robert Rodriguez was born in Texas.
Important Asian-American filmmakers include Ang Lee, Cary Fukunaga, Justin Lin, Mira Nair, Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda!), M. Night Shyamalan.
If the only non-white American filmmaker you can think of is Tyler Perry, you just don't get to the cineplex very often.
Spike Lee, Gary Gray, Steve McQueen (OK, he's a Brit and not American), Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, John Singleton, Melvin and Marco Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, among the best known.... There are plenty of others, and there should be many more.
Many of the prominent Latino filmmakers are not American--Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaran, and Alejandro González Iñárritu, for example, are all Mexican. But Robert Rodriguez was born in Texas.
Important Asian-American filmmakers include Ang Lee, Cary Fukunaga, Justin Lin, Mira Nair, Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda!), M. Night Shyamalan.
If the only non-white American filmmaker you can think of is Tyler Perry, you just don't get to the cineplex very often.
I wasn't claiming only white people make movies, I was talking about an actual non-white industry to rival Hollywood. It certainly feels like Tyler Perry has got an actual production line for his movies. I think yes, Spike Leeis another person who has similar independence.
Without financial and production independence, a minority American film maker will always be limited because producers are not going to go for movies if they think they will only appeal to 15% or less of the populate. But those are the type of films I think minority children need. Ones that speak directly to their specific experiences.
Without financial and production independence, a minority American film maker will always be limited because producers are not going to go for movies if they think they will only appeal to 15% or less of the populate. But those are the type of films I think minority children need. Ones that speak directly to their specific experiences.
I feel the country and its entertainment by products, especially those aimed at children, is entirely too Disneyfied. The "princess" phenom is completely out of hand. We broke free of a monarchy more than two hundred years ago, and girls should not be encouraged to be franchised, stock faux Royal characters from amusement parks.
While one can be pleased that we have a more multi-ethnic approach to popular entertainment, certainly there are enough folk and fairy tales from around the world and enough film companies to create stories featuring girls of all cultures and colors.
As the old song goes, but I can dream, can't l?
While one can be pleased that we have a more multi-ethnic approach to popular entertainment, certainly there are enough folk and fairy tales from around the world and enough film companies to create stories featuring girls of all cultures and colors.
As the old song goes, but I can dream, can't l?
1
Why are you not including shows coming from a Latin market . My kids half Mexican have been exposed to Latin movies, Latin books , Latin art. Have you looked at a Diego Rivera mural or looked at the Guadalupe . If you expand your viewpoint you will see plenty of Latin faces .
2
What is needed more than anything is a gender fluid disney protagonist, there are more transgender and oppressed cisgender individuals than pacific islanders. gender representation first then race, transgender is cross culture. The Timocracy of heterosexual disney characters has been dominant far too long, steps must be made and what is being dialogued here is only in the shadow of a much larger problem so whatever little light this gives is nowhere near the sun disney must bring out in order to appease and welcome all.
The brief mention of "Elena of Avalor" and the suggestion that it's a half-hearted effort or "concession" by Disney shows no understanding of the company's Disney Junior channel and the cost and marketing behind it. Launching an computer-animated TV show, while not as intricate or detailed as a Disney feature such as "Moana" or "Finding Dory," is a hefty cost greater than a number of studio movies. Disney advertised and hyped this series for months, put care and thought into the stories and characters and felt so confident by its success that Elena displays were at the front of Disney Stores nationwide even before the show premiered. Go on Disney's website now and Elena merch is hyped more than almost any other. Best of all, it's a lovely, affecting show that is loved by girls and boys of all backgrounds, including my three-year-old daughter (not a Latina) who wrote her Santa list today. Elena's dazzling red dress was the only item on it. (Until we prodded her a bit, nudging her towards gifts Santa had already purchased. :) The writer does the progressive "Elena of Avalon" a disservice but not appreciating, or knowing, the full impact of the program.
66
Agreed. The Author may not have young children, so she doesn't realize that Disney Junior is analogous to feature films for 2- to 5-year-olds. My Caucasian daughter is obsessed with Elena.
so, where is the movie?
While I recognize that she is not a movie princess, Elena of Avalor is the Disney Jr. zeitgeist. It is a new series with multiple specials linking her legitimacy via Sophia the First. While a true Princess that rules Avalor, she does not have a film, yet. I predict that she will hit the big screen sooner rather than later.
