Reviewed by GREG KING
Directors: John Musker and Ron Clements
Stars: voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Terrence Howard, Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman, Jenifer lewis, Michael Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings, Peter Bartlett, Jennifer Cody.
It’s certainly not easy being green!
This clever and enjoyable animated film from the Disney studios turns the beloved fairy tale The Frog Prince on its ear. The Princess And The Frog is the first animated film from the Disney studios in nearly five years, and it marks a return also to the traditional hand drawn animation. Rather ironically, John Lasseter, the former head of Pixar studios, which revolutionised the art of computer generated animation has supervised the production. The Princess And The Frog contains all the usual ingredients of a Disney film – endearing characters, a feisty heroine, magic, romance, musical numbers, a scheming villain and lots of laughs. The film features yet another feisty and resourceful heroine, although more significantly, this is the first African-American heroine from the studio.
The film is set in New Orleans at the height of the jazz era. Tania (voiced by Anika Noni Rose, from Dreamgirls) is the daughter of a seamstress and dreams of owning her own restaurant. Her best friend Charlotte (Jennifer Cody) is a spoiled rich girl, the daughter of New orleans’ richest man, who dreams of marrying a handsome prince. She is excited when a real life African prince is due to visit during Mardi Gras. But Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) is tricked by the sinister voodoo doctor Dr Facilier (Keith David), and is turned into a frog.
Instead of kissing Charlotte and reversing the spell he inadvertently kisses Tiana. The spell backfires and Tania is turned into a frog as well. The only hope the pair have to reverse the spell is to track down Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), a legendary blind old sorceress who lives deep in the swamps. Thus begins a perilous journey and a race against time for the two lovers. Along the way Naveen and Tiana meet Louis (Michael Leon Wooley), a trumpet playing crocodile, and Ray (Jim Cummings), a dim-witted firefly who turns out to be a romantic at heart.
Randy Newman contributes a zippy zydeco flavoured score. The dialogue is clever and refreshingly free of the easy pop cultural references and in-jokes that tend to dominate much of today’s animated films. Its messages of wish fulfilment and following your dreams are also positive, as is the message that hard work and effort is also necessary to help you achieve your dreams.
Directors Ron Clements and John Musker were behind the Disney classics The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, and they keep things moving along at a crisp pace. Although not up to the standards of some of Disney’s superior animated films The Princess And The Frog is entertaining enough, and will strongly appeal to young pre-teen girls.
**1/2