Movie Review - Princess and the Frog

[tiana]

Note: major spoilers will be put under a "highlighted text" thing, for the sake of people who haven't seen it.



It's been exactly 5 years since we saw the theatrical release of a new Disney animated film...does Disney Animation still have what it takes?

Being an avid Disney fan, I've been eagerly anticipating this film very highly...because not only did it bring Traditional Animation back to Disney, but to hopefully breathe new life into a once thought dead artform.

I'm not going to do a play-by-play of the entire movie, rather, just a blurb on each character, and then overall what I thought of the movie on the whole.

So let's get started!

Tiana:
Strong and independent, Tiana definitely sets the bar high for a Disney heroine. From her early age to adulthood, it's quite apparent she'd rather work for her goal than wait around for mr. right. Though she seems to be on a two-track mind for a LOT of the film ("WORK HARD" and "DADDY"), she still has a lot of sass and personality. I think she's one of my favorite princesses, next to Ariel and Meg (!).

Naveen:
Okay, yes...Naveen stole the show I think, just about. Which is refreshing, because, let's face it...Disney princes (for at least a number of instances) have been sort of, well...kinda dull and personality-less. To break it down, Naveen is like a human version of Jose Carioca, really...if Ze were royalty. He's lazy, a womanizer, and yet despite those two horrible qualities, he's ultimately charming and charismatic. I've heard people compare him to Kuzco from "The Emperor's New Groove", but to be completely honest, that's a sort of bad comparision, because Kuzco was a LOT meaner than Naveen.

Dr. Facilier:
Ohh, Facilier...how interesting and awesome he was. Unfortunately, he wasn't on screen for a very long time when he was shown, nor was his reasoning for wanting to take over New Orleans so badly touched on much. I think I sort of understood to some degree why (he got a bit worked up when mentioning being ignored by higher ups in the city and such to Lawrence...), but it's only speculation. (SPOILER, mouse over to read.) His death scene was awesome, too.

Charolette La Bouff:
Oh wow. Usually, I -ABHOR- rich spoiled girl archetypes (Paris Hilton be damned!!!), but wow, did Disney do a GREAT job of giving Charolette a spoiled, but sweet and incredibly hilarious demeanor, without making her annoying at ALL. She really sort of reminded me of Blanche on The Golden Girls. xD

Louis the Alligator:
Again, like Facilier, he was another great character, but not shown much on screen...however this is quite understandable, because the movie was about Tiana and Naveen. Besides we've all seen what happens when the sidekicks take over a movie MUCH too prominently. *cough...yes I like disney sidekicks, but there's only so far I can go, yanno? XD* I found Louis quite adorable though.

Ray the Firefly:
Ahhh, Jim Cummings. Awesomeness squared, am I right? I ultimately thought this character was going to be irritating, but he turned out to be the heart of the film, quite literally. And his song, "Ma Belle Evangeline" is GORGEOUS.

(SPOILER! MOUSE OVER AT YOUR OWN RISK)
Okay. So this paragraph, if you've indeed moused over this (if you've not seen the movie and are mousing over this, SHAME ON YOU!), is about Ray's death in the film. This was indeed out of left field and COMPLETELY out of the blue, I realize...but to be honest, I found it appropriate. And even more that they didn't cheapen it by having Mama Odie make him better. And at least, like all the other characters, he ultimately got what he needed (Evangeline), so his death was sort of justified there. Now am I saying his death isn't sad? no, i'm not, it most definitely IS sad that he did die...but that's life, it's not all happy.


Overall...?:
So, I bet you're all wondering, what did I think of this movie? Well to be honest, to compare this to Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid would be an unfair and unjust comparison; those films were in a different rennasciance at Disney entirely. Princess and the Frog stands as the next generation's version of a traditionally animated feature, and while it's not exactly PERFECT (it could've touched on a few more things I feel...), it definitely is one of greats, and quite a refreshing change in quality of of what the studio has been releasing as of late. One thing's for certain, the Disney animators have definitely NOT lost their touch; the film is -beautifully- animated, the color pallete rich and colourful; the "Dig A Little Deeper" and "Friends on the Other Side" sequences and any scene where they're in the Mardi Gras or the Bayou, especially. Randy Newman did a wonderful job on the music and score...being an official New Orleans native, he would no doubt know what that sounds like. The voice cast each held their own as their characters: Anika Noni Rose and Bruno Campos really shone as Tiana and Naveen respectfully, Keith David was deliciously sinister as Dr. Facilier; Jenifer Lewis was delightfully funny as Mama Odie. And Jim Cummings is....well, JIM CUMMINGS. *fanfare* XD Sorry.

But in any case, we can be rest assured, Disney Traditional Animation is back and here to stay!

*** out of ****

DANCE WITH ME, FAT MAN!

[Merlin]

Amanda has already made an excellent review, and she pretty much touched on everything I have to say. So this post won't be so long; I'll just chip in my own two cents and rating.

I just watched this movie mere hours ago. For the first time in about ten or so years, I felt like I was watching a real, true-blue, honest-to-goodness DISNEY movie. Traditional animation is back to the Disney repritoire, and I am happy to confirm that this movie is great. Even if this movie would have sucked, I would have watched it anyway just to support 2D. But, wow, did this movie exceed my expectations.

The animation--oh, my goodness--the animation is so beautiful, and gorgeous. There wasn't an overload of CGI, either, which was grand; I simply immersed myself in classic hand-drawn goodness.

Now I am going to touch on the spoiler-heavy scene, so highly only if you really want to.

Ray's death was a true highlight. No, I didn't dislike the character or enjoyed seeing him killed off; he was actually probably my favorite character, and I honestly considered playing as him in FK. Of course, now I won't! Heh. But his death was a highlight to me because it followed one of Disney's own philosphies: for every laugh, there should be a tear. Indeed, this scene, and the 'Evangaline' aftermath, got me teary-eyed and choked my aching throat. Ray wasn't a ho-hum throwaway sidekick; I was completely devastated to see him go. I had not felt this way while watching a traditionally-animated Disney film in well over a decade.

Actually, this film got many reactions from me. A smile, a laugh, a tear, and at least one utterance of "YES!" (Any movie that uses the phrase "bee's knees" gets an instant brownie point.)

I'm rambling. I can't even give a cohesive recap, because I'm so elated. Disney is BACK, and it's GOOD, and I could not be any friggin' happier!

... Although this movie had a few issues, and Amanda had actually already tapped on them. Dr. Facilier, as cool as he was, could have been more defined, or at least give more emphasis on his motives. Also, I kept expecting the talking dog to come back, but... that didn't happen. Of course, that's not really a criticism; I'm just grasping.

Okay, okay. Here's the biggest criticism I have for this movie.

I want another 2D animated Disney movie, RIGHT NOW.

The Princess and the Frog might not enter my top five list of animated Disney movies, but I actually think it entered the top ten. Most certainly top twenty. This movie may be familiar, but it is presented in a manner that satisfies both long-time fans, as well as modern newcomers.

Get off your ass and buy a movie ticket to see this movie now, if you haven't already done so.

***½ out of ****