15
" I forgot that “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000) was set in the Inca Empire, because none of the main voice actors (David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton) sounded as if they spoke our language."
Why would you expect characters in an Inca Empire setting "to sound as if they spoke our language"? The language spoken by the Incans was Quechua which is still spoken by a minority living in the area formerly occupied by the Inca Empire--which does not include Cuba. A Spanish accent would be just as inauthentic for Incans as an American English accent.
Why would you expect characters in an Inca Empire setting "to sound as if they spoke our language"? The language spoken by the Incans was Quechua which is still spoken by a minority living in the area formerly occupied by the Inca Empire--which does not include Cuba. A Spanish accent would be just as inauthentic for Incans as an American English accent.
108
OK, but how would anyone else know? And more importantly, why should anyone care?
Many years ago I auditioned to be a Disney performer. As a black girl, the only "face" characters I could be were the Muses from 'Hercules.' I knew from the beginning I wouldn't be a princess, but it was still disappointing. I will never forget the first time I saw a commercial for 'The Lion King.' I heard the music and an announcement of a new Disney film. I ran to the television excited to see a black princess. She obviously didn't appear. As an adult, I'm much less concerned about this type of thing but, for young girls, it can be very difficult when all of the images that project success, beauty and desirability look nothing like you.
48
Well if you don't look like Princess Tiana from Disney's Princess and the Frog, than who do you want to look like?
1
I find it very difficult to imagine your sister was actually told she was too dark to play any character not covered in fur. Wouldn't such a statement be actionable in any state, Florida included? If that isn't discrimination, what would be?
33
Because she wasn't denied employment and/or it wasnt because of the her race or ethnicity. Like every other character in the park, people have to look the part.
It's very common to hear this type of comment in response to personal accounts by women, people of color, and minorities: Prove it.
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, but the Black Codes made that a mere formality. The 14th Amendment bestowed equal protection, but Jim Crow found a way around it. Some black Americans were living in what amounted to slavery conditions until well into the 20th century.
There are all manner of ways of intimating a prejudicial state of affairs without opening oneself up to a lawsuit.
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, but the Black Codes made that a mere formality. The 14th Amendment bestowed equal protection, but Jim Crow found a way around it. Some black Americans were living in what amounted to slavery conditions until well into the 20th century.
There are all manner of ways of intimating a prejudicial state of affairs without opening oneself up to a lawsuit.
1
Discrimination based on appearance (I.e., gender, disability, age, religion and race discrimination) is generally legal when hiring entertainers, whose employers are recognized to have a bona fide business reason for their discrimination. Personally, I think this exemption is rather too broad and is part of the reason society sees such little progress in what is considered attractive, professional and so forth.
And what do you mean by Latina, Cuban, or Mexican? Oh, you mean those with dark skin. Have you been brain washed by the ignorant Americans? Obviously, you don't even know your own culture or have traveled extensively to countries south of the border or Spain. Are black Americans Anglos just because they speak English and have English names? Or Native Americans in the United States, are they Anglos? The same applies to Hispanics who have Spanish names and speak Spanish. It is a linguistic group of diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Native America (Incas, Mayans, Tainos, etc.), European or white, African or black, Asian. So really, who do you mean should be in a Disney movie?
54
Arne, you totally missed the point.
Monica Castillo, was telling us (and you) that Cartoons, like movies, usually stereotype females and non-Anglos, but in particular female non-Anglos. The truth of that is obvious to most people,but in particular to females and to non-Anglos.
That awareness certainly includes people of many ethnicities and all so-called races, but in particular to females.
This article also indicates, an improvement has been long-coming, but that despite incremental improvements, including a 1940's Donald Duck story,
Disney and Hollywood have a long ways to go, in avoiding stereotypes and in providing children (and adults) socially-healthy representation of all ethnicities including those referred to by Arne.
Monica Castillo, was telling us (and you) that Cartoons, like movies, usually stereotype females and non-Anglos, but in particular female non-Anglos. The truth of that is obvious to most people,but in particular to females and to non-Anglos.
That awareness certainly includes people of many ethnicities and all so-called races, but in particular to females.
This article also indicates, an improvement has been long-coming, but that despite incremental improvements, including a 1940's Donald Duck story,
Disney and Hollywood have a long ways to go, in avoiding stereotypes and in providing children (and adults) socially-healthy representation of all ethnicities including those referred to by Arne.
40
All those. just as they should be for americans. For we are all Americans but . . .
3