Morality Analysis: The Princess and the Frog

Many Disney princess movies focus on following dreams and achieving goals. “The Princess and the Frog” is no exception, but it takes a slightly different approach to the theme, and explores the importance of priorities, not simply the straightforward distinction between good and evil. Each character has their own set of motivations that reflects their personality and helps them make decisions. The creators of the movie use these contrasting characters to show what they believe to be most important.

Ray is the strongest representation of good in the movie. He isn’t perfect, but he puts values like love and family before anything else. He is loyal and friendly and always willing to help, from the first time they meet him when he untangles Tiana and Naveen, to the end when he risks his life to release Naveen and bring Tiana the amulet.

Tiana is the main character, and grows the most throughout the course of the story. Her weakness is that she works too hard, which is unusual. Very rarely is a strong work ethic portrayed as wrong, but in this movie it is suggested that a work ethic can be too strong. Tiana’s dream is to open her own restaurant, and she is interested only in fulfilling that dream. Her friends and her mother advise her to let herself relax and have a little more fun, but Tiana doesn’t listen. Unfortunately, her dream is cut short when the owners of the building she wants to set up the restaurant in tell her they’re planning on selling it to someone else. And then she is further blown off course because she ends up turning into a frog. But as the story progresses, she begins to discover that there are things she cares more about than her restaurant. She wants the restaurant, but she needs her friends and family. In the end, she learns to keep in sight the things that are truly important, and the friends she has made on her adventures help her achieve her goals.

Prince Naveen is almost an antagonist in the beginning of the story. He is interested only in himself. He feels entitled to everything he wants, just because he wants it, and has no real direction or future. He has been cut off by his parents and is penniless and desperate. Though he doesn’t have any desire to settle down, he knows he has to either marry someone wealthy, or get a job. His situation is made even more desperate when he is turned into a frog by Facilier. On his quest with Tiana to find a way to turn himself back, he starts to realize that there are things he wants other than good music, fun parties, and lots of money. He also begins to realize that if he wants these things, he’s going to have to make sacrifices and work for them. By the end, he is willing to give up the things that he wants in order to be with Tiana.

Facilier is the strongest representation of evil in the story. He is a desperate man who has essentially sold his soul in return for power. He gave up the things he needed in order to achieve his ambitions, and is now deep in a debt that he cannot repay. In the end, when his plans fall through, he is destroyed by his “friends on the other side” who he receives his magic from.

In the beginning of the story, both Tiana and Naveen are very self-centered. Tiana is so driven by her goals that she has no time for anyone else. Naveen has no goals, and hasn’t worked a day in his life, and also has time for no one but himself. However, through their adventures together, they realize that what they want is not the most important thing. In the end, the curse isn’t lifted until they both decide that the only thing they really need is the people they care about. Once the spell is lifted, Naveen and Tiana fulfill Tiana’s dream, working together to build her restaurant. The writers of this story clearly support the idea that it’s good to have fun, and it’s also good to work hard, but if you want to be happy, you need to keep in mind that love and family are more important than anything else.