Ringing in as movie number 49 on this journey... it's Disney's The Princess and the Frog. This film premiered in 2009, marks a return to hand-drawn animation, tells a classic fairy tale story, and features plot-moving songs (sung by the actual characters). All things that add up to one very happy Megan and one very enjoyable film.
Our story begins in a faraway kingdom, long ago... Wait. Scratch that. The story is actually set in New Orleans, Louisiana (Yes. It's a Disney fairy tale set in America!) at the start of the 20th Century. This is a definite deviation from the norm for Disney, but it allowed them to do some fantastic things. (More on those later.)
This film is a twist on the classic fairy tale "The Frog Prince." The premise of this classic tale is that a prince has been turned into a frog, and the only way for him to turn back into a human is to be kissed by a princess. And that is exactly what happens in the film - Prince Naveen is tricked by the villainous, voodoo doctor Facilier and finds himself smaller, greener, and with webbed feet. He sets off to find his princess... but alas it's the night of a masquerade ball... and nothing is exactly as it seems...
The heroine of our film is the hard-working Tiana. Her parents taught her to dream, but to also work hard for her dreams - and that's what Tiana has done. She has juggled multiple jobs to save up for her dream - to have her very own restaurant. It is so refreshing (and a great example to the film's many young viewers) to have our heroine show the merits of working hard to reach your dreams. Well, as I'm sure you can imagine, Prince Naveen (the frog) manages to convince Tiana to kiss him... The only problem is Tiana is not an actual princess and so the kiss does not go as expected...
Soon our two green friends our off on an across-the-bayou journey to hopefully find a way out of their sticky situation...
The Princess and the Frog showcases four of Disney's strengths in making great movies: the romance, the humor, a nasty villain, and fantastic music. For the romance, the film does not rely on love-at-first-sight between our hero and heroine like some of our Disney classics. (Remember here and here.) Rather the relationship between our two main characters grows throughout the course of the film, and their true love is shown in their willingness to help one another through hard times and ultimately make sacrifices to help the other reach their dream. I cannot talk about the romance of the film without mentioning the most romantic character of the film - Ray, the firefly. His heart beats only for his fair Evangeline (aka the Evening Star), but to Ray she is simply a demure fellow firefly to whom he is hopelessly devoted.
The film also presents many a funny scene. You have a trumpet-playing alligator. Main characters attempting to live life as frogs. Mama Odie - a blind, fairy-godmother like figure with a pet snake. And a hilarious scene with some back-country frog hunters...
My biggest criticism and caution with this film is the villain - voodoo doctor Facilier. He is a dark character to be sure. The real problem lies in the fact that voodoo is an actual evil practice. The use of voodoo in the film turns the film's "bad guy" into a showcase of true evil. A real evil in the real world. The scenes involving doctor Facilier are frightening and should definitely be considered before showing to younger viewers.
My favorite part of the film is (not-so-surprisingly) the music! Setting the movie in New Orleans in the 1920s gave the filmmakers an opportunity to incorporate a fantastic jazz sound to the music throughout the film - including some fantastic numbers featuring one very lovable, not-so-ferocious, trumpet-playing alligator named Louis. The music of the film is a true delight. From the soulful "Almost There" sung by Tiana to the toe-tapping "Goin' Down the Bayou." My favorite song though is "Dig a Little Deeper" sung by Mama Odie! It's funny and clever and a real show-stopper.
Overall I enjoyed The Princess and the Frog very much. It's definitely worth a watch, just be aware of the villain as mentioned above and use some caution with younger viewers. With that, I'll leave you with some advice from Tiana's Daddy:
Yes, you wish and you dream with all your little heart. But you remember, Tiana, that old star can only take you part of the way. You got to help him with some hard work of your own. And then... Yeah, you can do anything you set your mind to.
Coming Up Next: Tangled
