Disney's First Black Princess

Well, after all these years of keening after princesses with silky straight hair and blue eyes, those of us of a darker hue will now have our own Disney iconography to aspire to: "The Frog Princess", Disney's first animated feature starring a black main character is now in the works. The story will be set in New Orleans during the Jazz Age (1920s), and centers on a young black girl named Maddy, who is a chambermaid. According to the Wikipedia entry, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose and Alicia Keys are all battling it out for the lead.

I feel both a partial hurrah in me and a partial sense of dread. Hurrah because, frankly, it's long since been time, dammit. But the dread comes from my basic distrust of Disney narratives, and my fear that now millions of little black girls will be modeling themselves on a chambermaid. Just what we need.