While this is Disneys first hand-drawn animation since 2004s Home On The Range (although hand-drawn is now a slight misnomer, as nowadays most of it is done with computerised 2D animation tools, rather than physically drawing it), The Princess and the Frog feels more likes were stepping further back in time to 1989 and The Little Mermaid. Not only are there quite a few parallels in the plot, but they also share the same directors, as well as the formula that helped Disney solidify its animation crown after the doldrums of the 70s and early 80s.
The result is a film that has an easy cheer and sense of familiarity, skips along nicely, but somewhat lacks that most Disney thing of all, magic.
Tiana is a young New Orleans woman with a dream she wants to open a restaurant. Shes even found the perfect place to convert, but if she doesnt get the money in time, her dream will be over. While Tianas trying to sort this out, the evil Facilier is using magic to turn Prince Naveen, whos visiting New Orleans, into a frog, as part of his nefarious plans to replace him with an impostor. However the now amphibious Naveen escapes and comes across Tiana, and in a case of mistaken identity assumes shes a princess whose kiss will turn him human again. Promising her hell help open her restaurant, she kisses him, which has the completely undesired effect of turning her into a frog too.
Although they dont particularly like each other, Naveen and Tiana set off on a quest into the bayou, in the hope of finding the one person who might help them become human again, Mama Odie, teaming up with a firefly and a jazz playing gator along the way.
The Princess and the Frog is proof, if nothing else, that hand-drawn animation should still have its place in cinema. It looks absolutely gorgeous, which is highlighted by the crystal clear and gorgeously colourful image on the Blu-ray. The film has a wonderful visual style, with a charm and whimsy CG rarely manages to achieve. Theres little doubt that with the right story, old fashioned animation could provide big hits once more.
Unfortunately this isnt quite the story to do it. Its not that theres anything specifically wrong with it, but the whole thing has a slightly rushed feel, steaming its way through the tried and tested formula to get to the happy ending. Thats fine, but it lacks that sense of magic and wonder that the likes of Little Mermaid and Beauty & the Beast achieved. But perhaps my expectations were too high, as compared to an awful lot of the more recent CGI efforts, its definitely on a higher level. Its just a shame the story feels a little more pedestrian – yet still perfectly serviceable – than the gorgeous visuals.
As mentioned, the picture quality on the Blu-ray is superlative. Its often remarked on that CG movies looks brilliant in HD, and traditional animation is just the same, with beautifully defined lines, bright colours and perfect clarity. Likewise the audio is crisp and very effective.
Beyond the movie (the film is included in the Blu-ray set in both HD and on a separate DVD, while there’s also a ‘Super-set’ that’s been released, which has a digital copy too) theres a wealth of bonus features. Disney fans should be pleased with the numerous behind-the-scenes featurettes, which cover everything how they tried to stay true to the Disney fairytale legacy while creating something new, to how they wanted to prove hand-drawn animation still had its place. The featurettes include all sorts of interviews with those involved in the production and offer loads of interesting info. The longest is the 22-minute Magic In the Bayou, which gives a great overview of the film.
As well as featurettes, theres an interest audio commentary, a Ne-Yo music video, a game for kids and access to BD-Disney Live. Finally, you can view the film with a picture-in-picture look at the work-in-progress version, which shows the movie before much of the final animation was done, in what is essentially an animated storyboard version. Its a fascinating look into the production process, and how the film was pretty much put together so they can get the look and timings sorted before they committed to the time and expense of creating the final animation.
The Blu-ray undoubtedly includes a great selection of extras, that are well worth delving through once youve finished the film.
Overall Verdict: A good film that may lack a little of the Disney magic youd hope for, but is entertaining, looks utterly gorgeous on Blu-ray and is backed up by some great special features.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary With John Musker and Ron Clements (Co-Writers and Directors) and Peter Del Vecho (Producer)
Deleted Scenes
What Do You See: Princess Portraits Games
Never Knew I Needed Music Video by Ne-Yo
Bringing Life To Animation Featurettes
Magic In The Bayou Featurette
The Return To Hand-Drawn Animation Featurette
The Disney Legacy Featurette
Disneys Newest Princess Featurette
The Princess and the Animator Featurette
Conjuring The Villain Featurette
A Return To the Animated Musical Featurette
Art Galleries
BD-Disney Live
Trailers
Reviewer: Tim Isaac