Review: The Princess and the Frog

The kid in me is leaping for joy right about now. With THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, Disney has revived traditional 2D animation - even if it's just for now.

And for me, it's not about how great the animation looks. I know what Disney Feature Animation can do. And it's not about the racial and social progress that a black princess stands for. The fact that these characters are black doesn't matter in terms of the story. For me, it's that Disney made a quality film that had interesting and likable characters, wonderful songs - and most importantly - a great story.

That's what Pixar has been doing for years. Sure, Pixar's computer generated images are top notch. But it's the stories and the characters that keep people coming back for more. John Lasseter knows that and I think THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG owes its greatness to the blessing that Lasseter is where he is in the Disney company.

Written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker (THE LITTLE MERMAID, ALADDIN), THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG uses astonishingly beautiful 2D animation to tell the story of Tiana (Anika Noni Rose, DREAMGIRLS), a young woman who shuns romance and frivolous partying in favor of opening a restaurant in her hometown of 1920s New Orleans. After yet another obstacle is placed in her way, she reluctantly agrees to kiss a frog prince (Bruno Campos), who claims he'll give her the money she needs for her restaurant if she breaks the voodoo spell placed on him by the evil Dr. Facilier (Keith David). But because she isn't a princess (yet), Tiana turns into a frog, too, and she and Prince Naveen must journey through the swamps to find someone to break the spell.

This movie, while it lacks some of the magic and undefinable pop that made THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN and THE LION KING great, is absolutely good enough to take its place among the Disney classics.

Like any Disney film worth its mouse ears, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG has musical numbers that are sure to delight. Composer Randy Newman brings life to the film he was born to compose for, as he fills Jazz Age New Orleans with varied styles of jazz that underscore the magic of the story and of the city itself. My only complaint: I wished some of the numbers were longer.

As in the other classics, the vital (some might say obligatory) supporting characters almost steal the show. (What would THE LITTLE MERMAID be without Sebastian the crab or THE LION KING without Timon and Pumbaa?) Here, the crew includes Louis, a alligator who just wants to be a jazz musician, and Ray, a Cajun firefly who believes the evening star to be his soulmate firefly, Evangeline. Ray especially provides some of the funniest and most heartfelt moments of the film.

But it all comes down to the heroes and villains, doesn't it? Dr. Facilier is voiced to menacing perfection by Keith David, who makes up for his character's cloudy motives (He wants to take over New Orleans?) with a great musical number and a fantastic fight to the finish. Bruno Campos sounds like something of a Frenchman parody at first, but as Tiana finds out, it's hard not to fall in love with this prince by the end. (And it should be noted that THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG is as much Naveen's story as it is Tiana's, something rare in the Disney princess films.) Anika Noni Rose is no Jodi Benson or Paige O'Hara as far as delivering lines convincingly goes, but she knocks the songs out of the park.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG is not the best Disney film or even the best animated film I've seen this year. But it will hold a special place in my heart because watching it made me feel like Disney Feature Animation and John Lasseter were specifically thinking about me and my generation. We grew up during the Disney Renaissance, the second Golden Age. We quote and sing the classics - or the movies that are classics to us. And they tried to give us another one. Maybe it doesn't feel right because we're older, more mature, but THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG succeeded in that it made me smile, dance in my seat and leave the theater singing its songs... and praises.