The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney Studio)
Good, But Might Croak Early
The Princess and the Frog is the new animated film from the Walt Disney Studio. It is an innovative movie as it has the first black princess presented on screen, but the emotional charm and singable songs are missing. Audiences go in hoping for another Little Mermaid and come out with a feeling of disappointment that this charming film somehow missed the boat.
The storyline is Disney-esque as it follows the life of Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose). She and her father (Terrence Howard) plan to open a restaurant when Tiana grows up. Sadly his death puts these plans on hold. Her mother (Oprah Winfrey) still encourages her but money is tight.
One night Tiana meets a frog who claims to be a prince (Bruno Campos). He says if she kisses him and turns him back into a prince he will help her get her restaurant. Reluctantly she does kiss him and she turns into a frog also.
The rest of the film is spent with the two frogs trying to become human once more. They go from adventure to adventure and along the way sing a few songs. It all has a New Orleans type look and feel to it, which adds to the enjoyment of the film.
The problem is the film never really grabs you emotionally. It is difficult to root for two frogs to get together, and for most of the movie the main human characters are frogs. There also isnt one song that stays in your head as you are leaving the theater. Remember when you first saw Beauty and the Beast and all those great songs lingered long after you had left the movie theater
The music in The Princess and the Frog is by Randy Newman and he isnt known as a balladeer. He is more the writer of gimmicky, funny songs. Better they had gotten Alan Menken of Little Mermaid fame to do the honors.
The film is rated G but there are a few scary moments when the dark creatures: come out.
The look of the movie is wonderful with the animation being in the style of the old Disney classics. It is good to have a film that is not stop/action, Claymation or Pixar.
Children will be entertained by The Princess and the Frog but it wont go down as one of their favorites. A better collection of songs and a little more emotional involvement would have made all the difference in the world.
I scored The Princess and the Frog a Cajun 6 out of 10.
