The release of Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” on DVD has brought to the forefront Black family entertainment, especially programs that you can safely watch with your children. Disney is known for its family-friendly films, and we applaud the movie “The Princess and the Frog” which is the first Disney animated film to star an African-American.
After going through the Disney vault, we discovered some more Disney family-friendly movies starring African-Americans. It turns out that Disney has been making Black family-oriented movies and television shows for years. Although we wish that there were many more, we are pleased to find this selection to share with you.
Most of these movies are Rated G meaning that you can watch them with children without any worries about sex or violence. Quite interestingly, a lot of them were originally made for television.
The list includes the Black cast musicals “Polly” and its sequel “Polly Comin’ Home” as well as movies based on true stories like “Ruby Bridges” and “Glory Road.”
Additionally, there are popular Disney channel TV shows like “That’s So Raven” and family film comedies like “College Road Trip.”
If you’re like a lot of parents (or grandparents) with children, sometimes you want to watch a family-friendly movie with your children starring African-Americans. This list of Disney movies should help. Enjoy!
List of African-American Disney Movies
and Television Shows
The Princess and the Frog. (Rating: G) This is the latest animated movie release from Disney on DVD. This movie is special because it is the first Disney animated film to star an African-American. The story is set in New Orleans and is about a girl who kisses a frog and becomes one herself. The funny storyline is about what she has to go through in order to return to her life.
Reg. Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $18.99
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 Polly. (Rating: TV Movie - G) This is an uplifting musical starring Keisha Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad. The story is about a young girl named Polly who goes to live with her rich aunt in a town that her aunt sternly controls. Polly’s refreshingly strong positive attitude helps bring the town and its people back to life and heal old wounds.
Varies
You can sometimes find copies from resellers at Amazon. |
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 Polly Comin’ Home. (Rating: TV Movie - G) This is the sequel to the movie “Polly” starring Keisha Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad. Because the first movie “Polly” was a big hit, Disney decided to do a sequel. In this next version, Polly returns once again to Harrington, Alabama to find that the town is not at its best anymore, that is, until she gets there to help it come back together.
Varies
You can sometimes find copies from resellers at Amazon. |
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 College Road Trip. (Rating: G) Raven Symone and Martin Lawrence star in this comedy. Her father, police chief James Porter wants his daughter to stay near home to go to college. But she really wants to go to another college far away from home. To settle the matter, dad decides that he will go with his daughter on a college road trip to help her make the right decision about which school to attend.
Reg. Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $8.63
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 Ruby Bridges. (Rating: TV Movie - G) This movie is based on the inspiring, true story of Ruby Bridges. At the age of 6, she was willing to be the first person to integrate the school in her Louisiana school district. Despite all of the white parents removing their kids from her classroom, and having to face an angry mob of racists every day, Ruby Bridges courageously went to school. Ultimately, she broke the color barrier, making the school integrated for everyone. “Ruby Bridges” won a Golden Apple Award from the National Education Media Network.
Reg. Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $12.99
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 Jump In! (Rating: TV Movie - G) Keke Palmer and Corbin Bleu star in this Disney television movie. Izzy Daniels comes from a family line of boxers and his father dreams of him winning the Golden Glove. However, Izzy is attracted to his neighbor, Mary, who competes in Double Dutch jump rope competitions. When one of the team members drops out, Izzy fills in and finds that he enjoys the sport and likes Mary. But, he doesn’t want the guys, especially his father, to find out.
Reg. Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $2.89
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 Selma Lord Selma. (Rating: TV Movie – G)This movie was first aired in January, 1999 to coincide with the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Based on a true story, this movie is about a young girl and her friend who become involved in the Selma march for Civil Rights Movement after a moving encounter with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Because the 1965 Bloody Sunday march are covered in this film, there is some violence, but not anything graphic.
Reg. Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $10.99
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 Song of the South. (Rating: G) This is one of the most controversial movies that Disney has ever made because of the depiction of James Baskett as a happy slave. Baskett plays Uncle Remus who tells stories about Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox to a young boy who has come to stay at his grandmother’s plantation for the summer. The famous Disney song “Zip-a-dee Doo-Dah” came from this movie. James Baskett won an Honorary Academy Award for his performance in “Song of the South.”
Because of the controversy surrounding this movie, Disney has never released “Song of the South” on DVD in the United States. You can often find copies of it, though, at Ebay by using the link below.
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 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. (Rating: TV Movie – G) Brandy Norwood stars as Cinderella in this multi-racial remake of the classic Cinderella movie. Whitney Houston and Whoopi Goldberg are some of the co-stars of this Disney musical. The storyline is very similar to the original Cinderella story but features music performed by Brandy and Whitney Houston.
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