A Diverse Phantasm

I'll start off by introducing myself.

Hello World,

My name is Maiya Parker and I am a independent animation film director. I am a black young lady pursing a Bachelors degree within film , and I specialize in Animation. I was motivated to become a cartoonist because I was never able to see a "black girl" like myself on television . As a child, it made me feel like I wasn't good enough because I never was able to see a diversity cartoon character. Honestly, my feelings were hurt to acknowledge animators were able to create talking animals / objects before a diversity female or male. Additionally, Disney presented one cartoon content of a diversity girl; name Penny Proud. Unfortunately, Disney present different princess but, it took forever to create an African American princess name Tiana. Which was premiered in 2009 ( I was 10 years old) ... Place yourself in my shoes for one moment. Imagine your childhood and you're watching cartoons up to age 10. But, now you're ten years old and finally a princess your skin tone was created. It would make you feel unimportant and question the directors as to why now ? Why did it take so long to create a princess my skin tone but, there was never an issue to create Snow White, Belle, Cinderella, and Mulan back to back. Not to mention, Disney gets a lot of credit for their work but, I don't approve of the film " The Hunchback of Notre Dame". My issue with this film is based on the character. Disney created a disability character , and in the film the minor characters calls him ugly and mistreat him. The film was streamed on Disney and sold through their dvd platform. Indeed, Disney is a huge streaming platform however, many people don't blame Disney for their mistakes. Over the years I became puzzle and perplexed about the diversity that get displayed on films platforms. Additionally, being a women of color within the entertainment industry ; you don't see "us" often.

Many films such as ; Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith portrays a dispel content of the African American Culture. In my opinion, It's hard to create content about a different culture if you're not one of them. I want to produce real films that everyone can relate together. Furthermore, I had been inspired by the famous artist Jacob Lawrence to continue producing art for my target audience. Indeed, Jacob Lawerence inspire me to keep creating during the hard times. Jacob was also, known for creating art during the Great depression . Which led him to creating the Migration series . His art spoke and motivated individuals about better days are coming. Furthermore, another film that "played it safe" was Tom and Jerry. I absolutely love this content however, the madam who took care of Tom was an African American women. As known in the film, we never get to see her face. The director and producers didn't create her face to avoid lawsuits and a dispel content of the madam. If the directors created her face in a stereotype then, the film of Tom and Jerry would have to be removed/ cancel. They didn't want to lose Tom and Jerry due to creating someone wrong. Overall, My goal as a film director is to produce content during our hard times such as; COVID-19. However, including diverse characters and content. I want my audience from different culture to feel welcome and accepted. I don't want to create a film that would hurt anyone feelings or ability. Also, I want to work with a diverse team. Hopefully Animemai can bring the world more together than separated. In conclusion, I will create a change within the entertainment industry , and deliver meaningful messages for my audience. In the future I hope many film directors think about what they're producing and why. Thank you for reading my story , and I hope to influence and change our world for the better.

- Maiya Parker