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"THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG" (2009) (voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos) (G)
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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).
OUR TAKE: 9 out of 10
"The Princess and the Frog" is certainly receiving a considerable amount of attention for two big reasons. Not only does it mark the Mouse House's return to the hand-drawn, 2-D animation style of its classic feature films of yore, it's also the first film from the entertainment giant to feature an African-American lead female character (and, indeed, a predominantly black cast). After giving the film its due on both those counts, here is where the discussion should lead next: Is it one of this year's best and most entertaining movies? The answer to that is a most resounding "Yes!"
Co-written and co-directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the same team behind such hugely successful past efforts as "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin," their latest effort succeeds in bringing the old Disney magic back. No need for 3-D glasses. No motion-capture gee-wizardry from the Robert Zemeckis camp. What's old is new again. And once you see "The Princess and the Frog," it's practically impossible to imagine this film being rendered any other way.
Anika Noni Rose gives voice to the character of Tiana, a waitress in 1920s New Orleans who wants only to fulfill her late father's (voice of Terrence Howard) lifelong dream of owning his own restaurant. She has saved up her tips, worked the double shifts, and shrugged off every person who has ever told her she couldn't. But when she is outbid for the lease on the place her dad always had his eye on, she becomes desperate. She even takes a chance on literally wishing upon a star for help. When she opens her eyes, she sees a frog looking right at her.
To her surprise, this frog actually talks. The voice belongs to the newly arrived, playboy Prince Naveen (voice of Bruno Campos), who has found that it ain't easy being green ever since a voodoo-practicing conman (voice of Keith David) put a curse on him as part of an elaborate moneymaking scheme. Naveen first sees Tiana, who has spilled food on her server's outfit, in a beautiful gown and tiara. By the rules of fairy tales, of course, a princess can release a prince from a curse with a single kiss. He convinces Tiana to give him that one smooch. And, of course, that lip-lock turns Tiana into a frog, too!
What follows is a musical, magical romp through the Louisiana Bayou, as Naveen and Tiana hop their way with a jazz-loving alligator named Louis (voice of Michael Leon Wooley) and an elderly, wounded-heart firefly named Ray (voice of Jim Cummings) to try and locate the mysterious Mama Odie (voice of Jenifer Lewis). This voodoo high priestess may be the only one who can lift the frog curse and return Naveen and Tiana to human form.
In addition to being a throwback to movies like "The Jungle Book" and "Beauty and the Beast," "The Princess and the Frog" is a multi-layered celebration of many inspirations. With songs by Randy Newman, the film's soundtrack is something of an audio love letter to everything from jazz and swing to ragtime and Gospel. Kids will be bopping in their seats. Adults will first look around the theater before judging whether they can cast off their inhibitions and bop along with the little ones.
The movie is also a 95-minute "shout out" to the bygone days of New Orleans, its diverse population, its vibrant music and arts scene, its rich food history, and its eccentric spirit. Is it an idealized look back in time? Yes. No question about that. Would a better film have addressed issues of race and class divide through a post-Katrina prism? Not necessarily. Disney films have always been about delivering the entertainment factor before all else. So, you get the show-stopping tunes here. You get the talking animals. You get the spectacle of animators thrilled to be showing off their talents and delivering a style of animation they likely cut their teeth on as children and young adults.
Most of all, you get a film with a lot of heart. A couple of plot twists that happen late in the film had more than a few adults and children actually sobbing in the preview screening I saw this at. The climax is indeed genuinely moving. More importantly, the emotions are all earned. This isn't just sap for sap's sake. The screenplay here took the time to flesh out the characters, frog warts and all. There is a real beauty and elegance in one character's death. There is genuine good will felt towards the two leads, who you could argue end up getting not exactly what they wanted, but what they needed.
Will this film spark a renaissance in old-school, hand-drawn animation? Perhaps. But it's always the stories and the characters that matter most. I have a strong feeling that characters such as Tiana, Prince Naveen, Dr. Facilier, Louis the gator and Ray the firefly will be a part of family audiences' pop-culture vernacular for years and years to come. The film rates a very positive 9 out of 10. (T. Durgin)
Reviewed December 5, 2009 / Posted December 11, 2009
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