University of Washington Seattle Campus Princess and the Frog Review

For each themed movie review, you will write a 1-page (single space, about 500 words) review based on the given guidelines. You can choose a version of a movie based on your preference. Please also note that I DO NOT grade on length. I grade on the quality of your writing, reflection and participation. The following page can also be used to help you find where you might locate a particular Disney movie:

https://www.justwatch.com/us/provider/disney-plus

Our second themed movie review and discussion is centered around the idea of “Princess of Color” – the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in the “princess” movies. Please choose one movie from the following series (yes, you pick and whichever version as you like): Pocahontas (Pocahontas), Aladdin (Jasmin), Mulan (Mulan), Moana (Moana), the Princess and the Frog (Tiana), the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Esmeralda), Raya and the Last Dragon (Raya), and… (who else? Feel free to add) to watch and then discuss:

• Please indicate which year/ version/ edition of the movie you have chosen to watch. Explain your reason for choosing this title (movie) and the specific edition. In on sentence, summarize the storyline of the movie.
• Who is the main character and what is the main character’s relation with those surrounding characters? What is the main character’s racial/ ethnic/ cultural background and how is the main character’s cultural and racial/ ethnic characteristics represented (portrayed visually)? How might such representation in the movie inform or reflect the racial and ethnic stereotypes in a society?
• Where is the movie’s story based in (for example, which country/ region/ culture)? How is the local (non-U.S.) culture represented in the movie? In your opinion, does the movie do a good job in portraying that culture or cultural practices/ traditions/ characteristics?  
• Is the movie based on a previously existing story or an original story created by Disney? If based on a previously existing story, where did that original story come from? How does Disney adapt or change the original storyline? If an original story created by Disney, check out who the author/ script writer is (are). Does the movie production team include any author, script writer or contributor with a qualified level of knowledge of or connection to the cultural background that is being presented in the movie and how might this influence the production of the story and the movie?