Review: The Princess and the Frog

In a time where cell animation seems to be losing ground and movies like Wall-E seem to be doing very well at the box office, does this film really have a place in our hearts? Survey Says: Yes! Hit the jump for the full review on another of Disney’s original animations.

The princess and the Frog takes the classic “Kiss the Frog to make him into a Prince” fairytale for a bit of a spin around the block. The Frog is already a Prince and the Girl isn’t the princess… so by kissing the frog, she becomes a frog. She’s taken through a Jungle Book meets Lion King Adventure in order to return herself to human again, and in the process discovers what’s really important in life.

I find myself one of those people that really dislikes the direction that animated movies seem to be going as of late, so when this cell animation came out I really felt compelled to see it. Its a tribute to the original style of animation that made Disney famous… Unfortunately to that point, they really didn’t try much of anything new. Other than a female African American main character growing up 1920′s New Orleans, there wasn’t anything in this movie that wasn’t “safe”. The music was bland and the characters were predictable. There were some cute parts, but nothing made me want to get involved or songs that got stuck in my head for weeks on end (like the I just can’t wait to be king song in Lion King!).

Overall I found the movie cute and a bit nostalgic for those of us that grew up with the classic Disney movies, but overall it just doesn’t warrant the cost of a movie in the theatres. The characters were typical Disney and although the plot was predictable, it was still fun to watch, so unless you’re dying to get the kids out this holiday season, I suggest you Wait to Rent it for them, or skip it all together. Overall I give this movie a 7 out of 10 and suggest you Wait to Rent.