The Princess and the Frog
The Princess and the Frog is released on February 5th
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By Tom Powell. |  |
Monday, 01, Feb 2010 12:51
Directed by Ron Clements and Jon Musker, out January 29th in cinemas, starring (voices) Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, running time 97 mins.
What's it all about?
Ron Clements and Jon Musker, directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, reunite for a Big Easy take on a beloved fairytale. Rose provides the voice of Tiana, a beautiful young woman working two jobs to fulfil her late father's dream of opening their own restaurant. But after a fateful encounter with a prince who's been bewitched into amphibian form (Campos), Tiana joins frog prince Naveen on a trip into the blues-swamped bayou...
As an example.
"I was starting to think that wishing on stars was just for babies and crazy people." - Charlotte
What the others say
"This long-anticipated throwback to a venerable house style never comes within kissing distance of the studio's former glory." - Justin Chang, Variety
"This is what classic animation once was like! No 3-D! No glasses! No extra ticket charge! No frantic frenzies of meaningless action! And...good gravy! A story! Characters! A plot!" - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
So is it any good?
It's with some trepidation that one sits down to watch The Princess and the Frog, Disney's first traditional animation since the death knell of 2004's Home On The Range. Can hand-drawn art compete with the possibilities of CGI? Has the House of Mouse still moved on from the same half-hearted stories that saw its value decline as Pixar's star ascended? And in this era of 3D animation, wordless openings a la WALL-E and tear-jerking tales of a widower realising his globetrotting dreams, can a traditionally animated fairytale musical, squarely aimed at the under-16s, have any box office pull? It's a resounding "yes" on all three counts.
The Princess and the Frog is a triumph, with a jaunty pace, foot-tapping songs from the faultless Randy Newman and a universal theme of realising your dreams with hard-work and determination. Though there are some missteps, with a curiously downbeat third act and characters bearing some blatant similarities to Disney icons, it's for the most part a heartening and heady trip to the bayou.
The effort of all concerned to make this return to traditional animation is overwhelming, from the cute take on Steamboat Willie for a new Disney logo, to the addition of New Orleans legend Dr John to the soundtrack, the cracking period design and the sense with which the vitality and humidity of the city devastated by Katrina swelters off the screen. The years in which we've become accustomed to CGI means the hand-drawn characters and surfaces initially feel anachronistic. But the joy of classic Disney comes flooding back with the artistry of the form is confirmed in the stunning rendering of interior surfaces, the splashes of the bayou and the sparkle of the stars on which Tiana hangs her dreams.
Admittedly, the evil Dr Facilier looks almost identical to Jafar, the villain of the directors' own Aladdin while singing crocodile Louis is basically Baloo with scales. It's also fair to state that for some parents, the mania and brilliant animation of the voodoo sequences still won't mask how chilling they are, especially for much of the film's target audience.
But for these minor quibbles, there are major plus points. Naveen the frog is a charming, hilarious creation and there's some classic Three Stooges slapstick while Anika Noni Rose excels as Tiana, bringing Disney's first African-American princess (at a shamefully late date) to life with heart and a Tony-award-winning singing voice.
If only ever traditionally animated film Disney had made in the last 20 years had been this romantic, this inventive, this funny, then the dominance of CGI might not have come about so easily.
8/10
Lewis Bazley