With pretty engrossing story and beautiful score, Princess and the Frog manages to overcome some big pitfalls and develop into what should be a insta-Classic for Disney. This film reinvents the classic fairytale of kissing the frog prince by setting the story in New Orleans and giving us a new twist. When Tiana, a hard working black waitress who dreams of owning her own restaurant, kisses the frog she is also brought into the spell, becoming a frog just like him. On their journey to free themselves they encounter some fellow swamp friends in Ray, the Cajun firefly (whose Shreveport line had me dying) and Louis, a trumpet playing alligator.
Disney took many chances with this retelling of the story and most of them paid off. Setting the film in New Orleans really grounded the story and it was amazing at how accurate the annimation was. This film moved at a break neck paced and while that might be good for holding a child’s attention span, I felt that it kind of undercut the supporting characters. I didn’t really get a feel for how evil the Shadow Man was or why he was in debt to his ‘friends on the other side’. His demise didn’t really make sense at the end and its unfortunate cause he could have been one of those rare great cartoon villians.
The most important aspect of this movie is perhaps the music. Based on the culture, I had a pretty high expectation for score penned by Randy Newman. The score is pretty great and much deeper than people are giving it credit for. The songs are not the get stuck in your head variety (like Beauty and the Beast) or memorable tunes (the most memorable is ‘When We’re Human’, but they stay with you. After finishing the movie, I instantly acquired the soundtrack to listen to the songs and they are even better upon repeated listening.
What I liked best about this movie was that it was a Princess movie for modern times. I can’t tell you how tired I have been watching these Disney musicals where the girl has to be saved by a night in shining armor. With the exception of Mulan, all of these other Princess have been nothing more than sexist prototypes that teach girls that they need a man to save them. (Cracked.com has a hilarious take on this subject. While hilarious, it is very true. ) Tiana has dreams, however she puts in hard work (she worked two jobs to save for an old building) and preaches throughout the film that the only way to get what you want is through doing it the right way. This point becomes moot when characters such as the Prince or (little white girl) come into the picture, but I think its great to see Disney, which like it or not has a massive influence on how children grow up, putting creative power behind a positive message.
This movie review can’t ignore one glaring item. I enjoyed this film far more than I thought, and believe you me, I looked for any stereotype I could find and came away pleasantly surprised that few if any were in the film. But what I can’t seem to shake is that with the relentless pace of the story, I feel like Tiana was underserved. Her character is much like Cinderella, in that she really isn’t a “Princess” to begin the picture. The second issue is that she was a frog the MAJORITY of the film. I mean why hire outstanding vocal talent like Tony Winner Annika Noni Rose to voice this character if they aren’t a person the whole time? Something about it just doesn’t sit right. Princess Jasmine, Mulan, Belle, Snow White, Aurora, etc, were all human their entire films and helped millions of girls desire to be them. Outside her message, there is little to grasp with Tiana because of the fact that she is an animal. It all amounts to a so-so female lead. Its sad cause what could have been a monumental achievement from a studio that needs no introduction however is little more than a scratch on the surface.
Overall, I think the production team executed very well under some extreme circumstances. Hopefully they will revist the idea of multicultural Princess cause this one was pretty special.
My Grade: B