Film Review: The Princess and The Frog

Director: Ron Clements, John Musker.
Screenwriter: Ron Clements, John Musker, Rob Edwards [screenplay], Ed Baker [story "The Frog Princess"]
Main Cast(voices): Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Peter Bartlett, Jenifer Lewis, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman.
Runtime: 97 minutes.
Certificate: U (UK).
Brief Summary: A fairy tale set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans and centered on a young girl named Tiana and her fateful kiss with a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.
(source:IMDB).

Disney's newest offering marks a return to the studio's sorely missed 2D animation style, complete with show-stopping musical numbers. Ok, it's not quite up to the standard of Disney classics such as The Lion King or The Jungle Book, but it's a big step in the right direction.

The story is set in (old) New Orleans and revolves around Tiana (Rose) who has ambitions of owning her own restaurant, but has never quite managed to turn her dream into a reality. Enter Prince Naveen (Campos), who has become the victim of a voodoo spell and has subsequently been transformed into a frog. He encounters Tiana and in an attempt to reverse the spell, they kiss.

Now, this is where the story differs from 'The Frog Prince' story that the film is based on. Instead of Prince Naveen returning to his human form, Tiana becomes a frog herself. Together, they set off on an adventure meeting Ray (Cummings), the firefly and Louis (Wooley), the trumpet-playing alligator (only Disney...). As is the tradition for all Disney films, they face obstacles, overcome them and.... well, I'm not going to ruin the ending, but you get the idea.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable, vibrant film. Dr Facilier (David) makes a brilliant villain. His ability to move through shadows makes him that more terrifying, and gives him a slight edge over more conventional baddies. It's good to see that Disney aren't afraid to scare their young demographic a little bit, much like the sinister antagonists that I grew up being afraid of (in particular, Cruella DeVil).

The moral of the story (because every Disney film has an underlying moral) is, obviously, 'Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover', which is apt for a story about an African-American princess living during a time of racism. It's a promising message but there's not a lot of depth to it. However, I did leave the film feeling educated on the customs and traditions of the era. Everything related to New Orleans that you could possibly think of (or may not have already known about) has been name-dropped into the film. Mardi Gras? Check. Gumbo? Yup.

As previously stated, I did enjoy the film, but I was checking my watch towards the end which, for me, usually means it hasn't captivated my attention quite as much as I would have hoped. It's a fun film, but I did feel wistful for the Disney films of my own youth. Children, however, will definitely enjoy it.

My rating: 3/5