The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Fresh and Exciting

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

So much potential....and I think this was a half hearted attempt at Disney throwing together a "feature" movie with....*gasp*...an Disney princess of color. They could have gone so many different ways with this and every way they took was disappointing. The whole movie felt forced like they just put it out to say, "we celebrate diversity" >insert eye roll< I hope they make a more valiant attempt soon because they need to try again and not just have the "one" to say they did it. There's room for improvement and I hope they make another go at it!

The Bad:The prince is fairly revolting, in my opinion. He starts out feeling like a lazy, womanizing, cheat who is looking for a ticket to an easy life. He does acquire a few redeeming qualities as the film progresses, but I ended up feeling like our lovely heroine falls in love with a loser. This movie loses a whole star just for him. My second issue with this movie is the voodoo. Some parents might not have an issue with this – and I don't have a problem with most magic depicted in kid's movies, so I'm not sure why this bothers me so much. Maybe because some people actually practice this as a real art rather than a fantasy type of magic? Maybe because it felt like a nightmare-inducing pact with evil? In any case, it came across as far too creepy & dark for my tastes. The Good: The visuals are genuinely lovely. It's a very pretty movie. And it's fantastic to have an African American heroine princess. Yay diversity! I felt that this movie was respectful of a minority group. Our heroine is full of excellent character traits – she's resourceful, hard-working, a good friend, optimistic, and more. The music is a bit jazzy, a bit southern gospel, and not bad at all (although not some of Disney's best).The Mom view:Not one of my favorite Disney films, which was so disappointing since I was excited to see Disney return to traditional fairy-tales – and with a non-white princess, no less! But, between the less than stellar prince, the creepy voodoo, and the forgettable story-line, this isn't going to be one I purchase for my kids. I'll have my kids watch this at some point (probably late elementary age), but only as a rental. Overall, this gets a grade of 'not horrible, but not great'.

The Princess and The Frog marked a brief period in Disney history when the company returned to traditionally animating movies for theatrical releases, and they took almost full advantage of that here. The animation, as far out of place it would seem in 2009's whimsy of variety in animated films, is quite beautiful in plenty of spots. The story is a fun parody of the Grimm tale successor The Frog Princess set in New Orleans, which is pretty swag for an original concept. The characters and acting are all top-notch and are animated pristinely so that their movements seem natural yet still appealing. It does have some times when the humor isn't strong, some scenes get dull, and personally I didn't take Ray's death that hard. Besides that, this film is nothing less than one you must consider seeing, whether you have the home video or the necessary TV channels it occasionally airs on. I don't need to mention the songs because like any Disney musical, they try very hard and it just pays off. For what the music might lack, the scenery the songs are set in enhances the experience.

The Princess and the Frog (2009): Dir: Ron Clements, John Musker / Voices: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings: A disappointing magical tale about the layers of beauty. A Prince is transformed into a frog by a voodoo magician and when waitress Tiana kisses him, she too becomes a frog. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker who both collaborated on various animated projects including their biggest masterpiece, The Little Mermaid as well as Aladdin and Hercules. They are backed with colorful animation but terrible musical numbers. Anika Noni Rose voices the loyal Tiana who wishes to open her own restaurant. Even as a frog she demonstrates boldness in the face of adversary. Bruno Campos voices the Prince who is inexperienced in nearly everything. We realize that these two are meant to be but the humour counters predictable elements. Keith David has the misfortune of voicing the pathetically cardboard voodoo villain. Michael-Leon Wooley voices a jazz playing alligator. Why he can play music is not explained but his craving is for music, not people. Jim Cummings voices a firefly that fails to light up the screenplay beyond its formula delivery. Although it comes off occasionally corny it does twist the frog princess cliché in a different direction. It just loses the magic that other films had sustained. Score: 5 / 10