The Princess and the Frog (2009)

That was an excellent one.

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Absolutely the worst movie.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

So much potential....and I think this was a half hearted attempt at Disney throwing together a "feature" movie with....*gasp*...an Disney princess of color. They could have gone so many different ways with this and every way they took was disappointing. The whole movie felt forced like they just put it out to say, "we celebrate diversity" >insert eye roll< I hope they make a more valiant attempt soon because they need to try again and not just have the "one" to say they did it. There's room for improvement and I hope they make another go at it!

I liked the scenery through most of the movie. It was nice to see the classic hand drawn Disney movie vs the computer drawn we rely on now. Main problem was the story was a bit too much, and you couldn't really relate to the characters. Another thing I noticed was how forgettable the villain was in this movie. Hell, I just watched it and feel I need to google the villain's name again. I rate it a 6 because it's worth watching again in a few years, but no major Wow factor.

A welcome return to the hand-drawn animation style that the studio is renowned for, this film marks the first musical since their Renaissance era. With that, you could say there is a sense of tangible nostalgia as it imitates the exact same structure as the classics before, thus consequently also being its downfall. A hard working waitress aspires to be a restauranteur where she encounters a talking frog who has been cursed by voodoo magic. Believed to be a prince, she kisses the amphibian and becomes a frog herself. A twisted adaptation of the famous fairy tale 'The Frog Prince', Disney have gone back to their roots and crafted a solidly entertaining musical. The animation is visually stunning as usual and makes a refreshing change from the lacklustre CG pictures the studio produced during the mid naughties. New Orleans is bustling with street musicians and a hearty community where you feel absorbed by the rustic watercolours of the signature architecture. Then, switching to a swampy bayou, allows the animators to differentiate between the human perspective of the urban town to the animal viewpoint of the rural marshlands. The protagonist Tiana holds her own with a hint of sassy independence that cements her as one of Disney's more memorable princesses. A myriad of supporting characters including a trumpet-playing alligator, firefly, hoodoo priestess, seamstress, frog hunters, a snake that is used as a guide stick, sugar mill owner and his daughter...I'm sure I'm forgetting more...oh, a valet, creepy stalking shadows and a dog. Highlighting the above is the major issue, there are far too many characters that do not have enough screen time to be developed or atleast memorable. I appreciated the antagonist who utilises voodoo magic to become a puppeteer as he manipulates several characters with curses. The story was well paced with little to no downtime. The musical numbers, whilst performed well, just weren't memorable. I think you've got my point, a wonderful yet unmemorable animation.

The Princess and the Frog (2009): Dir: Ron Clements, John Musker / Voices: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings: A disappointing magical tale about the layers of beauty. A Prince is transformed into a frog by a voodoo magician and when waitress Tiana kisses him, she too becomes a frog. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker who both collaborated on various animated projects including their biggest masterpiece, The Little Mermaid as well as Aladdin and Hercules. They are backed with colorful animation but terrible musical numbers. Anika Noni Rose voices the loyal Tiana who wishes to open her own restaurant. Even as a frog she demonstrates boldness in the face of adversary. Bruno Campos voices the Prince who is inexperienced in nearly everything. We realize that these two are meant to be but the humour counters predictable elements. Keith David has the misfortune of voicing the pathetically cardboard voodoo villain. Michael-Leon Wooley voices a jazz playing alligator. Why he can play music is not explained but his craving is for music, not people. Jim Cummings voices a firefly that fails to light up the screenplay beyond its formula delivery. Although it comes off occasionally corny it does twist the frog princess cliché in a different direction. It just loses the magic that other films had sustained. Score: 5 / 10