My Movie Review on The Princess and the Frog · 4:29pm Feb 23rd, 2020
Greetings, my friends.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for my 118th film analysis, 10th installment of my "February Festivity", and 375th blog post for here, I'll be giving you guys my take of "The Princess and the Frog".
Here's the summary of this tale:
Tiana is a waitress who deeply dreams of opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans, and so she works nonstop and doesn't take the time to do anything but work, despite her mother's insistence that she should take it easy.
After Tiana discovers that she may lose the building she had in mind for her restaurant, she meets a frog who claims to be a prince named Naveen. He explains that he was turned into a frog by a witch doctor named Dr. Facilier, also known as the Shadow Man. Because he thinks Tiana is a princess, he offers to grant her whatever she wants if she kisses him so that he can be human again.
Instead of Naveen turning back into a human, though...it's the other way around!
Will Tiana and Naveen ever break their curse and be human again? Or will they be frogs forever?
This film was another that I've been wanting to analyze for some time and had in mind as part of my "February Festivity". And let me just say that seeing this movie again recently and making my review of it...WAS AN ABSOLUTE PRIVELAGE!
For instance, the animation was all-out spectacular. As a hand-drawn animated feature, I could tell that Disney was able to upgrade itself by using new animation technology. In this case, they used Toon Boom Harmony instead of C.A.P.S. like they did for their previous hand-drawn animated efforts. The best part about it was that the results were fantastic, because the animators captured a storybook look and spirit that was pure Disney while also giving it a look and beauty that felt bigger than before. The character animation and settings were among my favorite parts.
The direction by John Musker and Ron Clements, the story by them, Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland, and the screenplay by Clements, Musker, and Rob Edwards were stupendous too. The involvement of executive producer John Lasseter was something that I couldn't help but likewise take note of, because he certainly didn't cease from lending his own creativity too.
Aided by Lasseter's involvement, Clements and Musker created perhaps the very best animated Disney film of the 2000s. I loved the strong amount of humor, wit, and sense of fun that they incorporated, and there was tons of genuine heart and emotion that made it so alive. As a Disney fairytale about love, and one that involves princesses and evil sorcerers, I found the film to be pretty unique and original in that regard too. The dialogue for the characters was additionally fun, and the themes were well-done.
The music by Randy Newman was melodiously magnificent, if I may add. Some may say that his work in the Toy Story series or some other member of Pixar's filmography is the best Newman's done, but to me...his work in this film is the very pinnacle of his musical career. His music caught a spirit and vibe that paid flawless homage to Louisiana culture, and it sounded like he took on the project like it was made for him. Plus, the songs that he made, including Ne-Yo's "Never Knew I Needed" were enjoyable every step of the way.
Finally, the voice acting, casting, characters, and character development were incredible!
Anika Noni Rose and Bruno Campos were born for the roles of Tiana and Naveen! They did a fantabulous job at really getting into their characters, portraying them with astounding passion, personality, emotion, and humor. Tiana and Naveen themselves had awesome development throughout the film, and the chemistry and growing romance between them was one of the most lovable and enjoyable I had ever seen in a Disney film.
The film's supporting cast and characters were outstanding too. I can definitely see why Jennifer Cody was given an Annie Award for her performance as Charlotte La Bout, because she literally killed it as the character. Along with that, the characters of Louis, Ray, and Mama Odie were lovable and fun to hang with, and Micheal-Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings, and Jennifer Lewis portrayed their characters with a fabulously delicious flavor of humor and personality.
Keith David, might I add, did a brilliant job portraying Dr. Facilier. He brought such a charismatic and unpredictable air to the villainous witch doctor, and he gave the character a great sense of humor and African-American class too. The greatest thing about Facilier as a whole is that he's not only a classical-kind of villain that people nowadays are deeply longing for to be part of a Disney film again, he's also a reflection of what would happen if Tiana and Naveen didn't discover what they truly needed instead of letting their desires get the best of them.
Before I conclude, I would like to note that, similar to a great many others, I did think that Facilier's 'Friends on the Other Side' and his shadow minions did seem creepy in many ways, even for children. I didn't think they were as creepy or intense as Rasputin and his demonic minions in Don Bluth's "Anastasia", though, not even enough to go beyond the movie's G rating.
I don't think it's strong enough to scare children, but what I'd like to recommend for the parents is this:
If you're unsure for yourselves whether your littles ones will get scared by Facilier's 'Friends on the Other Side' and shadow minions or not, watch the film with them to find out. I'm mainly recommending this based on watching this film with my two nieces one time.
In conclusion, "The Princess and the Frog" is a treat from Disney that's absolutely worth trying out. It has beautiful animation, marvelous characters and cast members, a unique premise, everything. It even has the makings to be an instant classic.
So, I rate "The Princess and the Frog" five out of five stars.
I liked this movie.
A seriously good film, not only looking at an area of the US Disney rarely ventures to, but also giving Disney their first prominent African-American protagonist.
I told you, It is not slime! It is MUCUS!!!
I always loved how awesomely drawn the scene was when Doctor Facilier was dragged down to hell.
This was a great film when I first saw it. It especially helped me in overcoming the King of Pop's tragic death back then (since both happened in the same year).
Great as this was, sadly, this movie did not reinvigorate 2D animation for Disney.
5208847
I know what you mean.
Computer animation is great and all, but it’s actually becoming too tiresome and overused as of late. At least several outside of Disney are making efforts to help the medium make a comeback, and some of the results were well-received too.
5208706
Well, I haven't seen the movie yet so I will read the review later but I have seen that clip that you are talking about dear.
5208706
Agreed. It’s creepy, but yet...it’s so amazing.
As someone who loves jazz and soul music, this film gets my seal of approval.