Disney celebrates a modern-day classic from the directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Discover what really happened after the princess kissed the frog in an inspired twist on the world’s most famous kiss. This hilarious adventure leaps off the screen with stunning animation, irresistible music and an unforgettable cast of characters. Enter Princess Tiana’s world of talking frogs, singing alligators and lovesick fireflies as she embarks on an incredible journey through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. Spurred on by a little bit of courage and a great big dream, these new friends come to realize what’s truly important in life…love, family and friendship. Overflowing with humor and heart, The Princess and the Frog is an incredible motion picture experience your whole family will want to enjoy again and again!
Bonus Content Includes: Deleted Scenes, The Princess Portraits Game, Audio Commentary By Filmmakers, Music Video By Ne-YoAfter the visual bombast of many contemporary CG and motion-capture features, the drawn characters in The Princess and the Frog, the Walt Disney Studio’s eagerly awaited return to traditional animation, feel doubly welcome. Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin), The Princess and the Frog moves the classic fairy tale to a snazzy version of 1920s New Orleans. Tiana (voice by Anika Noni Rose), the first African-American Disney heroine, is not a princess, but a young woman who hopes to fulfill her father’s dream of opening a restaurant to serve food that will bring together people from all walks of life. Tiana may wish upon a star, but she believes that hard work is the way to fulfill your aspirations. Her dedication clashes with the cheerful idleness of the visiting prince Naveen (Bruno Campos). A voodoo spell cast by Dr. Facilier (Keith David) in a showstopping number by composer Randy Newman initiates the events that will bring the mismatched hero and heroine together. However, the animation of three supporting characters–Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), a jazz-playing alligator; Ray (Jim Cummings), a Cajun firefly; and 197-year-old voodoo priestess Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis)–is so outstanding, it nearly steals the film. Alternately funny, touching, and dramatic, The Princess and the Frog is an all-too-rare example of a holiday entertainment a family can enjoy together, with the most and least sophisticated members appreciating different elements. The film is also a welcome sign that the beleaguered Disney Feature Animation Studio has turned away from such disasters as Home on the Range, Chicken Little, and Meet the Robinsons and is once again moving in the right direction. Rated G: General Audiences, suitable for ages 6 and older: violence, some scary imagery, tobacco use) –Charles Solomon
Stills from Princess and the Frog (Click for larger image)
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Buy “The Princess and the Frog “ For Only $16.99
January 2, 2006
#1
The Princess And The Frog. Hmm. Song Of The South was much better, but regrettably today’s generation can’t see it.
January 2, 2006
#2
Possibly the worst Disney animated film of all time. The animation is great. The hand-drawn frames and vibrant colors are wonderful, but what was Disney thinking with this awful story? Look at the height that they have fallen from. We are not supposed to be comparing the storyline with a Saturday morning cartoon. This is supposed to be a real movie. Look at the old Disney films: Lion King, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Jungle Book, Robin Hood. What made them great? The story, plain and simple. I hope Disney loses millions on this film so they will learn to stop writing such awful material. Also…This movie is set in America. We have a democracy here not a monarchy. There are no princesses here. Also…this story is supposed to be set in New Orleans. This movie is out of place and completely out of line for Disney. Disney…come back.
January 2, 2006
#3
I am 31 and I grew up LOVING Disney movies. My kids (4 1/2 and 2 1/2) love em as well. I own all of the major titles and have acquired a very large collection of Disney soundtrack music as well. I was pumped to take my 4 1/2 year old to see a 2D original style Disney film or at least a good excuse to pay theater prices to see it. Unfortunately it just was not good. The story was okay but the characters were forgettable and what’s worse is that there weren’t ANY good songs! Every good Disney film has a catchy, memorable, or fun song (or several of them in most of the films). This movie definitely did not. I will buy it just because I’m such a fan, but I’ll leave it up to the kids to watch it because I was flat out bored with it. Bummer.
January 2, 2006
#4
I had high hopes for this movie, as it has really bothered me that Disney has not had an African-American princess — it’s positively shameful — and I was excited about the hand-drawn nature of the movie. I also thought the music was going to be wonderful as the film is set in New Orleans.
