DAC 49: The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog - 9.0/10

A fairy tale musical from Disney? Yes, please. This is what they do best, and they've nailed it again this time. I also truly enjoyed the return to 2D animation; it gives the whole thing a much more timeless feel.

What did I like about this movie? Well, where to start? I love the music. It was jazzy, it was catchy, it was fun...it was New Orleans. And that's another thing: the setting itself was beautiful and set a great tone. The art on the city was really elaborate and I loved the colors.

The characters. Well, I'll get to Tiana in a second, but let's start with the support. Louis and Ray, the gator and firefly, were lots of fun. Among other things, I just loved hearing them talk - Ray in particular with his Cajun twang was a ton of fun. Mama Odie was fun too, and had a really good song to boot. Tiana's friend Charlotte is sweet, funny, caring, and absolutely crazy - in a good way. The villain, Dr. Facilier, was creepy and spooky but not very well-defined. And of course he just wants money and power. If the movie has a weakness, I'd say that was it, though he's still menacing and effective. And to be honest he's also really cool (and has a great song) so I don't mind those weaknesses too much at all.

The prince, Naveen, was fun too. Like the sidekicks, I enjoyed hearing him talk. And of all the characters in the film, he definitely grows the most. He goes from being a lazy, entitled, spoiled rich boy to a man who is willing to work two jobs to give the woman he loves what she wants. Now that's growth.

Okay, Tiana. I love this character. I really, really do. Remember when I said I admired Cinderella for her ability to endure, even though she didn't do much to better her situation? Well Tiana is pretty much the opposite of that. In fact, the whole "wish on a star and your dreams come true" philosophy of Cinderella and Pinocchio is quite literally deconstructed in the first ten minutes of the film. There is nothing wrong with wishing, we learn, but "It'll only get you halfway." You need to make the rest of it happen yourself, and that is exactly what Tiana does. She works hard for what she wants and doesn't lose sight of her goal. At the same time, she is able to recognize (again, through character growth) that there are other things that are important, and there are certain means by which it is unacceptable to achieve a goal. I definitely admire her more than any other Disney character.

The plot actually worked well, too. There are more than a couple of moments that seem pretty predictable before they are turned on their heads, and just when you start thinking that was predictable too, it'll surprise you again. It was nice.

My absolute favorite thing about this movie, as I mentioned briefly above, is its timelessness. Quite aside from the standard computer 3D, there are a lot of conventions that are showing up in all the animated movies made these days, and very few if any of them appear here. In another thirty years or so, if you didn't know when this movie was made, you probably couldn't guess.