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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG" (2009) (voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos) (G) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Moderate Moderate Heavy Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy Heavy Moderate None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild None Heavy Heavy Moderate QUICK TAKE: Animated musical: A down-on-her-luck waitress eager to open her own restaurant in 1920s New Orleans kisses a talking frog, hoping he'll turn into a prince. Instead, she must contend with being turned into a frog herself. PLOT: Tiana (voice of ANIKA NONI ROSE) toils away as a waitress in 1920s New Orleans, saving up as many tips as she can to one day realize her late father's (voice of TERRENCE HOWARD) dream of owning a restaurant. Unfortunately, she is outbid on the site she has had her eye on for months, much to the disappointment of her mom (voice of OPRAH WINFREY). At the same time, Prince Naveen (voice of BRUNO CAMPOS) from the fictional Middle Eastern country of Maldonia is visiting New Orleans in search of music, women and fun. The naive, young royal makes for an easy target of Dr. Facilier (voice of KEITH DAVID), a voodoo-practicing conman who transforms Naveen into a frog and Naveen's assistant, Lawrence (voice of PETER BARTLETT), into the Prince as part of a get-rich-quick scheme. At a party in the Prince's honor, local millionaire "Big Daddy" La Bouff (voice of JOHN GOODMAN) looks to introduce his demanding daughter, Charlotte (voice of JENNIFER CODY), to Naveen. At the same party, Tiana wishes upon a star and soon comes face to face with Naveen in frog form who promises to transform into a rich prince who will help her buy her restaurant if she will kiss him and lift the curse. The subsequent smooch, though, changes Tiana into a frog! The oil-and-water twosome then form a reluctant alligator alliance and travel into the Bayou swamp in search of the voodoo queen, Mama Odie (voice of JENIFER LEWIS), who may have the power to lift the curse. Along the way, they make friends with Louis, a jazz-loving alligator (voice of MICHAEL LEON-WOOLEY), and Ray, a chatty firefly (voice of JIM CUMMINGS). WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Disney ... princesses ... talking animals ... beautiful animation ... uh, YEAH, they'll want to see it! WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G Apparently for not containing any material to warrant a higher rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ANIKA NONI ROSE voices a headstrong, entrepreneurial, African-American waitress in 1920s New Orleans, whose sole focus is saving up enough money to realize her late father's dream of owning a restaurant. When she is outbid in her latest effort to secure a viable site, she kisses a talking frog who promises her he is a prince. Unfortunately, the spell on him is so powerful, it turns her into a frog, too. BRUNO CAMPOS voices a playboy prince who has been disowned by his king-and-queen parents for his irresponsible ways. He travels to New Orleans in search of music, women and fun, but ends up being cursed by a voodoo-practicing charlatan. KEITH DAVID voices the evil conman who practices the Dark Arts and uses a curse to transform Naveen's put-upon assistant into the prince as part of an elaborate, get-rich scheme. PETER BARTLETT voices the put-upon assistant, a portly, unattractive man who agrees to assume the identity of the handsome, young prince to get even with him for his years of servitude. TERRENCE HOWARD voices Tiana's hard-working, blue-collar father, who passes away (off-screen) early in the story after a lifetime of toil and unrealized dreams. OPRAH WINFREY voices Tiana's good-hearted mother, who works as a housekeeper for local millionaire "Big Daddy" La Bouff and his only daughter. JOHN GOODMAN voices the white millionaire, a decent man whose primary failing is that he gives into every whim and wish of his spoiled, demanding daughter. JENNIFER CODY voices the daughter, who is obsessed with marrying a prince and living wealthy. She almost constantly manipulates and otherwise browbeats her decent, goodhearted father into doing what she wants him to do. MICHAEL LEON WOOLEY voices a jazz-loving alligator who helps Tiana and Prince Naveen on their quest to become human again. JIM CUMMINGS voices an elderly, ultimately heroic firefly who is in love with a star in the sky, believing it to be another firefly who is always looking out for him. JENIFER LEWIS voices a mysterious voodoo queen who lives deep in the Bayou and who may or may not have the power to undo Dr. Facilier's evil spells. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this animated musical that has been rated G. The film contains no profanity, sex or nudity (although one of the characters shows modest, cartoon cleavage). Some violence is present, as are numerous scenes of peril, mostly involving some conjured-up shadow demons stalking lovable swamp creatures such as frogs, a friendly alligator, and a good-hearted firefly that could prove unsettling and/or suspenseful for young viewers. Some potentially imitative behavior is present, along with some (mostly unconsumed) alcohol. Bad attitudes and tense family material are also present, including loss of a parent. It should be noted that one lovable character dies at the end, which may disturb some children. If you are still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, all sorts of animated movement occurs throughout the film. Specifically, there are numerous scenes of fireflies flitting and darting all over the screen. There are also a couple of scenes that become elaborate, highly-stylized, dream-like visions -- one involving the lead character imagining the restaurant she would have one day, the other involving demons being summoned as a human is transformed into a frog. