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PRINCESS AND THE FROG |
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Now THIS is what I'm talking about! A real animated movie, like the ones I grew up watching. If you are under the age of 30, you may be reviled by that statement as you are of the computer generated imagining (CGI) era. But there was a time
when large teams of artists hand drew and colored each frame of animated movies. The colors were vivid and warm, the shadows were realistic and
the films had depth without the aid of 3D glasses. And Disney was made the best of these animated features. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Fantasia", "Pinocchio",
"Song of the South" and many, many others were all hand drawn. It was meticulous and labor intensive but well worth it. | |
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The other thing these films had were great stories - wonderful narratives! Even if the stories started a little dark (like "Bambi"),
there was a cohesive story for both children and adults. Great animation great stories - those were the good old days. But CGI changed everything. You no longer needed warehouse rooms filled with artists. You don't have to worry about continuity of the characters from frame to frame.
It is cheaper and quicker (they say) to bring an animated product from concept to release. Moreover with the recent addition of digital 3-D, the animators
don't even have to be great artist to add depth to the images...the computer does it! "The Princess and the Frog" is a throwback to the good old days - and you can tell. Furthermore, it is a
huge departure for Disney by featuring a mostly African American cast including the protagonist. Nit-pickers will scoff that "Son of the South" featured 'Negroes', but I must remind you
that African Americans are not bears and rabbits. Since the concept of "The Princess and the Frog" began before Obama won the Presidential election, it would be remiss to claim the film is homage to
him - but it can be said that it does recognize diversity. |
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So what's it about? It takes place in the 1920s New Orleans when jazz was really steaming up the city and it
had the kind of raunchy swagger that would become its trademark. We meet a prince, Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who isn't the typical Disney prince. He is broke and leaves his country to come to the US in an effort to meet and marry
[preferably] a wealthy woman. He is basically a low life elitist whose parents have cut him of. Naveen enters a restaurant being serviced by an
attractive young lady named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose). Their eye's barely meet, but she has other things on her mind. She has ambition. Her father named James (Terrence Howard) was a brilliant cook and she wants to open a restaurant showcase the talents she inherited from him. But for now she works in this eatery only with dreams. Now I mentioned her father, because (as was also typical of the day)
her best friends father is a wealthy white man named Big Daddy LaBouff (John Goodman in his excellent Southern voice) who keeps an eye out for her - while she plays with his spoiled brat daughter. But it is James who influenced her to stay the course and work hard. |
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That doesn't keep her from occasionally dreaming, especially since her mother Eudora (Oprah Winfrey) sews fanciful princess dresses for she and her girlfriend to wear. Prince Naveen, meanwhile seeks the help of a local scoundrel named Dr. Facilier (deliciously voiced by
David Keith). Dr. Facilier casts a spell which backfires. Instead of turning Naveen into am irresistible stud, it
turns him into a frog. Dr. Facilier has made a deal with Naveen underling to impersonate him in order to gain wealth. During a day dreaming moment, that is when Tiana encounters Naveen as a frog. He dazzles her with his accent and tells her the
story of how he came to be a frog - of course leaving out the part that he actually is broke! He convinces her to kiss him to change him back into a prince. |
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| But the kiss backfires instead changing Tiana into a frog. Oops! Now begins their odyssey to regain human form that takes them into the swamp where the meet fanciful characters. Thus begins the usual Disney singing and dancing featuring an interesting, but not inspiring score
by song man Randy Newman. "The Princess and the Frog" is the best animated feature by Disney in years and the best animated feature this year usurping Pixar's "UP". It is a reminder of how
good the genre once was and how great Disney once was. It is also a testament to how things change. After all Disney (often times racist in the 40s - 60s) generally depicted blacks as crows ("Dumbo"), monkeys ("Jungle Book),
and inept Africans (the book Mickey Mouse and Boy Thursday). But moreover, it is a film that everyone can feel good about enjoying - just like the good old days. --GEOFFREY BURTON |
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