Is 'Princess and the Frog' racist?

The first African-American lead character in a Disney movie has some observers cheering and others cringing

Though "The Princess and the Frog" doesn't open until December 11, critics are already weighing in on Disney's handling of its first African-American protagonist. Is Tiana, a Jazz Age New Orleans waitress who falls in love with a cursed prince, a breakthrough black icon—or just the latest example of what critics see as Disney's racial insensitivity?

Disney does cross the line: While Tiana, the titular princess, is "smart, bold and fun," several upsetting and arguably racist elements compromise the film, says Dodai at Jezebel. For instance, the imagery accompanying a witch doctor's curse seems to suggest that "African people are spooky and scary and have magical powers." And why does Disney's first black protagonist have to spend most the film trapped in a frog's body?

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