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Charlotte and the fake Prince Naveen have a meal together in a gazebo in which a bottle of champagne or wine is on the table. A romantic meal that the real Naveen has assembled for Tiana (while both are still frogs) also includes a bottle of champagne or possibly wine. Dr. Facilier drinks what looks like bubbly champagne in a dream sequence set in a restaurant, where other customers sitting at tables are shown with wine glasses. BLOOD/GORE As frogs, both Naveen and Tiana secrete a slobber-like mucus on several occasions that elicits some "Ewwww" moments from the audience. A voodoo spell begins to wear off, causing various parts of Lawrence-as-Naveen's body to swell up disproportionately from the rest of his body, including his left ear, his chin, and his behind. Some bad hunters are shown with bruises and welts after scuffling with Tiana, Naveen and their friends. Some knocked-out teeth are briefly visible on the floor of their boat. Louis gets some stickers stuck in his behind from a sticker bush that have to be pulled out. No blood, but you see the stickers in his backside. In Mama Odie's home, two disembodied eyes and a set of teeth are seen in a jar. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE As a young child, Charlotte pulls her father's mustache and raises her voice to him in order to get her way. She is rewarded with a puppy. Flash-forward years later, and Charlotte is still dominating her dad who bows to her every whim. Dr. Facilier practices a kind of black magic voodoo to further his own selfish pursuits. He regularly confers with demons and conjures up evil shadow beings who serve as his de facto foot soldiers. Dr. Facilier casually puts down Lawrence, stoking his inferiority complex. He then uses a curse to transform the put-upon assistant into the prince as part of an elaborate, get-rich scheme. A cook carelessly tosses plates of food at Tiana, who catches them. The same cook laughs at Tiana's dream of owning a restaurant. At a fancy dinner party, a man is shown snatching lots of food from a buffet and even putting some treats into his pockets. Prince Naveen doesn't help Tiana row their life raft, believing such work to be beneath him. Louis blows a trumpet right into a turtle's ear. Dr. Facilier holds a needle close to a voodoo doll of "Big Daddy" La Bouff, threatening to use it. One of the main characters is killed by Dr. Facilier. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Dr. Facilier's shadow often moves differently than he does. The effect is subtly creepy. Naveen is transformed into a frog via an elaborate voodoo ritual that features skulls and skeletons, shadow demons, talking tribal masks, and animated voodoo dolls all dancing about in a highly stylized, but quite menacing animated sequence. Dr. Facilier talks to some demonic tribal masks and then summons a band of shadow demons (similar to the ones in the movie "Ghost") to go retrieve Prince Naveen in frog form from the swamp after he escapes. The demons snake out windows, slither around buildings, through city streets and out into the Louisiana swamp. Several alligators rise from the water and snap-bite at Tiana and Naveen. Louis makes his first appearance in the film as a seemingly menacing alligator who trails Tiana and Naveen's small, little raft as they are making their way down a narrow swamp. He jumps out of the water, but it's not to eat them. It's because Naveen is playing some music he likes. A hunter springs out of a swamp bush and snatches Tiana. The shadow demons attack Naveen and Tiana, but Mama Odie scares them off by zapping them with a kind of light wand. On a Louisiana riverboat, Naveen rounds a corner only to be snatched up by shadow demons who had been hiding. One of the main characters is killed by Dr. Facilier. The ground opens up and one character is dragged by demons and zombie-like voodoo dolls down into a scary netherworld. GUNS/WEAPONS At a costume party, one man dressed as Zorro brandishes a sword and swipes at frogs Tiana and Naveen as they are being chased by a dog. During a flashback sequence, Louis is chased from a steamboat by gun-toting passengers who shoot at him after he jumps in the water to flee. On another steamboat, Louis spots several people approaching whose silhouettes make it look like they are carrying guns. But it turns out they're just musicians toting their various instruments. A trio of inept Bayou hunters carry rifles. One of the hunters throws multiple knifes at Tiana as a frog, all of which barely miss her. One of the hunters fires his rifle. The dumbest of the hunters uses a club to hit another of the hunters repeatedly on the top of his head, trying to strike Naveen in frog form. All three then take turns hitting each other with various objects from the boat. Prince Naveen very briefly runs a shank-like knife across his teeth as if brushing them. Earlier, he used the same knife to cut through some underbrush in the swamp. He eventually uses to dice a vegetable when Tiana looks to make some gumbo. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "I got my big butt glowin'," "Don't make me light my butt," "Ugly, little frog," "Yuck," "You're sweating like a sinner in church," "Take your slimy self away from me," "Shut your trap," "Get your royal rump back on that float," "You're a stick in the mud," "I'm gonna make some shoes out of you," "You rascal" and "Drag this maggot to prison." Charlotte regularly whines and browbeats her wealthy father into getting her way (and even pulls his mustache for the same), and he always gives in to her whims. Young Charlotte and Tiana put a sweater over a cat's head, who reacts angrily. Young Tiana yanks a spoon out of her father's hand to taste some gumbo. Tiana gets out of bed after her parents put her to sleep. In a restaurant, Charlotte's dad shoves food in her mouth twice to keep her from talking. Charlotte does the same in return when she wants to stop him from talking. At the same restaurant, a child is shown eating messily and with terrible table manners. A cook