The more I compare the The Princess and the Frog to new Monster High series, the more similarities I find in the lore and visuals.
Look how she lights up the sky
-“Ma Belle, Evangeline” from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack
Clawdeen and her father’s desire to find her mother is reminiscent of the love story of a Princess and the Frog (PATF) character, Ray the firefly. Both Ray and Clawdeen experience a transformation, a rebirth, and a crossover into a different realm. Ray tells the other characters he’s in love with another firefly he calls Evangeline, but he points her out as the Evening Star in the sky (which I think is Venus in real life but this do be fairy tale). When he dies, it’s implied that he becomes a star alongside Evangeline in the afterlife. Like planets, constellations, and other objects in space, Evangeline is named in reference to a religious symbol. Aside from having the term “angel” in it, multiple dictionaries (like https://www.dictionary.com/browse/evangel and https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/evangel) and baby name websites (like https://www.thebump.com/b/evangeline-baby-name) state her name has Greek origin and roughly means “gospel” or “good news.“ I think stars are used to symbolize angels because they’re bright and powerful presences in the sky or, in other words, the heavens. Additionally, the chemical that fireflies and other bio-luminescent organisms use to produce light is called luciferin. Lucifer is another instance of a star being referred to as synonymous to an angel. According to the Dictionary.com definitions, “Lucifer” is “a proud, rebellious archangel, identified with [the name,] Satan, who fell from heaven,” “the planet Venus when appearing as the morning star,” roughly translates to "morning star,” and literally translates to “light-bringing.” Dictionary.com also defines an evening star as “a bright planet seen in the western sky at or soon after sunset, especially Venus.” It’s easy to mistake Venus or other planets for bright stars, so I wonder if that’s why people have historically referred to them as the evening and/or morning stars. Moreover, the novel, Stardust, is just one example of writing characterizing the Moon as maternal, characterizing its Moon as the mother of unicorns and stars. While PATF plays with the historical likening between stars, light-bearing living things, and angels, the Monster High (MH) series plays on the maternal dynamic between werewolves and the Moon. Similar to how the Moon mirrors Clawdeen’s mother as a faraway and thus mysterious source of her werewolf side, a star represents Evangeline as a faraway and mysterious being. From the first g3 mh episode, it’s clear Clawdeen’s always been drawn to monsters without even realizing the affinity was connected to her mother. Ray and Clawdeen are each drawn to a loved one/light in the sky like moths to flames.
I’m getting closer and closer everyday,
And I’m almost there,
Almost there,
people around here think I’m crazy,
but I don’t care
-“Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack
As people that know these stories understand, both Tiana and Clawdeen’s dreams are directly linked to a lost parent (which ik is also just a common trope for protagonists). Tiana is trying to carry on her and her father’s dream of owning a restaurant and Clawdeen is trying to achieve her and her father’s hopes to reunite with her mother again. In trying to get her restaurant, Tiana deals with heavy racial discrimination and doesn’t come from money, so she doesn’t leave much time for fun or relationships. Clawdeen also experiences alienation from humans, which could somewhat have to do with racism (and maybe homophobia? she could be fascinated with monsters because she relates to not fitting in, tho clearly she’s also drawn to monsters because she is one and doesn’t know it). Clawdeen has no way of contacting her mother and is just beginning to understand the monster world. She’s also not left with much knowledge about her werewolf side, so she’s kind of desperate to find anything she can. Moreover, physical transformations from human form as well as changes in setting follow the social alienation that drives Clawdeen and Tiana away from other humans. Clawdeen discovers her werewolf side after entering the Monster High world. Tiana gets turned into a frog by kissing Naveen, who she meets after wishing on the Evening Star (Evangeline) for another way to get her restaurant after being rejected by the Finner brothers.
