Nine years after she turned into a frog, Princess Tiana has undergone another strange transformation. Fans think the African-American princess is looking off in the trailer for the “Wreck-It Ralph” sequel. Hair and skin appear lighter.
The Princess and the Frog heroine, still Disney’s only African-American princess, makes a cameo appearance in Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 alongside her fellow animated royals. The princess scene was featured in a Wreck-It Ralph 2 trailer released in June, and appeared once again in a different trailer released last week. In the new clip, the 14 princesses have changed from their signature costumes into sleepover-ready pajamas… but that’s not the only change fans are seeing in Tiana.
On Twitter, some of Tiana’s fans are pointing out that her hair and skin appear lighter in the new trailer, that her nose has been narrowed, and that her “natural” sleepover hair doesn’t look like natural black hair at all. Many didn’t even recognize her at first glance in the trailer. Has Disney’s sole black princess been whitewashed?
Many of the critiques of Tiana’s appearance are coming from female artists of color, of whom there appears to be a shortage at Disney Animation. At press time, Disney had yet to comment on the perceived changes to Tiana’s appearance. Yahoo
Pix: Princess Tiana