carelessly tosses plates of food at Tiana, who catches them. Charlotte snatches a newspaper out of her father's hand and interrupts him repeatedly. A guitarist walks into a street without looking as cars motor past him. At a fancy dinner party, Tiana feeds a dog scraps from a table. At the same dinner party, a man is shown snatching lots of food from a buffet, and even putting some treats into his pockets. Louis blows a trumpet right into a turtle's ear. Louis talks with his mouth full of food. Prince Naveen very briefly runs a shank-like knife across his teeth as if brushing them. JUMP SCENES On the streets of New Orleans, a man is sold a hair-growth potion which causes him to sprout hair over his entire face in an instant. During Naveen's transformation scene, demons and various scary faces come in and out of camera in a highly stylized animated sequence. Throughout the sequence, Dr. Facilier comes in and out of shadow. When he is in shadow, a lightning effect is employed and his lit face resembles a skull. A fish jumps out of the swamp and is promptly snapped up by a bird flying by. Several alligators rise from the water and snap-bite at Tiana and Naveen, who narrowly avoid being eaten as frogs. Louis makes his first appearance in the film as a seemingly menacing alligator who trails Tiana and Naveen's small, little raft as they are making their way down a narrow swamp. He jumps out of the water, but it's not to eat them. It's because Naveen is playing some music he likes. A hunter springs out of a swamp bush and snatches Tiana. A hunter springs out of a swamp bush and snatches Tiana. In Mama Odie's home, some disembodied teeth and eyes in a jar startle Tiana. On a riverboat, Naveen rounds a corner and is quickly snatched by shadow demons who had been hiding. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A considerable amount of tense and foreboding music occurs in the film, especially in sequences involving Dr. Facilier (a.k.a. "The Shadow Man") and the various shadow demons he summons to help him in his evil pursuits. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY Charlotte wears a couple of dresses in the movie that show modest cleavage. During one scene, she studies herself in a mirror and briefly hikes up her breasts inside her gown. While clumsily trying to catch flies, Naveen and Tiana end up locking tongues in a sort of prolonged froggy French kiss. You briefly see the underwear of one of the hunters when a rifle bullet tears a hole through his overalls. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Tiana's father -- a poor man who worked multiple jobs for years, but never got ahead -- dies off screen when she is still a child. Tiana makes it her lifelong mission to fulfill his dream of opening a restaurant. For his playboy ways, Prince Naveen reveals that his wealthy mother and father have "cut him off" from all financial and emotional support. Charlotte regularly whines and browbeats her wealthy father into getting her way, and he always gives in to her whims. It is not revealed what happened to Charlotte's mother, who never appears in the film or is even mentioned. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Black and white relations in early 20th century America. Old-time musical traditions such as jazz, Gospel, and ragtime. Voodoo and its often negative connotations. Loss of a parent at a young age. The pitfalls of a child growing up and trying to making a parent's dreams and goals his/her own. Overworking at the expense of personal relationships. Some viewers may ponder why Disney's first-ever African-American princess ends up spending most of the film as a frog. VIOLENCE Charlotte pulls her father's mustache to get her way. Prince Naveen's assistant, Lawrence, falls down a flight of stairs, but is uninjured. The assistant then gets his head stuck in a tuba. Dr. Facilier kicks Lawrence in his behind. During a dream sequence in which Tiana is imagining owning her own restaurant, a staffer falls off a ladder and hangs onto a chandelier. Tiana is startled by Prince Naveen in frog form, and she stumbles backwards hard into some shelves. She then throws several stuffed animals at him before slamming a heavy book down on top of him. A dog chases Tiana and Naveen, who have taken frog form, through a crowded outdoor dinner party. During the chaotic pursuit, all three knock over tables and chairs and lots of food. One man dressed as Zorro brandishes a sword and swipes at the frogs. Tiana and Naveen escape the dog by clinging to some party balloons floating away. A tree branch eventually pops the balloons sending the two frogs into freefall. They land hard in the swamp below. Tiana and Naveen are chased by hungry alligators who chomp at them and force them to hide in a tree. During a flashback sequence, Louis is chased from a steamboat by gun-toting passengers who shoot at him after he jumps in the water to flee. One of a trio of hunters throws multiple knifes at Tiana in frog form, all of which barely miss her. One of the hunters fires his rifle, with the bullet (or possibly buckshot) grazing the pants of his partner and ripping a whole in the crotch. One of the hunters hits the biggest and dumbest hunter with a stick. The dumbest of the hunters then uses a club to hit another of the hunters repeatedly on the top of his head, trying to hit Naveen in frog form. All three then take turns hitting each other with various objects from the boat. The scuffle includes some brief eye-gouging. Demons snatch up Naveen in frog form, but are scared away by Mama Odie who zaps several of them with a magic, cane-like wand. Mama Odie taps Naveen hard on the head. Naveen as a frog is hit hard with a book and put in a small cage. Dr. Facilier hits one of the firefly characters, then squashes him under foot. The ground opens up and one character is forcefully dragged by demons down into a netherworld. Reviewed December 5, 2009 / Posted December 11, 2009

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