Disney's The Princess and the Frog was the first to feature a black heroine, but the film still raised some eyebrows. The studio is no stranger to controversy—here are 10 scandals from its past.
Disney thought it deserved a pat on the back when it released Pocahontas in 1995. Not only was it the studio’s first historically based animated film, but it also helped diversify a rather homogeneous group of past protagonists with its Native American lead — the second nonwhite Disney leading lady, after Aladdin‘s Princess Jasmine. But Native American groups complained that the studio strayed too far from history in the name of entertainment. For starters, there was no love story à la Romeo and Juliet between the real Captain John Smith and Pocahontas — a major theme in Disney’s version. In reality, Pocahontas was only about 10 years old when Smith arrived with the Virginia Company in 1607; she later considered him somewhat of a father figure but never a romantic interest. She did go on to save his life once, when Powhatan Indians wanted his head, which was how she earned the respect of the settlers. But there was no teary-eyed goodbye when Smith returned to England, as the Disney film depicts. Around 1613, Pocahontas was abducted by English colonists and taken to another part of Virginia; she was baptized as a Christian, married tobacco magnate John Rolfe and changed her name to Rebecca.
The Disney princess has become one of the most iconic symbols of Walt’s ever growing empire — and one of its all-time greatest brands. From dress-up dolls to bedding to silverware, the heroines are everywhere, and kids love them. But do the princesses really make good role models? A lot of parents — and feminists — would say no. The most prevalent characteristic of Disney’s three original princesses (Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty) is that they spend much of their movies as damsels in distress, waiting to be saved by men. It wasn’t until 1989 that Disney debuted The Little Mermaid‘s Ariel, a princess less passive and more defiant. But Ariel also gave up her beautiful voice for a pair of legs just so she could be with a man — who, of course, is a prince who rescues her in the end.
Richard Dawson, the wisecracking British entertainer who was among the schemers in the 1960s sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes” and a decade later began kissing thousands of female contestants as host of the game show “Family Feud” has died. He was 79.
As we prepare for the Game of Thrones finale, we recognize Joffrey and nine other baddies who showed us that terrible, horrible things can come in small packages
