Take A Look at Disney

7/14/14

Power of The Princesses : Tiana (with T-kun)





Moviefan12: Hello  &  welcome  back  to Power  of The Princesses and today,  we  take  a look at Tiana.  And  joining me is T-kun.   Now,  I cannot understate   how  important   Tiana is  bringing  back the princesses.   Yes,  she's  also  important  for  being   the last hand-drawn princess  as Disney  had given up on hand-drawn until her film came along but   perhaps,  it is  just me over thinking but I feel  like  without   Tiana,  we may  not  have gotten   Rapunzel,  Elsa or Anna but those are future articles.   Now   just  as a reminder,   we will be looking at  Tiana's  Original  Voice  Actress,  First  Appearance,  Favorite  Moments,   Later  Appearances,  and finally, answer the question,  Is  Tiana  a Good  Character?  T-kun,  it's  a pleasure  to have  you here again.


 T-kun: Same here, and I'll just say it now, love Tiana in the top best . . . okay, let's get this show on the road, yes?


Moviefan12:  So, Tiana  is your favorite.   not  a bad choice.    Now, let's  begin.


Original  voice Actress


Anika  Noni  Rose   


 












Moviefan12:  Tiana  being the first African-American  Disney princess created     a lot of  buzz and some of the early  plans for this film  were not the best idea  because  at one point,   the mani character going to be a chamber maid  named Maddy  but she eventually   morphed into Tiana  and   a  lot     of big names  were interested in playing  Tiana  such  as  Dream Girls  stars, Jennifer Hudson  but  it  was decided not to go with a big name star as they did not want the actress to overshadow Tiana  as  a character. Which  was a smart move  and  another reason,  Anika Noni  Rose  is so important  to the  princess line-up.  Anika  Noni  Rose was the first voice actress to do her character's singing  since Paige O' Hara  as Belle.   That  is a big deal to have a voice actress, who was also the singing voice of this character. I do  have  one  minor quibble  with  Anika  Noni  Rose.   Well, more with Disney   giving  her the honor  of Disney Legend  in 2011  alongside  Jodi Benson,   Paige O' Hara,  Linda Larkin,  and Lea Salonga.  What's  my issue with that?   No hit  on  Anika  Noni  Rose  and yes, her  role as Tiana  is more important  to Disney for being the first and so far only  African-American   Disney Princess and that is important  and  I'm   not trying to diminish that but...  I'm sorry, her name  seems  out of place,  when you see some of the other Legends that have been given this honor  such as Ed Wynn,  Sterling Holloway,   or the ladies  I mentioned up above.  I mean her film  had not been out for one year at this point.  Not only were there contributions important to the company but they'd been around the company for a long time  and they had made  multiple contributions to Disney over the years  and look, again  Tiana  is important to the history of Disney  but it feels  kind of cheap to  give her the honor of Disney Legend, one year after The Princess and The Frog came out and yet,  others like  Paige O' Hara, Linda Larkin,  and Lea Salonga  had been playing their respective characters longer or that Ed Wynn wasn't given the honor until 2013, long after he died.   Just a little tangent  but I don't  agree with this decision.  But  let's  now  look at  how  Anika Noni Rose  did as Tiana.  She was good in the role,   made the character come across as a mature young woman that had her head on her shoulders and knew that she wanted in life and wasn't afraid to work to get it.  As this movie was one of the first to  subvert classic Disney tropes by saying wishing on a star will only get you so far, you've got to work to make your dream come true  and that was a great message to send to the audience.  

T-kun: Top Best! But going back to what you were saying, yeah a lot of Buzz was going for this movie, and it seem with Disney . . . there was a lot of pleasing for it as it going into other areas of the film, viewers would say it was a touchy subject and they-the movie makers-were pulling all the stops to make not just the movie but those, such as a the actress ahead of game . . . again coming off as overdue of pleasing really.

Anika Noni Rose really does a fine job, no doubt about it. But all this pushing may be all fine and dandy, there is a much needed moment for breathing, too much pushing and it tends to lose that charm the movie was aiming for.

It could be just one person's point of view of seeing, but cut some slack on here. And the actress grown on her own and earn it, just as the rest. That's all I got on this.

