The Princess and the Frog

Directed by:  Ron Clements, John Musker Cast: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Jennifer Cody, Keith David Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins Rating: G Release Date: December 11, 2009

PLOT: A young woman in New Orleans works hard to attain her dream of owning a restaurant.  Unfortunately, she gets sidetracked by a layabout Prince in the form of a frog.  Soon they're looking for a way to turn back human with a horn-playing gator and a lovelorn firefly.

WHO'S IT FOR? Kids, but it will definitely appeal to adults too.  Anyone who enjoyed the early '90s Disney hits like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin should enjoy this.

EXPECTATIONS: This is the first 2D Disney film since John Lasseter took over the animation department.  I was hoping for a classic Disney film, including good music and likable characters, though hopefully with a more modern sensibility.

SCORECARD (0-10)

ACTORS:

Anika Noni Rose as Tiana:  Tiana's a little more practical than many Disney heroines.  She's not after a prince, she just wants to earn enough money to make the down payment on a restaurant she wants to build.  But after a misunderstanding, she kisses a talking frog and boom! becomes a frog herself.  Tiana's a go-getter, but she's not perfect.  She actually has needs and desires; many Disney heroines seem adrift in life's waters, but Tiana wants to control her fate.  It doesn't work, but it gives her a more modern spin which is well-needed in this day and age.  Rose, best known as the Dreamgirl who wasn't Beyonce or Jennifer Hudson creates the plucky, likable, and strong Tiana.  She also has a lovely singing voice. Score:  8

Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen:  Naveen's definitely charming, but he doesn't always seem like a great candidate for Tiana's mate.  He makes poor choices, most notably going into a dark alley with the Shadow Man (which is what gets him turned into a frog).  As Prince of the fictional Maldonia, Naveen is ethnically unclear, he may be Southern European or from the Middle East.  I can't be certain and I'm fairly sure that's the point.  Campos gives him an indistinct accent that sounds a bit like Antonio Banderas putting it on thick.  Still, he plays Naveen as a very charming cad who develops into a decent suitor.  He gets more character growth then any other Disney Prince. Score:  7

Keith David as Dr. Facilier:  Facilier aka The Shadow Man is the villain in this Fairy Tale.  He's a practitioner of some dark voodoo with friends on the "other side" who may be scary to young children.  He also gets one of the best musical numbers in the film, ahem,  "Friends on the Other Side."  He has a wonderful, resonant voice which works for this frightening character.  But I'm kind of a Keith David fan so I really expected no less. Score:  8

Jennifer Cody as Charlotte:  Charlotte, or Lotte, is a great surprise in this movie.  She's the beautiful, pampered daughter of a doting father so I kind of expected her to be a villain, or at least stand in Tiana's way.  But Lotte's both charming and hilarious and makes a good-hearted friend for Tiana.  She and Ray, the Cajun lightening bug, carry most of the comedic load for the film.  Hopefully girls will admire Tiana's work ethic more than Lotte's air-headed ways,  but you have to admire her determination. Score:  8

TALKING: The dialogue is pretty tight.  There were a few early scenes where I heard some noises from the peanut gallery, but for the most part it's very well written and direct.  There are a lot of accents and I can't say how accurately they were portrayed. Score:  7

SIGHTS: You know exactly what a Disney film looks like.  The first scenes were pure pleasure, it's been a long time since I've seen a well made Disney film with the stretch and squash.  There are even a few art deco inspired scenes that look great.  This is the first Disney (not Pixar/Disney) film made under John Lasseter and it really makes me hopeful for a return to the sort of film making that Disney was known for. Score:  7

SOUNDS: Randy Newman does the score for this film, which works pretty well.  The songs feel very classic Disney and I could imagine them holding up well under repeated viewings.  I'd like to hear some again right now.  I'm too old to buy a Disney soundtrack for myself, right? Score:  8

PLOT SPOILERS

BEST SCENE:  Definitely a musical scene, but I'm not sure which was my favorite.  I enjoyed the Shadow Man's big number "Friends on the Other Side" and Mama Odie's "Dig a Little Deeper", both of which are showstoppers.

ENDING:  Oh come on, this is a Disney movie, what are you expecting?  Of course Tiana and the Prince get married and there's some happily ever after.  I imagine there would be sobbing children and rioting adults otherwise.

QUESTIONS:  Will The Princess and the Frog be the beginning of another golden age of Disney animation?  Has the company sorted itself out?  Will it stop whoring out it's older films to shoddy direct-to-video films?

REWATCHABILITY:  The songs are definitely relistenable (ouch, that nonword hurts to say), and the film is designed for multiple viewings, which is good for parents.

OVERALL

The Princess and the Frog is Disney's first attempt at original 2D animation since Home on the Range in 2004.  It's a back to basics film, a retelling of the fairy tale "The Frog Prince" in 1920's New Orleans.  And for the first time oh, ever, Disney has a black heroine.  If I were being cynical, I would suggest the marketing department really wanted an African-American doll to add to their very lucrative Disney Princesses line of products.  But be that as it may, this is still a very enjoyable movie.  Though I was hoping for something good, I didn't want to get my hopes too high.  But the filmmakers do an excellent job of working out an enjoyable story with good songwriting and characters an audience can care about.  Like I mentioned earlier, we know that Disney knows how to animate, and seeing the Disney style was comforting.  I grew up loving Disney movies and watching this one felt like comfort food.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't some backlash at the movie.  The film gets it's magic from voodoo, and that could upset some parents or some who are very religious.  I don't think it's more objectionable then fairy godmothers, but some people take things very seriously.  And there are some swamp folk who don't come out of the film looking well, but I guess the Disney company felt like they would be a limited population and not too likely to riot.  It's not as bad as Deliverance.  If you have a kid, or even if you don't, this is a great holiday movie.

FINAL SCORE: 8/10