Review of The Princess and the Frog (2009) by Zack P — 25 Dec 2012

"The Little Mermaid". "The Lion King". "Tarzan". What do all these films have in common? They were all a part of a gorgeous time in animation known as the Disney Renaissance. I used to love all of these films as a child, and from that time, Pixar took over. Now Disney animation is back to its hand-drawn roots with "The Princess and the Frog".

The film is about a young girl, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), who lives in the hometown of jazz, New Orleans. The film opens up to Tiana as a little girl with her parents Eudora and James (Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard respectively) who cherish their daughter dearly. After James passed away after going off to war, Tiana is working hard trying to reach her and her father's dream to open their own restaurant. In comes Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who is a prince... but wait for it... he's poor! After being tricked by "The Shadow Man" (Keith David) Naveen is turned into a frog and dare I say it? Insanity ensues.

Now what makes this film so great, aside from the wonderful music and great voice acting, is the animation. Everyone movies so fluently and with an attitude that matches their personalities. The two most perfect examples of this are the southern belle Charlotte (Jennifer Cody) and the Shadow Man, Doctor Facilier. Now Charlotte (surprisingly unlike most spoiled children is actually very kind) moves in such a way that just brought a smile to my face and had the kids laughing. There was such energy behind her every movement that perfectly matches the personality of the character. Doctor Facilier on the other hand has to be awarded as the most delicious villain to grace the screen in the past decade. Every movement, along with the voice talents of Keith David, brought such a presence that truly made him a delight to see.

The story written by Ron Clements and John Musker, who are no strangers to animation. But take the credits aside, the writers have brought the audience something that has been missing in films of late; a plot! Instead of things just happening and trying to end up working together in the end, this film actually ties everything in together and uses everything. Wonderfully enough, every character in the story is not only a fully developed character, they each have their own style of comedy that pleases everyone.

But what about the music, which was so heavily advertised? Well, it felt like it tried to be a part of that library that belonged to the Golden Age but the soundtrack was very enjoyable. Every song was even more pleasant, and fun, than the last. Probably the most beautiful song was "Ma Belle Evangeline", sung by voice actor Jim Cummings, who plays the Cajun firefly Ray. Though the song that had the kids dancing was, "Dig a Little Deeper" sung by Jennifer Lewis, who plays Mama Odie.

So how was Disney's first African-American Princess? Let me tell you this: No one, especially the kids, cared about her race. What everyone should care about is her character and let me tell you this, she is a wonderful character. Dare I say she's an even better Princess than those who have come before her? Tiana is a hard working girl who never loses sight of her morals and dreams. Keeping that true, her journey with Naveen doesn't necessarily change a nearly perfect character. What it does is show the character what is truly important. Tiana was a hard working girl but that was also her fault. She confused what she wanted with what she needed.

So, will this be a timely Disney classic? Probably not. Is this the best animated film Disney has made, excluding anything having to do with Pixar, in the past ten years? You bet your Mama Odie it is! It is a visual treat and ultimately pleasing to the ears that sends a great message to the kids. Just wishing on a star isn't enough. But with just enough hard work, all our dreams can come true.