  

Moviefan12:    Now,  let's  first  move  onto  to First  Appearance.


First  Appearance



Moviefan12  :  We  first see Tiana  as    a little girl  in the film's prologue  and  even, then you get the idea that she is a bit stubborn  and hot headed.   


 










 And  the prologue here  is really important  as  it explore the relationship that Tiana  has her with her father and even though, he dies before the movie actually begins.   Their  relationship is important as  he is what drives  Tiana  to  better herself and work hard and  perhaps  grow up faster than she should have.   I think this is evidenced, when we see the adult Tiana at the start of the film.  She is   worn out  and tired and you can see that  all the work, she  is putting in for her dream has been dragging her down.


   


And   finally,  we   also  need  to take  a look   at her   transformation into  a frog.   Some people  complained about having  the first  African American princess spend most  of her movie as a frog and I do get that but  she still had  the same    personality.   




T-kun: People should also know, if this was tale was going to be told, one was bound to be a frog, even both. Two tales around the mid-1900's had both the female leads black, The Princess Frog when kissed by the prince after helping earned the crown, she was black. And not long after it, the princess that found a frog that saved from flood, was too. No nip-pick there, as I have a feeling, those where the tales the movie are most likely based on, well I hope so anyway.

But going back to the movie, that bond Tiana and her father had, really does drive her. Into a hard working woman. I'm very much impress that with her kind heart, smart whits, and passion stays through and through, even turned into a frog, doesn't change it, but only deepens her personality.

And child Tiana is too much not to adore. Also adding that she's got spunk and is very head-on getting what she wants. As her famous quote is-“You can't get what you want just by wishing for it.” ―Tiana. Love her for that!


Personality


Moviefan12:  Going  by the Disney   Wiki,  Tiana   is  passionate,   hardworking ,    stern  and loving.       That   fits   the bill and in   that  she reminds  me of Belle ,  in that she has  a good  head on her shoulders  and knows  what  she wants   out    of life.    Now,   I've   often  described   Tiana   as someone  that  is a bit of  a workaholic  and while   her dream,      is the   most important thing in her life.      She doesn't  put it above  family but she does get lost in her dream.   




T-kun: That is does and makes her feel more human, when it happens. Coming down that she love others, but making her dreams come true as well.

Belle is a fine choice to compare her with, but for some reason or another, Tiana is more compare to Ariel than all the rest. I can see it in some places, but when it comes down to it.

Tiana is a fine role model, without a doubt, her personality is something many can find soothing when in need.


Moviefan12:  All right,   it's   time to look at  our favorite moments.


Favorite Moment


Moviefan12:  For  me, this was  pretty easy,  I had to go with , when  Tiana stood up to Dr. Facilier.  


 "My daddy never did get what he wanted. But he had what he needed! He had love! He never lost sight of what was really important, and neither will I!"












I  went this as  my favorite moment  because here, it clicks with Tiana that  she  can still have her dream without losing sight of what's truly important in life and it's also  a clash  of two  different types of ethics.   You  have Tiana, the hard worker, who  has always try to climb the ladder to make her dreams come true and puts work  into what she wants done going up  against,  Dr. Facilier,  a con man that tries to weasel his way out of things and looks for the easy path.

T-kun: That is a good choice, I will agree with you on that. For me . . . hmm . . . Oh! 










The moment I adore is a simple one. Taking during the party, after the small mess up with the Realastate men went sour, Tiana is help out by her good friend, left soon later for her to have head cleared up. As she heads out on the balcony and is looking to the sky seeing the star. Holding onto that dream as a child, and as a child would do, make a wish to the star in hopes.

I love this moment very much. Showing she's still a child at heart of wanting things to happen in a simple matter. It's a rare moment to see her not as adult who works and goes for, but still dreams, in keeping her grounded.

For in moments of life . . . there is a time and plce for being adult and a child at heart. This moment makes her flushed out as a human being, at best than what the rest of film has to give. And it was made her the best fave out of all the rest.


Moviefan12:  Now  let's  move  onto  Later Appearances.



Later   Appearances


Moviefan12:  Now Tiana  hasn't  had too many  appearances  outside of her film.  She  has been  confirmed  to  appear   in  a season  2  episode  of Sofia  The First  and  she  might   make  an  appearance  on  Once  Upon  A Time  but   don't  expect   her next season.    However,  she  has appeared  in some  books  and video  games  that  are usually  set  after the events  of  the movie.




