Whoah, whoah whoa! What are you trying to say here Mister Mouse? That just cuz she's black that means she's gotta go and be a maid to the man?! Fuck you in your mouse ears?
So Disney, being Disney, changes the story and her name. She is now Tiana, a still poor black woman, still doing manual labor, in order to save money to open her own restuarant. I love how people will hate on something before they even see the end result. All in the name of trying to do right by someone. Go screw your sense of self worth ya' nuts. This movie works as a heart warming enedearing story now, and all your hate didn't get it shut down ya' loonies.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG is indeed a rare gem of a film. Not only does the Disney Studio return to the glory days of hand animation, they return to the days of GOOD hand animation. HOME ON THE RANGE, I'm not even acknowledging your existance. Most important however, over flashy style and amazing art is the story. Clearly taking a page out of Pixar's notebook, this movie has decided that story above all else is what will win the hearts of audiences. This movie has not just an amazing story, it's filled with incredible characters, witty jokes, and that magic that seemed all but lost a few years ago.
Tiana, is poor. Her dream is to open a restaurant of her own through hard work and determination, forgoing all the little things that make life worth living. Prince Naveen comes from the land of Mandonia. His agenda has brought him to New Orleans where he intends to continue living the good life of doing whatever he wants whenever he wants. However, he comes across one of the greatest Disney villains ever created. The amazingly creepy and down right evil, Dr. Facilier. Who transforms the prince into a frog for his own devilish reasons. What sucks is that Disney through their advertising of this movie, ruined what surely would have been an amazing twist in story. Naveen convinces Tiana to kiss him to make him a prince again, but it instead turns her into a frog as well. Without spoiling any of the jokes or gags, or incredible story moments throughout the film, what follows is an amazing adventure where the two of them discover what it is they're both missing.
Tiana as the latest Disney heroine, is a fine addition to the line up. She's head strong and tough, on the side of Princess Jasmine. She likes to think she's as smart as Belle, but she just isn't that intelligent. At least, not at first. The difference between her and Belle is Tiana had to be pointed in the right direction before she finally understood things. She serves quite well as a role model however. Her work ethic of getting out of life what you put into it is one sorely lacking in American culture today.
Prince Naveen plays Eddie Murphy from COMING TO AMERICA. He has no idea how to do anything because of his pampered life style. The way in which he does shine above all other prince's before him however, is that he really is charming. Even in frog form it's hard to contain how magnetic he is.
It is however, the supporting cast who will steal the show. Louis, the trumpet playing alligator is easily going to be a fan favorit. Raymond the bayou bred firefly is the smartest creature in the entire movie. Which shocked the hell outta me, and proved that Disney can still play with convictions and leave you feeling almost ashamed for underestimating such a tiny creature. Madam Odie is brilliant, but for my money, my favorit character has to be Dr. Facilier. Voiced by Keith David of DISNEY'S GARGOYLES and MASS EFFECT and CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2 fame brings to life one of the richest, most evil, and brilliantly designed villains of all time. He's not just evil to serve his own purpose, he's evil because that's what suits him.
What is also great cause for celebration is the music in this movie. I defy anyone to not tap a foot at how amazing the songs are, or how moving the solos can be. Dr. Faciler's song "Friends on the Other Side" and Madam Odie's number, "Dig a Little Deeper" are the cappers. They aren't just amazing to listen to, but the animation that has gone into both numbers had me floored.
It seemed to me that with the advent of 100% computer animated movies that hand drawn animation might have been forgon as a lost and useless art. And that preminition came to pass as more and more studios abandoned that style of movie making for something with far more flash that could drag in more audiences. Even Disney fell into the trappings with flop after flop like CHICKEN LITTLE and MEET THE ROBINSONS. All that was missing from these movies were the strong foundations that only a good story with endearing characters can bring.
PRINCESS AND THE FROG serves mostly as a reminder that there is no such thing as out dated story telling. And that there is nothing you can't achieve when you surround yourself with the talent and artistry of people who truly love what they do. That's what you get with this movie. It is simply jaw dropping in terms of it's art design, it's animation, it's ability to move me to tears, and make roar with laughter. Pure and simple, it's Disney.
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