Well, what a disappointment. I was hoping for a spoonful of magical Disney sugar on par with “Beauty and the Beast” or “The Little Mermaid”. What I got was a dried-up packet of NutraSweet.
Meticulous animation cannot save a cold story with no emotion or soul. As other posters have remarked, the writing for this film is on par with a Saturday morning cartoon. There’s no flash, dash, or cleverness; no laugh-out-loud moments or times you want to cry. It’s all been done before, and better … the movie is full of worn-out cliches.
There’s no plot to speak of, just aimless wondering around. Where is the excitement of mise-en-scène and personalities we felt in the bayou of “The Rescuers”? The animation is Hallmark-card perfect (too perfect), and the characters are boring, underdeveloped, and goody-goody. Dr. Facilier, the character everyone says is so thrilling, overacts so badly I felt like I was watching an avatar in a cheap video game. The director should have told him to add some nuance. Poor Tiana is a cardboard cutout on par with a character you’d find on a box of cereal. Where is the soul we saw in Belle, Arial, and even Meg from “Hercules”?
The story itself is full of holes that you could drive Cinderella’s carriage through — for example, at the end of the movie, a major plot point revolves around someone inexplicably failing to kiss a frog before a clock chimes — it makes no sense. She had the frog right in her hand — huh? And the clock — come on. You can never top the clock in “Cinderella”, so why in the world make a half-baked attempt to even try?
I am disturbed that we do not see much of Tiana as Tiana. It is nonsensical that she is a frog for most of the movie — I have my suspicions that Disney was afraid that having an African-American face on the screen was just too daring, so they made her into a frog for almost the whole movie. Someone pinch me, is it 2010 or 1810? This character and the little girls who came to see her deserved better.
The music … don’t get me started. Where were the big hits that we heard in movies like “The Little Mermaid” and “Sleeping Beauty”? Why couldn’t they give us magnificent music like in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”? Is this pap the best the very highly-paid Disney people could command? I could write better songs beeping the buttons on my cell phone.
This movie is not only soulless, it’s a crying shame. This is not what Disney is all about. If only the Blue Fairy could swoop down and wave her magic wand and give this cartoon a soul. She brought Pinocchio to life but she would not be able to do a thing with this dud.
January 2, 2006
#5
This laudable attempt by Disney to return to the days of 2-D animated glory sadly falls short. Instead of surrounding its newest character – the first black Disney “princess” (which is rather deceptive, since Tiana is not a princess at all) with fresh new ideas, characters and music, Disney chose to use the hoary old schticks and gimmicks it’s used in the past. The “I want” song – check. Prince – check. Talking animals – check. Funny sidekicks – check. Musical numbers – check. A dash of tragedy to give the the script some heft – check. Charismatic villain – check. Yep, all the stock Disney characters and plot points are abundant in this film, but the result is less than satisfying. Tiana herself is a charmer – when she’s human – but once she becomes kin to Kermit, she becomes bland and humorless, perhaps to avoid upstaging her equally bland and unlikable Frog Prince Naveen. Granted, he’s self-centered enough to generate more personality than many Disney animated leading men, but when it comes to warmth and appeal, he’s no Aladdin. Even worse, the sidekick and ancillary characters are hardly memorable: a Baloo-wannabe oafish alligator, a spoiled Southern belle, a feckless firefly and an old hag who likes to kiss her pet snake on the mouth. Ecchhh. The music is subpar, with only one song that stands out: “Almost There”, a decent addition to the Disney catalogue of “I Want” songs, but which pales in comparison to similar songs from Disney’s past anthems of ambition, such as “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” (The Lion King) or even “Someday My Prince Will Come” (Snow White). All in all, “Princess and the Frog” (worst Disney movie title ever) is not a bad film, but it’s far from being a Disney classic. I’d rank it in the same class as “The Lion King 1 1/2″ or “Cinderella 2″, both of which were decent efforts, but not worthy of inclusion to the roster of Disney-dusted classics such as “Pinocchio”. 2 stars.