She  also  appeared  in Epic  Mickey:  Power  of  Illusion.


 

And  according  to the Disney  Wiki,  Port  Orleans  was re themed  to The Princess  and The Frog  because  of  the New  Orleans  tie   and  I'll  just  let  the Disney Wiki  explain  it.



In this Walt Disney World resort hotel, Tiana is the central character because of its ties to New Orleans between her film and the resort. A story was given to the resort after its refurbishment. Disney princesses Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine and Rapunzel gathered together to grant gifts to Tiana. Some include carpets resembling the Magic Carpet from Jasmine, shower curtains with artwork of "dinglehoppers" and "snarfbalts" from Ariel, mirror frames with woodcarvings of woodland creatures from Snow White and much more.

















She  also  appears  in    World  of Color  and Mickey's  Magical  Map.













What  I've  noticed  is  that   Tiana's  appearances   outside  the film  seem to be sporadic  and  that  Disney doesn't  seem  to know what  to do with her.  I  don't   know why  Disney   has  such a hard time   with her  because  she  is a good  character  but  out of all  the new  princesses,   you hear the least  about her.  T-kun,  thoughts  on this  and why Tiana  hasn't  been  used   more   than  some  of the other princesses.



T-Kun: Going to take a shot in the dark and say, it's money reasons. With all the movies Disney has done, Tiana's movie was one of the lowest. Along with adding with how long it took for changes and such to happen.

It could be Disney's subtle way of saying: "There . . . look! We did it. Now can we all move onto something that has a bit more profit."

Again, it's just a thought. But to me, as someone who really loves this princess, it's sad of how some things never change, even if others won't admit it, it comes off that way and it really hurts.

What has been given thus far is fine, but not good enough. I hope sometime soon, Disney puts more effort into this and stop going for the popular vote all the time. If they might not be knowing it, it's killing them.
That's all I got to say so far from this.


 Moviefan12:  I think that  you hit  on something saying that it's money reasons.   There   is a certain film that we need to consider about this because  Frog was released  a couple weeks  before  a certain sci-fi film that became a juggernaut and will soon have it's own land at Animal Kingdom.





I do think that the success of   this film may have  hurt  The Princess and The Frog at the box office and  now I find it ironic  that Disney  is  making a land based on this film and  yet,   Frog  still gets ignored.   



T-kun: *Sighs* Disney . . . *Face Palm and huff a cry*



Moviefan12:  Uh well....  I  think  it's time  to move onto  answer the question  of...

Is Tiana  A Good  Character



Moviefan12:    In my  opinion,   Tiana  is a good character that  brought  back  many of the old traditions that we saw  earlier  with  the likes  of Belle.  She  is a strong  minded  character  that has a set goal, that knows  what she wants  and  has determination   to get  what  she wants.   Even,  if  it  distracts her from  also having fun but  at the same  time,  I think  that  among  the newer princesses,   she  is  one of the best role models  out there.




T-kun: Very much agree, granted there are some things that make her fall back into the classic-ness of past Disney Princesses, but it doesn't take away from what makes her great.
In a way, I do see why Tiana and Belle are very much alike, but one key difference; their passions.
Belle is a dreamer who loves to see things beyond what they are and the only way to get a hint of it in her way is to read.

As with Tiana is a hard worker who knows of how the world works for her and aims to surpass it all.

If we were to add another Princess in, she would have to be known as the one who is golden hearted . . . I would Ariel would be the best bet or Snow White.

As those princesses would be the stages many would go through. The Golden Heart becomes the Dreamer that soon forms the Hard Worker.
In which Tiana becomes a good role model that in later years to the viewers, are going to be doing or already doing to get that dream all want.

At the end of the day, Tiana on a scale get's a solid 7 through it all. She might be my favorite, but I know when to see the flaws, but at least she doesn't overuse them.

If anyone get's the chance, read the children's book that Moviefan12 pointed out before, they show it well.




Moviefan12:  T-kun,  thank you for joining  me  at this rather extensive look of a princess that does not get the respect that she deserves.

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