The Princess and the Frog 2009

      This film is a modern day retelling of the classic story The Frog Prince.  The Princess and the Frog follows the lives of arrogant carefree Prince Naveen, hardworking waitress Tiana and the crossing paths of their lives.  Prince Naveen is transformed into a frog by a conniving voodoo magician and Tiana is transformed after kissing amphibian royalty.  With the help of a trumpet-playing alligator, a Cajun firefly and an elderly blind lady who lives in a boat in a tree, Naveen and Tiana must race to break the spell in order to fulfill their dreams.
     The Princess and the Frog is Disney's first movie to feature an African-American heroine, Tiana.  The New Orleans-set story is a spin on the classic fairy tale about the princess who finds true love when she kisses an enchanted amphibian but there's more to this tale than just romance.  Tiana is a resourceful, hardworking heroine who's a strong role model and is one of the first Disney heroines who doesn't have to be rescued by a man.  While some have been concerned that the movie might reinforce stereotypes and it's true that many of the supporting characters feel shallow.  Plus, the movie's voodoo subplot is far from subtle.  Overall, the film does a good job of adding diversity to Disney’s hit parade roster.  But, while the movie is kid-friendly on the whole, the villain and his shadowy spirit henchmen can be quite scary.  One important character does die which makes it a little too intense for younger viewers.  5* (I really liked this movie)

97 min, Animation directed and written by Ron Clements and John Musker with Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Oprah Winfrey, Bruno Campos Michael-Leon Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Peter Bartlett, Jennifer Lewis, Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Elizabeth Dampier.

Note:  Imdb 7/1* out of 10* with 123, 075 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 85% with 200 critics 74% audience scores with 261,251 audience scores, Common Sense Media, S. Jhoanna Robledo, 3* out of 5*, age 6+, 1* sexy stuff and  drinking, drugs, smoking, 2* violence & scariness, 3* positive messages, role models, consumerism, Roger Ebert 3*, Metacritic 73 out of 100 with 29 critic reviews, 7.4 out of 10 with 227 user scores, Amazon 4.8* out of 5* with 6691 reviews.

Special Note:  The prologue takes place in November of 1912, as indicated by the newspaper with the headline, "Wilson Elected," referring to President Woodrow Wilson being read by a streetcar passenger.  This is Walt Disney Animation Studio's first musical film in which all of the voice actors do both the speaking and singing parts since Beauty and the Beast (1991).  The animation style was influenced primarily by Lady and the Tramp (1955) for the city scenes and Bambi (1942) for the bayou scenes.  Those films were, in the directors' opinion, "the peak of animation in the classic Disney animation style."  The first Disney film since The Lion King (1994) to have more than one song be nominated for Best Original song at the Academy Awards.

Mistakes:  During the opening musical number, Big Daddy holds up a newspaper while in the car revealing a number of headlines including, "Ford Corporation Introduces Trimotor" and Gertrude Ederle Readies to Swim the English Channel."  Neither of these events, nor Mardi Gras for that matter, took place on the newspaper's supposed date of April 25th 1926.  The Trimotor first flew in June 1926, Ederle wouldn't swim the English Channel until August 6th and Mardi Gras in 1926 fell on February 16th?  There are at least two references to "Bananas Foster," a dish that wasn't introduced until 1951?  When Lou tells Naveen "NO" after listing the many threats of the bayou, it does not match up with his lips moving on the screen. The sound is just a little bit late?