The magic of Walt Disney played a big part in my childhood. The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie for years, and I will always remember a special girls' night out with my mom when we went to see Beauty and the Beast together in a theater. As a little girl, I hated frilly Barbie dolls, but I loved the characters that are collectively known as "the Disney princesses."

Though Disney's latest marketing has emphasized the "girly" side of these women, as a young girl I admired them for their independent streaks. Fancying myself a tomboy, I admired Belle's refusal to marry someone she didn't love and emulated Pocahontas' live-and-let-live values.

Though it has been a long time since we've seen a high-quality animated Disney movie, the company just announced it is set to release its next princess movie in 2009 starring Maddy in The Frog Princess. Though it is two years from hitting theaters, this movie is already causing a stir because it features Disney's first black princess.

Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the 1920s, the movie is an animated musical playing against the backdrop of the jazz era.

"From the heart of Louisiana's mystical bayous and the banks of the mighty Mississippi comes an unforgettable tale of love, enchantment and discovery with a soulful singing crocodile, voodoo spells and Cajun charm at every turn," reads a Disney press release about the film.

It looks like Disney hopes to return to its golden era with The Frog Princess, as screenwriters John Musker and Ron Clements, who are responsible for the fame of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, team up once again.

New Orleans native and Disney-Pixar veteran Randy Newman (Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars) will write the songs and score.

With an American Indian woman featured in Pocahontas, the Arabian Jasmine in Aladdin and a Chinese heroine in Mulan, what's hard to believe is that it's taken this long for Disney to animate a black character, especially when other children's companies have been marketing to America's diverse heritage for years.

Mattel released a dark-skinned doll named Francie in 1967 and another named Christie in 1968. The first black doll christened Barbie was released in 1980.

Another popular doll company responsible for many of today's strong-willed, intelligent young women, American Girl has offered a black doll since I was a preteen. Even more impressively, this toy company offers an array of dolls that allows girls to customize eye, hair and skin color to match their own. This is a great way to build confidence in girls that helps them learn to appreciate their own beauty.

The influence the childhood icons, especially ones from Disney, have on children is undeniably great. The proof of this is in the fact that Disney has just announced the upcoming release of a new line of princess-inspired wedding dresses to go on sale in June in an effort to capitalize on the women of our generation who grew up loving Disney characters.

"Most brides, even the cynical ones, want to be a princess on their wedding day and see their husband-to-be as Prince Charming," gown designer Kirstie Kelly told the Wall Street Journal.

If we grown-up ladies want to revisit our childhood so badly we provide enough of a market to justify princess wedding gowns, think how much influence the Disney princesses hold for today's young girls.

Or if that's not convincing enough, consider that Disney's princess line, which is a relative newcomer to the toy market, last year generated a massive $3.4 billion in sales for the company.

The power of a role model, especially in today's pop culture world of mixed messages that encourage young girls to grow up way too fast, it is heartening to see Disney taking a time-honored formula and modernizing it for a new generation. If Maddy turns out to be anywhere near as confident and intelligent as Belle, Ariel or Mulan, Disney will have created another timeless image girls can look to.

Reach Amy Korst at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.