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Tiana是迪士尼倾力打造的首位黑人公主，她能否如白雪公主一样获得热捧呢？由其所加入的影片《公主与青蛙》是否会讨得美国黑人的喜欢,亦或是使自己陷入两边都不讨好的僵局?

And now, like all her predecessors, Disney's latest princess is a beautiful young woman with an angelic voice, a puffy pastel ball gown, and in the end, of course, she finds her prince. But as you probably know, Princess Tiana is Disney's first African-American princess.

The animated film, The Princess and the Frog,debuted in selected cities last week. It hits theatres nationwide this weekend. As part of our Talking Race series, we've asked Dawn Turner Trice, who writes the Exploring Race column for the Chicago Tribune, to talk about the film and about reaction to it.

If you've seen The Princess and the Frog,what did you think? Does her race matter? Our phone number is 800-989-8255. E-mail: talk@. You can also the conversation on our Web site, that's at , click on TALK OF THE NATION. And Dawn Turner Trice joins us now from Chicago Public Radio.

Always good to have you on the program.

Ms. DAWN TURNER TRICE (Chicago Tribune): Thank you so much, Neal.

CONAN: And what did you think of the movie?

Ms. TRICE: Well, I loved it. I went to a special screening on Saturday with my 14-year-old daughter, and we both loved it. I was shocked. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it would be a damsel in distress Disney princess movie, and it absolutely wasn't. She's strong, she's beautiful, she's smart, she believes in working hard, and she's self-sufficient.

And I thought that the message - you know, you have to have a message with a Disney movie.

CONAN: Mm-hmm.

Ms. TRICE: And I thought the message was solid and it was - it wasn't syrupy. And it was a good movie. It was a good message for the time.

CONAN: And was her race significant?

Ms. TRICE: The movie isn't about race. Her race is not a major factor. There are some racial overtones in the movie. For example, it's set in 1920s New Orleans, and you can't escape the race element there. Very early on, you see the two distinct worlds that are black and white. Tiana spends time with her mother at her employer's home, and the mother is a seamstress. And on the way home, Tiana's looking outside the window of a trolley as the opulent white world dissolves into this kind of the squalor of rundown shacks that's her neighborhood.

But - and so you see those two distinct worlds. But there's a closeness and a richness there in her community, and often people gather in the porches and commune over lavish meals. And she learns that you can recreate that sense of community in a restaurant, which is her goal and her dream that's bequeathed to her from her father.

So there are some racial - some of the language is cultural and some of it is not just racial, but it's kind of - it's part of the New Orleans culture. But it's all woven into the story so that it's not so intrusive.

CONAN: And it's interesting, this is not Disney's first non-white princess. Mulan, Jasmine, Pocahontas had been featured in previous animated films, yet a lot of people saying it's about time.

Ms. TRICE: Yeah. And it's interesting, I've heard a lot of people, blacks, whites, Asians, say that this is about time. But you know, what we have here is a character who will really, I think, stand on her own. And her skin color is just a part of who she is, and it's just - it's not - it doesn't make her who she is.

CONAN: Let's get some callers in on the conversation. We're talking about the new Disney movie with an African-American princess. 800-989-8255. E-mail us: talk@.

Tiffany's on the line with us from Leavenworth in Kansas.

TIFFANY (Caller): Hello. Yes, thank you. I just, you know, had a comment regarding, you know, it is about time. And it seems, you know, that, you know, in my opinion, Disney is kind of late. And I'm happy, you know, and my daughter and I will go to see it once it's out. But it's refreshing and comforting to know that the next generation of, you know, young African-American girls to come up can actually see something that I didn't get to see, you know, and I think it'll be good for them. And I just - I'm

CONAN: One more barrier down.

TIFFANY: Yeah. Pretty much one more, you know, better late than never. But it's definitely a good thing. And I mean, race isn't an issue, which is why I don't understand why there haven't been more, you know, different race princesses or characters, you know, in Disney or any other, you know, production company. But it's a good thing and I'm glad.

CONAN: All right. Well, have a good time at the movie, Tiffany. Appreciate it.

TIFFANY: Thank you.

CONAN: Bye-bye.

TIFFANY: Bye-bye.