If you saw it in the theater you already know what I’m about to tell you: “The Princess and the Frog” isn’t in the same class as the great Disney Princess films. In fact, the princess isn’t even a princess until the final 30 seconds of the movie!
Tiana is a young woman who’s always had big dreams and parents who support her. Along with wishing on a star (which Jiminy Cricket told us to do 70 years ago), Tiana’s mother and father taught her to work hard to make her dreams come true. Tiana’s dream is to open her own restaurant in New Orleans, where the story is set.
One night, while dressed as a princess at a party, she kisses a frog who has convinced her that’s he’s a prince who’s been cursed by an evil “shadow man” (who looks a lot like Jafar from “Aladdin”). Tiana turns into a frog herself, and the two of them, with some friends they make along the way, have to save themselves as they try to break the spell and become human again.
Along with the ones I’ve already mentioned there are plenty of other things in “Princess/Frog” that seem to be taken from other Disney films, including:
– The song “Human Again”, which is straight from “Beauty and the Beast”
– A float in the Mardi Grai parade with a King Triton on it (“The Little Mermaid”)
– A rip-off of the classic spaghetti scene from “The Lady and the Tramp”
And there’s more. Needless to say, this film lacks originality.
The other element that seems to be in most Disney films – the killing-off of a main character – takes place in “Princess/Frog” as well. But they really over do it – as three characters die in the film, and the last one is shocking.
The movie is a musical, and the songs are great. But there are too many of them, especially in the first 15 minutes.
The animation is excellent. This movie marks a nice comeback for the studio in hand-drawn animation. The voices are o.k. Anika Noni Rose does a good job with Tiana, Disney’s first African-American princess. John Goodman, Terrence Howard, Oprah and the “BAM” chef himself, Emeril Lagasse, also lend their voices, but all have small roles.
The main problem is with the story. It didn’t grab me emotionally like “Beauty and the Beast” or “The Lion King”. There aren’t many laughs, as the supporting characters, who usually supply all the comedy in Disney movies, just don’t get the job done.
“The Princess and the Frog” is rated G. It’s appropriate for everyone (though the death at the end may be sad for the little ones). The 3 disk Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes 10, yes 10 extra features, and the picture and sound are spectacular (maybe better than they were in theaters).
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “The Princess and the Frog” gets a C+. If you’ve got a young girl in the house – buy it. However it doesn’t deserve a place on your shelf with the all-time Disney classics.