From when she was a little girl, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) has always dreamt of owning her own restaurant. It was a dream originally held by her father who used to make gumbo with her. He worked hard his whole life but never managed to see his dream fulfilled. Now Tiana works twice as hard to make sure she can start up her own business in memory of her father. When her childhood friend Charlotte La Bouff mentions that a visiting Prince named Naveen (Bruno Campos) is attending the Mardi Gras, Tiana is happy for her. She knows that Charlotte has always wanted to be a princess and this could be her opportunity. Tiana is much more interested in putting a down payment on a dream location for her restaurant.
Whilst catering an event at the La Bouff mansion, Tiana learns that the realtors are going to deny her an application because someone else has bid more. She is devastated and doesn’t know how she will get out of this mess. Just then a Frog jumps into her room and starts to talk. He claims that he is a Prince and all he needs is for the young woman to give him a kiss to make all of her dreams come true. So Tiana reluctantly agrees and is shocked when a magical transformation occurs.
It’s been many years since Walt Disney delivered a hand-drawn animated feature and it’s safe to say we the audience have missed it. The art of animation has been lost in a world full of CGI movies. Thankfully a re-shuffle meant that former animator and head of Pixar John Lasseter became the new head of Disney and his first call of order was to bring back the classic style of animation. The Princess And The Frog is the result of nearly 18 years of development, albeit in different guises throughout that time.
The classic story of the Frog Prince is quite a short one so writer/producers Ron Clements and John Musker had to come up with a more fleshed out story if this was to become a feature film. Their originality has helped make The Princess And The Frog a wonderful movie that kids and adults alike will thoroughly enjoy. Its steeped deep within the traditions of Walt Disney’s other animated classics whilst managing to contemporise the genre.
The look of the film is beautiful. Having it set in New Orleans gives the film a rich musical and cultural heritage to explore and it manages to evoke all the feelings and energy associated with the birthplace of jazz. The animation is stunning too and the painted backdrops and scenery feels warm and welcoming in every scene.
The lead voices all do exceptionally well to breathe life into these characters too. Leading the way is Anika Noni Rose who follows up her impressive role in Dreamgirls with a wonderful take on Tiana, a feisty and ambitious woman who longs to fulfil her dreams. Bruno Campos does equally as well as the suave and sophisticated Prince Naveen. John Goodman, Jennifer Cody and Jenifer Lewis hand in good supporting performances but the best comes in the form of Keith David as the terrifying Dr. Facilier. Looking just like Baron Samedi from the Bond film Live And Let Die, Facilier is a classic Disney villain and one that will stay with young audiences for some time. His dabbling with the black arts signals some of the film’s best moments with the animation top drawer as he communicates with the dead and the netherworld spirits.
All the ingredients are there for this to put Disney animation back on the map. The film has a decent story, some well constructed characters and makes you invested in their plight. Even though it has 2 or 3 songs too many and the search for Mama Odie seems to go on for ages, The Princess And The Frog is a wonderful film the whole family will enjoy. It shows that they do make them like they used to and hopefully this will signal more hand-drawn animations from the studio in the future.
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