Wonderful character development!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

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.

Movie Review: "The Princess And The Frog" (2009)After being behind expectations with distribution of "Treasure Planet" in holiday season 2002/2003 with a visually overly-done twist on the classic tale by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) "Treasure Island", while Pixar features as "Monsters Inc." (2001), "Finding Nemo" (2003) and "The Incredibles" (2004) take over the animated feature world of pleasure-seeking audiences domestically as internationally; Disney Animation Studios under CEO Bob A. Iger decided to solve the problem by incorporating the whole company of Pixar Animation in 2006 into Disney Enterprises.Nevertheless the bold business move in order to secure Disney's frontrunning position in any field of motion picture animation brings a classical branch to an end with this last fulfilling handly-drawn, traditional-looking, highly atmospheric animated adventurous tragic-comic movie, including the obligatory dancing and singing acts set in early 20th century New Orleans, Louisiana, with another daring twist on a classic fairy tale; this time an high-concept interpretation of "The Frog Prince" from the Brother Grimm's collection of tales conceived in the Mid-of-1850s somewhere in Germany; then bodly translated in a painstaking process over five years with a full-developing production period, spreading from 2004 to 2009 by the never-giving-in writing, directing duo of Ron Clements & John Musker, who are also responsible for the action-adventure-comedies "Aladdin" (1992) and more recently with the highly accomplished digital animation feature "Moana" (2016)."The Princess And The Frog" streams passion from every frame, loving its artform matter of traditional analog animation, which even in the best sense under a tightly-calculated budget of just 105 Million U.S. Dollars over 140 Million U.S. Dollars for "Treasure Planet" (2002) seven years earlier, while digital competitors, usually with a shorter production time-frame completing their schedule from shooting draft to the final release in less then three years, here receive actually close-to a doubled-budget as Pixar's "Up" released in summer time of the same year of 2009, before a year later Disney's "Tangled" (2010) pushed the budget-ladder to never-reached again heights of a 260 Million U.S. Dollars production expenses for a single animated feature.In case of "The Princess And The Frog", the meticulous dedication as to say passion for all-time Walt Disney classics as "Pinocchio" (1940) or "Bambi" (1942) emotionally out-going from the entire production team gets evidence in a classic-Hollywood-paced editorial by Jeff Draheim between a singing, dancing and acting the way through life main character, here with another daydreaming, yet hardworking afro-american waitress Tiana, longing for a restaurant of her own. She meets the Frog eventually on a Southern-fashionable stylish ball in tinted into earthy-colors of symmetry and great add-on digital shading effects before embarking of the adventure of a life-time into the swamps of Louisiana, meeting scary as lovable creatures of the night as show-stealing trumpet-playing Crocodile Louis, animated in the most accomplished manner since crocodiles chasing hippos in Walt Disney's "Fantasia" (1940), here portrayed with a convincing voice by vocal artist Michael-Leon Wooley.Together they confront the grey-area-indulging character of Dr. Facilier, in looks and mimical gestures too close to the character of Jafar from "Aladdin" (1992) to be fully orginally, but nevertheless actor Keith David presents himself in joyful vocal-performing moods to live up to the task in constant-transforming production design interiors of the picture-defining musical act "Friends from the Other Side" with music created by long-time Disney-as-Pixar-movies-enchanting composer Randy Newman, who righteously earned two Oscar Nominations for Original Song, especially for accompanying the visually most-striking scene by re-utilizing special layering effects in golden 1920s art-déco styles, homaging early motion picture history of silent era, while the character of Tiana sings the utmost of charms and happiness-spreading main title of "Almost There".© 2018 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

After a prologue where we a mother reading 'The Frog Prince' to her young daughter Tiana and her friend Charlotte we jump forward fourteen years. Tiana is now working hard to open her own restaurant in her home city of New Orleans. Around this time Prince Naveen arrives in New Orleans hoping to find a wealthy woman to marry; Charlotte is the perfect candidate and her father is hosting a ball in the Prince's honour. The Prince, and his valet Lawrence, meet the sinister voodoo witch doctor 'Dr Facilier' who offers to do a tarot reading for them… he has plans of his own though and transforms Naveen into a frog and Lawrence to look like the prince. Naveen the Frog later meets Tiana, and because of her costume mistakes her for a princess. Thinking he can be saved like the Frog Prince he asks her for a kiss… it doesn't work; she becomes a frog! They flee into the bayou and meet various dangers as well as some interesting new friends; notably an alligator who wants to be a jazz trumpeter and a firefly who believes the evening star is his beloved. Here they search out Mama Odie, a hoodoo priestess they believe can cure them.Shortly before this film was made it looks as though Disney was giving up on traditional animation; CGI was the future… this shows they hadn't completely given up; it also shows they can still make great films. The story is a delightful twist on the classic story and is populated with great characters. Much was made at the time of release about how Tiana was Disney's first African American princess; watching the film one wouldn't really think about it; she is just a great character who happens to be black… which is how it should be. She is a likable role model for all young viewers; she works hard to make her dream come true rather than waiting for a wealthy man to sweep her off to a life of luxury. Prince Naveen is likable despite his flaws, perhaps because of them. Dr Facilier is a suitably creepy villain who provides plenty of child friendly scares. The other characters met along the way are classic Disney and provide plenty of laughs… and perhaps a few tears in one particularly poignant moment. As one would expect the animation is top notch with good character designs and stunning backgrounds. Overall this was a really impressive animation from Disney; it is definitely worth watching and I imaging it will be loved for years to come.

The princess and the frog was a majestic tale set during the roaring twenties about a girl who's head strong and ready to take on the world. Her father dreamed of opening his own restaurant but dies before he sees his dreams realized through his daughter.The shadow man was magnificently evil like, maleficent, captivating, charming and scary. His voodoo practices were an interesting choice to take it as religion never fully played a part in these movies adding the awareness that evil doers are punished for wrongs and good doers with eternal bliss.When she becomes a frog do to an evil spell it will take a wacky magician, her southern bell friend and two charismatic animals to change get back before time runs out.Tiana is a real role model for girls who dream big and aren't afraid to take life by the horns. She wants a restaurant she takes it, a man its her's and to be human again she'll fight for it.The music was wonderful, full of jazz numbers from good ole Orleans, to dance the night away to.It was a great experience I'll enjoy once again in the future. Its that good.