Review: The Princess and the Frog

Walt Disney classics are just that, defined by their place in a different generation, confined to history. Pixar, have stolen a march on the old master, creating the types of stories that a new Walt Disney generation must delve backwards to discover; The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty, and the Lion King are just three possible examples.

However, as The Princess and the Frog plays before your eyes, you would be forgiven in thinking that you had stepped back to the golden era of Disney. Legendary animation writer-directors Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid and Aladdin) have delved into the richness of previous Disney’s releases to produce a fresh and vibrant old-fashioned fairy tale, but set in a modern mould. The aesthetics of the film are impeccable handled and beautifully envisioned using a combination of hand-drawn animation and digital polishing, to bring to life a contender to any other recent animated release.

It is New Orleans in the 1920’s, Prince Naveen has been turned into a frog; our heroine Tiana, believing a kiss would restore him to his stately figure, is also cursed. In order to find a cure, our now amphibious duo must journey through the swarming swamp to find a legendary voodoo witch Mama Odie.

Clements and Musker do not alienate Disney’s latest picture from the roots of instilled its creator. The customary staples are still present:  we have our photogenic heroine, the handsome prince, the unsightly villains and even a fairy god mother, well, kind of.  And not to mention the comic relieve in the form of imaginative excess: a large crocodile who desires nothing more than to plays Jazz.

Spectacle is added through the intersection of storyline and the accustomed song and dance fare. Randy Newman (Toy Story) provides a score that buoys the picture, flowing effortless complimenting, or even enhancing the film; ‘Friend’s on the Other Side’ is truly hallucinogenic. The mixture delivers a resounding endorsement to the Disney ‘brand’ of feature, still having a place amongst modern animated cinema.

But, it is the subtle differences embedded in The Princess and the Frog that allow it to stand up against its precedents.

For a start, in heroine Tiana (Dreamgirls’ Anika Noni Rose) we are led into a characterisation of feminine determination and responsibility; a drive that sees’ her occupy two jobs simultaneously in order to achieve her ambition of opening a restaurant – does that sound like any Disney classic you’ve heard  of? But it rings in true within the context of a modern audience. And the fact that Roses’ Tiana is the first portrayal of an African-American lead in a Disney feature should not be lost in translation. Change is signposted continually.

To emphasise this transition Tiana’s opposite, Prince Naveen, is handsome, loveable and utterly helpless; surviving off the name of a lost generation with no inclination to take responsibility himself. In this film the lead characters’ have flaws, with the themes of wealth and ambition countered with the importance of love and family; a staple that transcends the old, and the new generation Disney.

With the addition of delightfully crafted support characters, such as the air headed best-friend (Jennifer Cody), Louis the jazz playing alligator, Southern firefly (Jim Cummings), and the delightfully demonic Dr. Facilier (Keith David), a villainous foe worthy of any nightmare, what you are left with is The Princess and the Frog: the return of Disney.

The Princess and the Frog delivers; even it may not surpass the older generation classics. Still, it is a vast improvement on the recent output from Walt Disney, combining old staples with vibrancy and a modern re-imagining, to create a fresh enjoyable old-fashioned fairytale with heart.   

Verdict:

****

MATT RICHARDSON