Day 5: The Princess and the Frog.

Day 5: The Princess and the Frog (2009, Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)

The first hand drawn Disney feature since 2004 is finally here, but does it work? Well you’ll be happy to hear it does, but it’s not without its flaws.

The characters are fun and likeable from the get go, even if we have pretty much seen them all before. The Shadow Man in particular works as a great villain and Louis has some great comedic moments. The songs are mainly strong and certainly got my toes tapping plus the lush visuals hold up even in this 3D CGI age! It is impressive too see New Orleans brought to life so lovingly, from the city streets to the swamps. The story also manages to zip along keeping youngsters happy whilst having plenty on offer for everyone else.

However, the fact that this film was so heavily sold as being a return to a classic age of Disney was always going to be a factor working against it. It is somewhat unfair to compare this film to all of the classics which countless generations have loved for so many years before this. To me this film shares a lot more with the Disney films of the 90’s, not necessarily a problem but a time when serious cracks began to appear in the companies output. The film nevertheless manages to juggle a successful princess story and animal adventure within the narrative, whilst also giving an interesting twist on both story types.

The issue of race is another subject which has been constantly discussed regarding this film. And of course it is an important one and a historic milestone, despite not really being dealt with in the plot. Though admittedly this film is a fairy tale and not a history lesson and so it is the strong message of love and happiness that rightfully prevails.

The main problem for me is that we have been spoiled by 15 years of flawless classics from Pixar. This of course doesn’t mean Disney should just give up, nor does it mean that Pixar is killing traditional animation. What it does mean, is that neither studio can simply rest on their laurels when it comes to making a new film and thank God John Lasseter knows this!

But overall The Princess and the Frog is an enjoyable adventure with a classic feel; a triumphant come back for The House of Mouse!

7/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780521/

Extra: First film of the blog seen at the cinema so far!