(Review) Disney's Princess and the Frog.

Alright, this is my first movie review, but as it is my first, I decided to start with something simple.

Oh, and you'd think that because the subject matter is Disney and an animated movie, that'd be the simple part. No no, the simple part comes in when we're doing the writing. Disney's return to hand-drawn animation with a stylized, well-cut fashion of 1950s New Orleans is far and away from the conventional Disney storyline.

I'm going to take a break from all the discussion about the new Disney Princess which will be sufficiently marketed to hell and back, and skip to something important. The character of this movie is charming and sufficiently lighthearted surrounded by a lesson about life which every person should follow right from the get-go; work hard for what you have. This is a bold and risky move, using Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) as a foil for a hardworking, independent young woman when the culture and the times were sufficiently against a business owner, much less them being a woman and black. Her appropriate foil Lottie (voiced by Jennifer Cody), is your blonde pseudo-princess who serves the high-society and riches angle, but is also well-meaning and friendly....just a bit diabetically obsessed with the color pink.

Throw in a dash of Anastasia-equse art direction, and you have the making of a pretty good titular conflict displayed in soft, vivid lines and more jazz than the bayou can muster as love interest-to-grow Prince Neveen of Maldonia (voiced by Ricardo Mon-I mean, Niptuck-star Bruno Campos.) becomes too engrossed with the culture and makes a deal with the Shadow Man, Dr.Facilier (voiced by the epic voice talents of Keith David.), who is sadly bog-standard for a Disney villain sthick. I will admit that he oozes class and style out of every pore, though.


Come on! Look at the guy. Guy has one hell of a ridge with a quite prominent jaw, but he is just class in every way.

Nearly every formulaic Disney narrative device is subverted to wonderful effect; the love takes time instead of quick. The too-perfect Princess already has a good mindset, but she still needs to live her life too. Wishing is secondary. A main character DIES. Period. Full stop. Top that, former generation (excusing Fantasia. I applaud your candor.)

This lovely movie sparks a whole new realm of animated displays back to the hand-drawn times of yore, accomponied with vivid and stylized colors with narrative context. I am expecting far more from this....except I will never accept a sequel. Mark my words: No more crappy sequels.


4/5