Princess and the Frog: Trickster

Since I did not touch on the trickster elements I saw in The Princess and the Frog, here they are!

The shadow man plays the role of a trickster in the movie for several reasons. First, he has an ambiguous personality in that he is associated with life and death. He constantly refers to his friends on “the other side” and deals a lot with the dead souls. On the other hand, he deals a lot with live souls and manipulates them to get what he wants. This brings us to the next trait of a trickster that he possesses, which is being a deceiver. An example of this is when he convinces the prince that he is going to help him become rich, when in reality, he turns him into a frog and uses his blood for voodoo magic. The voodoo magic he uses can transform someone else into Prince Naveen, which has to do with shape shifting, another trait of the trickster. He himself does not physically transform, but his personality does change when he is trying to get something, and he has the ability to transform others into animals, other people, etc. The shadow man can also transform situation, as he is a situation inverter, the fourth characteristic of the trickster. There is one instance in the story where Tiana is still a frog, but has possession of a very powerful voodoo necklace that the shadow man wants. In order to tempt her, he creates a vision that appears very real to her. In it, she is human again and is standing in her dream restaurant, just as she wanted it to look, chandelier and all. It is full of people waiting to try her delicious food, and she almost gives into the shadow man’s trickery because it seems so real and perfect.

The shadow man is also a messenger/imitator of the gods. These would be his “friends on the other side”. In this movie, he gets their help by promising them all the wayward souls they want, and in exchange, they assist him in finding Prince Naveen. He ends up owing them a debt at the end when his plan fails and the frogs escape.

The final characteristic of the trickster that shines through the shadow man is that he is a sacred bricoleur. He is very innovative in his ways and can do things that most people certainly would not be able to do. He can create situations that are terrible, such turning people into frogs, or he can create wonderful situations, such as Tiana’s dream restaurant.