(Hi, I figure I should start doing this since I talk about movies too much.)
So, let's face it. When I first saw the... misleading early preview for the Princess and the Frog, I thought Disney had finally stooped low enough to make an "over-ethnic" princess. I couldn't possibly wrap my head around the concept of the movie, shrugged it off as shameful, and didn't pay attention to it until late in its theatrical release.
A little intrigued by a later preview into the character of Dr. Facillier, ('A voodoo man in a princess movie? What?') I decided to call up one of my more daring friends and propose a nighttime venture to the theater, "for shits and giggles."
I was blown away.
As most of my friends now know, this movie was beyond excellent for a "post-neoclassic," as some people would call it. After basking in 3D, coming back to hand-drawn animation, even partially so, was refreshing. But, beyond the art and the huge, booming Broadway-style numbers we all know and have learned to love, we have the plot.
Tiana, who I presumed was a princess desperately seeking adventure in the "real world," is actually a hard-working waitress with a talent for cooking and a dream to turn an old sugar mill into her and her unfortunately deceased father's dream cool, jazzy restaurant. When her old-time friend Charlotte, the spoiled but shockingly good-natured daughter of announces that the visiting Prince Naveen of Maldonia (not a real country, for all you geography non-buffs) will be attending the masquerade ball that she throws specifically to woo him, she hires Tiana to cook with just enough money to make the down payment.
Tiana, happy to finally be so close to her dream, puts a bid on the old sugar mill and asks the realtors to bring the paperwork to the masquerade. That night, when Tiana is serving her delicacies modestly at her table, the realtors hesitantly inform her that she was outbid. Upset, Tiana ends up falling over and Charlotte, as lovestruck as she was at the time, brings her up to her room and gives her a new dress to wear- the misleading dress and tiara from the previews. As Tiana, hopeless, resorts to wishing on a star, something she hadn't done since she was little, sees a frog on the balcony.
There we go to the kiss that starts their magical adventure through the bayou, in search of a mystical voodoo queen, Mama Odie, who could possibly break the spell Dr. Facilier had cast on Prince Naveen and reverse the whole mess. Along for the ride come Louis, the charming trumpet-playing alligator, and Ray, the romantic cajun firefly.
This movie was everything I didn't expect it to be, and more. The music was fantastic, the characters powerful, and the plot appropriate for so many audiences. I enjoyed the dark Dr. Facilier and his manic tendencies, I loved Tiana's hard-working ethics, and found amusement in Naveen's womanizing party-boy ways. I loved how everything played off of everything else, how finally someone up there in Disney HQ said, "Let's try and tell these kids the difference between what they want and what they need." I love the message about hard work and dreaming, and I love the romance. Ray's naivete when it came to his beloved Evangeline, who is actually a star, was absolutely the sweetest, saddest thing I have ever seen in a Disney movie. Not to mention, I was severely impressed by the permanent death of a character. That's right. No return scene. There was a funeral and everything.
Now, what didn't I love?
Very few things actually bothered me. Perhaps the thing that stood out most to me was Dr. Facilier's anticlimactic end, which I can't talk about anyways because it'd spoil the film. Also, as with Beauty and the Beast, the male lead, Naveen, was far more charming as a frog than he was as a human, and I think the musical finale was just not cheesy enough, but some people might find that to be a good thing. There were also small, mild inconsistencies, annoyances, but otherwise? A masterpiece. I'll be purchasing a DVD and a digital copy as soon as it's available.
There's no way I can put everything about this wonderful, wonderful film in one post. Go watch it.
Two thumbs up.
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