Princess & The Frog
So, here was the acid test. Could Disney Animation really attract a 2D audience still? With the plethora of Dreamworks and Disney Pixar projects raking in billions of dollars in the past ten years, it had been said in some quarters that traditional 2D animation was dead and buried. To be fair, it was not that foolish a comment to make, given the dearth of quality 2D animation available from Disney in that same period, despite the fact that the Orient was still producing some very respectable movies of the genre. Perhaps western eyes had tired of cute, hand-drawn mice, impossibly beautiful princesses and dancing elephants?
Not only were we to discover whether the audience still cared, but we would also find out if Disney even had the mettle to make them, far less make people turn up to watch them. And so to the big gamble in question, the film on which the very real possibility of western 2D’s future relied, The Princess & The Frog.
Most of us already know the traditional take on this well-loved fairy tale, but this version ever so slightly from the original. It is no less enchanting for it, however.
If you’re smiling at the previous paragraph, it’s likely that you have heard all of this before, and seen it more than once to boot. The point being that Disney is not offering us anything new here, aside from it’s take on the tale. This is what Disney has always done. Whilst the characters may be different each time, the plot is pretty much the same. It hasn’t done them that much harm so far and if we’re honest, Disney are about as far removed from what parents fear most these days for their children. As a father of three kidsmyself, I know I am pretty safe leaving any one of them in front of the Disney Channel, knowing that they won’t go too far astray. The lessons Disney teach our children are valuable, honest and decent. This is why they are still around. The entertainment monster that is Disney is good at what it does, but let us not forget, it is not that good at taking chances or asking questions of it’s audience. As a lecturer in morality, the entertainment industry has no other peer for Disney to offer us and that itself is a remarkable achievement.
John Lassetter has jumped across from Pixar over to Disney during the swallowing up of the Disney saviour in order to turn his midas touch to all things Mouse. He suggests that this is like stepping into some old, comfortable shoes and in essence, he has a point. The Princess & The Frog truly is good, old-fashioned cartoon fare, both comfortable and familiar. There is a type of princess in it, a square jawed, bright-eyed prince, cutesy and loveable support in the form of various animals from fireflies to alligators (who also play Jazz), a host of stalwart Randy Newman’s most convivial tunes that make you tap your foot, even if you’re a green, bad-tempered ogre and an almost (but not quite) impossible dream that will inevitably be achieved, but not without a certain degree of loss, emotional growth and hurdles that will test our characters’ will to succeed in the very worthy pursuit of their completely admirable goals.
Aside from the film being hopelessly formulaic and entirely predictable in the most delightful ways, the return to 2D here still manages to look and feel fresh. The colours are never gaudy and the intimate, almost missable animated flourishes are joyful if you catch them.
The voice talents are up to scratch too with Anika Noni Rose (most notable on these shores for Dreamgirls in 2006) playing Tiana and Bruno Campos playing Prince Naveen. The aforementioned music from Newman is traditionally Disney and the nodd to the Jazz standards of New Orleans is certainly welcome, brought to life with Rose’s powerful tones, but as I said, the entire voice cast are all worthy of their presence
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So given that the film is not likley to offend anyone, the songs are catchy and the vocal performance are up to scratch, is there anything you can say about this return to 2D that isn’t positive, or at the very least, no worse than anything we have seen before?
There is one very important point to be made about the existence of this film in a market that is slowly but defintely moving away from the format in general and it’s this very salient message.
I watched this with my three children, aged 11, 8 and 5. When I review a childrens’ film, I always watch them with my children where possible as they are the most vociferous critics I have ever met. They don’t lie and they are not mean, even when there may be reasons to be so. But they do vote with their feet if they feel the need. Their compunction to do something they don’t want to if they don’t haveto is non-existent and if there is disinterest, then here is where you will find it.
None of my children remained intrigued throughout the duration of the film. One lasted only forty-five minutes and the other two barely an hour. Bearing in mind that these kids have been reared on Pixar and Dreamworks, you do have to wonder what this result means? Perhaps the generation that loved The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin still love Disney Amnimation and recognise those things they loved as child.
But does that same approach work for today’s children? On the evidence, I would have to say not.
The Princess & The Frog is released in the UK on February 5th 2010
