The Princess and the Frog

Review by Anthony Morris

It wasn't all that long ago that Disney said they were getting out of the business of hand-drawn animation. It's a good thing they didn't.

While The Princess and the Frog might not be up there with the classics of the field (The Lion King, Aladdin), it's a very welcome return to the kind of film that Disney does best. 

It's 1920s New Orleans, and Tiana (the voice of Anika Noni Rose) is saving every penny from her various waitressing jobs to put a deposit down on her childhood dream: her own restaurant.

At the other end of the social scale, a charming (ok, smug) Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) has just hit town looking to find a cashed-up bride to solve his money woes.

Unfortunately for him, voodoo master The Shadowman (Keith David) sees him as a way to solve his own money woes, and before you know it the Prince is a frog, his servant is strutting around the ball looking exactly like him, and when he tries to get the spell reversed by the kiss of a princess he goes to Tiana (it's a fancy-dress ball, and she's doing the catering) and with one kiss she's a frog too.

This isn't so scary it'll scare the kids, but there's enough of an edge to proceedings to keep the parents interested.

The songs are toe-tappingly good, the story moves fast, the characters are fun, the animation is gorgeous and the whole thing ticks along like clockwork.

If you've ever enjoyed a Disney musical before, chances are you'll enjoy this one.

3.5 out of 5

The Princess and the Frog
Australian release: 1st January, 2010
Official Site: The Princess and the Frog
Cast: John Goodman, Keith David, Terrence Howard, Oprah Winfrey
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker