Starring: The voices of: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Peter Bartlett, Jenifer Lewis, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman
Directed by: John Clements Ron Musker
Runtime: 97 mins
UK release date: 29 January 2010:
In a nutshell: A classic tale for little kids and big kids alike
While CGI animation has its well-deserved place in the world of cinema - the superb Pixar currently rule supreme with DreamWorks' animations following closely behind - there is still something particularly special about a Disney classic. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King defined many a childhood and stay with us till adulthood. With The Princess and the Frog Disney returns to classic, 2D hand-drawn animation, and gives adults a little taste of their childhood and today's children a Disney tale they can cherish.
While CGI animation has its well-deserved place in the world of cinema - the superb Pixar currently rule supreme with DreamWorks' animations following closely behind - there is still something particularly special about a Disney classic. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King defined many a childhood and stay with us till adulthood. With The Princess and the Frog Disney returns to classic, 2D hand-drawn animation, and gives adults a little taste of their childhood and today's children a Disney tale they can cherish.
In The Princess and the Frog Disney have taken the age-old Frog Prince tale and brought it to Jazz- age New Orleans. The princess in question is not a princess at all, but a hard working waitress named Tiana with a dream, not of marrying a Prince, but of owning her own restaurant. When Prince Naveen, a carefree handsome playboy, comes into town, Tiana couldn't care less until he, and she, are both transformed into frogs. Left in the Bayou the two slimy - sorry we mean mucusy - amphibians must find a way to reverse the spell by the rather evil Dr Facilier who has some very creepy friends "on the other side".
What will strike older audiences are the many subtle references to older Disney films. Nods to The Jungle Book, Dumbo and even as far back as Robin Hood and the Sword in the Stone add a nostalgic touch for everyone who remembers them. Tiana is the modern heroine and, without being too moral, is a role model for younger generations. While much has been made in the press of the fact that Tiana is black, Disney haven't made this about race - they've created one of their strongest heroines in Tiana and added her to a list of Disney princesses: Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, that children will love for generations.
The only downside to the Princess and the Frog would be the songs; while they would be good enough in any other film it's impossible not to compare them to the likes of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book, The Lady and the Tramp, the list goes on. So while Mama Odie's Dig a little Deeper is probably the catchiest of the lot, we can't remember any of the words or the tune. But ask us to sing Hakuna Matata or Under the Sea and we'll be singing them all day (word for word. And putting it into the head of anyone who crosses our tracks. Mwahahaha).
But that's the only downside. The story is touching, the characters as perfect as Disney characters should be and the animation as timeless as ever. Proving that there's still room on the big screen and in the hearts of children and adults alike, we're happy to see that some of the people at Disney have steered clear of the computers and haven't put those pencils away yet.
