‘Princess and the Frog’ another Disney twist on a classic
fairytale
The movement in animated films may be toward 3-D, but the latest
Disney movie to come out on DVD shows that a good story can hold
its on without all the high-tech images.
”
The Princess and the Frog
”
came out on DVD March 16, and it is one of those movies that
will look just as good on the small screen as in the theater. And
it is another retelling of a classic fairytale told with plenty of
humor and heart.
‘Princess and the Frog’ another Disney twist on a classic fairytale
The movement in animated films may be toward 3-D, but the latest Disney movie to come out on DVD shows that a good story can hold its on without all the high-tech images. “The Princess and the Frog” came out on DVD March 16, and it is one of those movies that will look just as good on the small screen as in the theater. And it is another retelling of a classic fairytale told with plenty of humor and heart.
The movie originally came out in theaters around the holidays, and I saw it on New Year’s. It has all the elements of a Disney animated film – good songs, good humor and a plucky heroine who we know will defeat the odds.
“The Princess and the Frog” is set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans, and the music in it reflects a mix of jazz, zydeco and Cajun music. Two of the songs in the movie were nominated for a 2010 Academy Award, including “Almost There” and “Down in New Orleans,” with music and lyrics by Randy Newman.
Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) is a young woman in New Orleans who has high hopes of owning her own restaurant in New Orleans someday. She works hard at multiple jobs to save up money for her downpayment, and her beignets are the talk of the town. She learned from her father that hard work is the way to get to her dreams.
In contrast, Charlotte (Jennifer Cody) is a spoiled rich girl whom Tiana’s mother has sewn dresses for since the girls were children. Charlotte things dreams come to those who wish on stars. And it seems as though she might be right when Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) comes to town.
All Charlotte wants from life is to be a princess – and a marriage to Prince Naveen would make it so. Naveen, however, may be a prince, but he doesn’t have any money. His family has cut him off since all he wants to do is party and play music. He gets drawn in by Dr. Facilier (Keith David,) a voodoo man who promises him riches. But Facilier tricks him and turns him into a frog.
In his frog form, Naveen comes upon Tiana and he promises to give her the money to open her restaurant if she will just kiss him and turn him back into a human. In the Disney twist on the tale, kissing the frog turns Tiana into a frog instead of transforming the frog back into a prince. Now the two of them are stuck as amphibians. The only person who can help them is Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), a woman who knows voodoo who lives deep in the bayou.
The two set off to find Mama Odie on a frog-sized raft, but soon realize their size and shape makes them susceptible to predators such as the large crocodiles that reside in the swamp. Lucky for them, they discover one who is more interested in playing the trumpet than he is in food. Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), who has a touch of Louie Armstrong in him, joins the expedition. Ray (Jim Cummings), a Cajun firefly who is in love with a star, also meets up with the trio and he knows just where to find Mama Odie.
As the group travels along, it becomes clear that Prince Naveen is a lazy and selfish guy, while Tiana is a hard worker with a single focus in life. But, of course, they slowly start to grow on each other without realizing it at first.
The turning point in the movie is when the pair arrives at Mama Odie’s and tells her what they want – to be human again so that Tiana can open her restaurant and Prince Naveen can go on with his wild ways. But Mama Odie sings to them, “They all knew what they wanted, what they wanted me to do. I told ’em what they needed, just like I be telling you.” She sings the two what she thinks they really need, but they are not ready to hear it.
Mama Odie tells them what they have to do to get what they want – not what they need – and the two set back toward New Orleans with a midnight deadline, of course. It’s a Disney movie so a happily ever after should be expected, but there is a little more depth to this tale than most kid’s movies.
Melissa Flores can be reached at [email protected]. She writes a blog at http://melissa-movielines.blogspot.com, where she comments on movies, TV and more.
