TAROT CARDS IN THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
Hey there everyone! It’s been a while and I am REALLY excited to share my discovery and praise Disney once more!
Recently I’ve rewatched “The princess and the frog” and was amazed by the Tarot reading scene. They actually not just researched what all the cards look like and picked the ones that were suitable, they really got into the meaning of every card! Though there’s only about a half of real cards references, it’s still like an Easter egg for Tarot readers!
Ok, let’s start from the beginning.
The first real reference appears with the second Naveen’s card where Facilier says about prince’s high lifestyle and shows the first card you see in this post. This one is my favorite! During rewatching I didn’t look close to the number of the card and was pretty sure they adapted the 3 of Cups (in this card there are traditionally 3 people having drinks, dancing, having fun), but when I actually looked at it, it was number 15! In the Tarot deck it’s a DEVIL card! Devil obviously symbolizes lust (2 girls), addiction, bad habits, the state when a person just refuses to take any responsibility and indulges their own desires, can often mean filth/debauchery, which I personally think is pretty much Naveen’s case. This is a hidden nod to what kind of a person Naveen really is. Though there are a lot of pretty obvious hints to that in the movie when he flirts with a lot of girls and sings about blondes and brunettes on his sides but it all looks just fun mostly and doesn’t make you think he’s THAT bad. But the devil card does :D Hilarious!
Then we see how this card turns into the one where prince is heading out of the castle with his pockets completely empty and the number of the card is XVI, which is a Tower card in Tarot deck. First of all, we can clearly see a tower in the background and secondly and most important - Tower usually means an unexpected and complete crash, especially if you were 100% sure it was the most stable thing ever. I also like that Disney put those 2 cards in a row, just like they are in a deck. It is believed that in all groups of cards in Tarot (major arcanas, wands. cups, coins, swords) every next card shows the consequence of the previous one. Here they literally showed where devil leads you. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
In the last Naveen’s card we see him marrying a rich lady, we see king in the background and most importantly - we see a loooot of gold! The number of the card is IX, which is a reference to the 9 of pentacles (coins). It symbolizes prosperity, usually financial. Also it symbolizes that the person is completely happy with what he has. Though this card often means that a person is ok on his own and doesn’t really want anybody else around but it’s not always the case, plus in the traditional Tarot it’s a girl in the card. A rich girl. Who Naveen is planning to marry! And it’s exactly what Facilier says.
And the most obvious reference is Lawrence’s first card - 10 of wands. You can see this one is really close to the traditional. Means that a person is tired, exhausted, pressured, is carrying something too heavy for him but somehow can’t just throw it all away. This is a kind of state where there is absolutely no joy in your life and you are extremely sick of it all. Also Facilier reads it as everybody is making him do whatever they want and it is also very true to this card and when Facilier sees this, he immediately understands this guy is ready to do pretty much anything to finally get rid of his heavy burden. Also tens in Tarot symbolize the ending of the process. In case with this card it usually means that the person is very close to breaking down, which was sooo profitably for Facilier.
That’s it, I guess. Hope you enjoyed! Till next time!
