The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog ~ This was a lot of fun. Yes, it was a bit formulaic when compared to Disney animated features of the last two decades, but that really didn’t matter as I enjoyed myself with this flick – and really, how often can you come out of a theatre and say that?

The songs and soundtrack are a wonderful blend of jazz from the region and era – New Orleans in the 1920s. Yeah, amazing, non-annoying Randy Newman music! And while I thought the stereotypes of the Cajuns might be a bit insensitive there’s nothing left to worry about when it comes to African-Americans. After much rewriting Disney managed to tell this tale of a young black woman of the time without seeming too politically correct. It works, and it works well.

The cast is well chosen, although I have to wonder why Alicia Keyes or Tom Waits weren’t in the studio’s sights. And oh yeah, blink and you’ll miss Oprah Winfrey. The Bride thought it might have some scary moments for the kids, but I don’t think so. Really, there’s nothing here more frightening than anything in Sleeping Beauty or Snow White.

Again, this is a lot of fun, and a terrific return for Disney to traditional animation from computer generated stuff – recommended.