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Review: 'Princess And The Frog' Big Charmer
Disney Fairy Tale Formula Works Magic Again
POSTED: 6:53 am CST December 11, 2009
'The Princess and the Frog' (G)
(out of four)It has taken Disney almost 75 years to conjure up its first African-American fairy tale princess, but good things take time. Using its successful fairy tale formula, "The Princess and the Frog" is destined to become a classic -- and is absolutely charming from beginning to end.Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) is unlike many of the Disney princesses before her who possessed the belief that wishes only come true after the arrival of Prince Charming. This contemporary woman doesn't dream of Prince Charming, but has big ideas of her own.Inspired by a dream she shares with her father, Tiana wants to open her own restaurant in the heart of the bustling, music- filled streets of a jazz-era New Orleans, circa 1920.Before she can dispatch her first bowl of gumbo, Tiana ends up sharing a lily pad with a frog named Naveen (Bruno Campos), a prince who's been duped by his not-so-trusty servant. He's been turned into a frog by the "shadow man" Dr. Facilier (Keith David).Tiana and Naveen spend most of their time avoiding become a frog leg dinner, and go through the paces to get help on becoming human again.Along the way they pick up a cast of characters who either have dreams of their own, or who just want to help. A wannabe Louis Armstrong, Louis the Alligator (Michael-Leon Wooley) would rather blow his trumpet in a jazz band than scare people or frogs, for that matter.In "Wizard of Oz" fashion, he joins the cavalcade in search of a better life out of the swamp. Louis is good for a few laughs, but more infectious is Ray (Jim Cummings), a Cajun firefly who enlists the help of his swarm to get the frogs to the Bayou. There they will meet Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), a 189-year-old voodoo queen, who may be able to break the spell ("Oz" again?" It seems so.)Oprah Winfrey lends her voice in a small role as Eudora, Tiana's supportive mother. One might say that perhaps that gives "The Princess and the Frog" a slight Oprah endorsement, which never hurts.Randy "Short People" Newman is responsible for the catchy score with some raucous New Orleans style jazz tunes, and voodoo fun with the Shadow Man's song "Friends on the Other Side." Mama Odie's toe-tapping tune "Dig a Little Deeper" had the toddler set singing along easily to the simple lyrics.With some of its modern idealism, "The Princess and the Frog" will feel familiar to 21st century families, but at the heart of this fairy tale is Disney's choice to create characters the old-fashioned way: using hand-drawn animation rather than computer animation moviegoers have grown accustomed to.Disney casts its spell with "The Princess and the Frog," and the result is pure movie magic.
(out of four)It has taken Disney almost 75 years to conjure up its first African-American fairy tale princess, but good things take time. Using its successful fairy tale formula, "The Princess and the Frog" is destined to become a classic -- and is absolutely charming from beginning to end.Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) is unlike many of the Disney princesses before her who possessed the belief that wishes only come true after the arrival of Prince Charming. This contemporary woman doesn't dream of Prince Charming, but has big ideas of her own.Inspired by a dream she shares with her father, Tiana wants to open her own restaurant in the heart of the bustling, music- filled streets of a jazz-era New Orleans, circa 1920.Before she can dispatch her first bowl of gumbo, Tiana ends up sharing a lily pad with a frog named Naveen (Bruno Campos), a prince who's been duped by his not-so-trusty servant. He's been turned into a frog by the "shadow man" Dr. Facilier (Keith David).Tiana and Naveen spend most of their time avoiding become a frog leg dinner, and go through the paces to get help on becoming human again.Along the way they pick up a cast of characters who either have dreams of their own, or who just want to help. A wannabe Louis Armstrong, Louis the Alligator (Michael-Leon Wooley) would rather blow his trumpet in a jazz band than scare people or frogs, for that matter.In "Wizard of Oz" fashion, he joins the cavalcade in search of a better life out of the swamp. Louis is good for a few laughs, but more infectious is Ray (Jim Cummings), a Cajun firefly who enlists the help of his swarm to get the frogs to the Bayou. There they will meet Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), a 189-year-old voodoo queen, who may be able to break the spell ("Oz" again?" It seems so.)Oprah Winfrey lends her voice in a small role as Eudora, Tiana's supportive mother. One might say that perhaps that gives "The Princess and the Frog" a slight Oprah endorsement, which never hurts.Randy "Short People" Newman is responsible for the catchy score with some raucous New Orleans style jazz tunes, and voodoo fun with the Shadow Man's song "Friends on the Other Side." Mama Odie's toe-tapping tune "Dig a Little Deeper" had the toddler set singing along easily to the simple lyrics.With some of its modern idealism, "The Princess and the Frog" will feel familiar to 21st century families, but at the heart of this fairy tale is Disney's choice to create characters the old-fashioned way: using hand-drawn animation rather than computer animation moviegoers have grown accustomed to.Disney casts its spell with "The Princess and the Frog," and the result is pure movie magic. Copyright 2010, Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