There’s a city,
Way down on the river
-“Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack
Like Tiana, Clawdeen may have cultural roots in New Orleans. Clawdeen and Tiana’s fathers pass down the African-American dishes, jambalaya and gumbo, both of which are very popular in New Orleans. I also originally learned from an anon ask that there’s werewolf folklore in Louisiana, so it’s possible Clawdeen’s werewolf powers are connected to that (just like Tiana’s supernatural transformation into a frog). Both characters return to their human selves in instances in which they remember friends and family. Tiana kisses Naveen again and turns back into herself as well as a princess, while Clawdeen uses the talisman and thoughts of her dad/human side and turns into her human self.
I’ve Got Friends on the other side
-“Friends On the Other Side” from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack
Both Dr. Facilier (aka the Shadow Man, aka the witch doctor) and Clawdeen are bisected into supernatural and human selves. (I know Jackson Jekyll probably inspired the changes to g3 Clawdeen, but it’s an interesting parallel.) In addition to feeling connected and pulled towards supernatural forces, both characters experience racism/ostracism in the human world and thus are pushed towards the supernatural one. Clawdeen and Facilier share a desperation for power they’ve been denied for practically their whole lives. Dr. Facilier wants money so he can live with more agency and comfort. Clawdeen wants to access her werewolf powers, better understand her identity as a whole, and reunite with her mother. In patf and mh, Clawdeen and the Shadow Man align with spirits/beings/peers (aka “friends on the other side”). I think being an outcast is also why Clawdeen in particular has a lot to learn about how friendship works (also just because relationships in general take work). There’s also fandom discourse and theories that Dr. Facilier’s mother is actually Mama Odie, which would mean—like Clawdeen—he’s probably connected to the supernatural world through his mother’s side (this may actually be sort of canon hence when his character says, “I’m a royal myself on my mother’s side” and according to the wiki fandom page for the film). Moreover, these characters’ tethers to the supernatural seem to draw supernatural things wherever they go. Splitzee is a bit reminiscent of the creepy talisman, dolls, masks, and spirits that come from the “other side” in patf. The way he extends and contracts his mouth mirrors the mechanics of the witch doctor’s talisman and the mouth of one the giant masks that opens a portal to the “other side.” Like Splitzee, these things seem greedy and unpredictable. These creatures and spirits all come from other realms into spaces where Clawdeen/the Shadow Man are.
Transformation central
-“Friends on the Other Side” (reprise) from The Princess and the Frog soundtrack
Lastly, talismans play significant roles in patf and mh. Clawdeen and the witch doctor are both given talismans that in some way link to bloodlines (Clawdeen’s talisman is passed down from her mother and Dr. Facilier’s talisman runs on The Princess and the Frog character Prince Naveen’s blood), grant certain wearers particular shapeshifting powers, and play parts in granting crossovers between worlds.
I have been a stranger in a strange land
-title of Rita Dove poem (and apparently a quote from the Bible)
I think all these aspects (as well as her nerdiness and little wolf nose) of the new take on Clawdeen’s story are pretty cool, but I also feel like the g3 series drained Clawdeen of her identity in order to make her story arc. The new series not only erased some of her black features, it also cut her off from a chunk of her family, culture, and knowledge of her werewolf side. I like how the new series has incorporated more of characters’ family members, but I’ve noticed the Wolf family seems to be the only mh family that exists in g1 and has family members missing or separated in g3. She never got to grow up with Clawd or Howleen, and Clawdia doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Both live action and the new animation do this thing where they try to make a story about self acceptance, but proceed to whitewash their main character. I don’t really mind that her new character arc seems to pull inspiration from Jackson Jeckyl, but (to me) it mildly comes across like a desperate attempt to add something interesting. Overall, this erasure has left g3 Clawdeen lost. In an earlier episode, when Cleo mentions the possibility of werewolf powers waning with the moon, Clawdeen seems understandably terrified of losing them. It’s like people in the creative team took a bigass bite from her life story and all she does is try to get it back. There’s a difference between reimagining and diluting and this show is kinda doing both.
