AndromacheRey
This cartoon is both the beginning and the end. It's the beginning of Modern era of Disney Princess. And end the era of traditional animation for the iconic Disney cartoon series."Old-fashioned" Released at the wrong time, this creation was like delayed child. If it came out 10-15 years earlier, before the rise of 3D animation, it probably would be a gem in the crown of the cartoon princesses... Dreams, dreams...Familiar and new story. Familiar and new ideas On the one hand, "the frog asked for a kiss, because it was a handsome prince". And this story has been improved by Disney. Plot turns constantly show us that it is not what it seems. Misleading title, misleading characters... You can't deny the creation has a lot of courage. On the other hand, The Princess and the Frog has a familiar story that resembles previous Disney cartoons and at the same time it's original. The novelty was primarily in the subject, in the action that takes place in the real world in America, in the characters - African Americans and in unexpected plot twists. This film certainly shows us an old skeleton - a prince and princess, love line test... The film also has a certain mystique and darkness, which reminds of "The Little Mermaid" or "Aladdin" or Golden era of Disney Princess. It summarizes all the best ideas of good old cartoons: love need and worth fighting for, love will overcome all obstacles, be kind, friendly, hardworking, help others, love your family and nature, self-sacrifice for others... And yet, there are new important ideas set forth in this film: be hardworking, really hardworking, honest, never forget what you already have, have your dream, desire it with all your heart and do everything for it, but don't let your goal blinding you, be open for changes... And it's always nice to know that the princess was not fixated on love, like most of her predecessors.Multilayer characters This is definitely something you will like the most in this film. Each character is very different from another. Seriously, the story brings together such different personalities that you can only wonder how easily writers spend so colorful characters, which would be enough for several cartoons. Again, here each person is not who he/she seems... The princess is not a princess, the daughter of a rich man is not daughter of rich man, and alligator is not that toothy and scary swamp witch... Well, you will see. Can I say, after watching you'll love every positive character? Tiana, Prince Naveen, gator Louise, firefly Ray, Mama Odie, Charlotte... Each is simply fascinating, makes you fall in love with him, behind caricature or frivolity hidden soul that can be humane and sensual. Minor characters are not playing the role of the background. They influence the story, interact with the main characters and everyone has a wonderful story line that will not leave you unmoved. Tiana and Naveen relations... They have the remarkable confrontation of "Pocahontas" and "Mulan 2" and you just fall in love with this couple and their relationship. Tiana is one of those bad-ass princesses who can stand up for herself. She is not naive, and really focused and hardworking. Again, she is not fixated on love, and her relationship with parents is touching. She's not just there; she understands how life works and goes to her goal, but fair. It is a delight to watch, especially when we talk about "Disney Princess cartoon". And I would also like to note that Prince Naveen (as the main male character) plays an important role here, and he is also the main character beside Tiana, because we see how he changes throughout the film. Evolves naturally and not force. And we see the complete equality in relations with Tiana, which makes it realistic and attractive. Actually Prince Naveen is also very attractive too.Atmosphere This cartoon has the atmosphere of the old Disney cartoons and special charm of a small town - New Orleans in 1920s. There's intertwining of different cultures - American, African, French, European and jazz... The mood of the film in the first place positive comedy, There are skillfully woven into it drama, cartoons, mysticism, and even tragedy. And, of course, a pinch of romance. It is through positive, inspired, somewhat naive attitude, painting captivated the hearts of the audience, mesmerizing and after watching you feel great. This sensation leads back to watching again and again.Visual I am not an expert in drawing cartoon and visuals in general. But as a simple spectator, I want to say that the cartoon looks visually for all 105 million. I am thrilled with the work of artists and worship their talent.Conclusion I just love this cartoon. It is a masterpiece. Beautiful, multifaceted characters, unusual story, a strong message, atmosphere of good old Disney and incredible visual work make this perfect. The Princess and the Frog will like people of all ages, because it is a traditional animation, yet contemporary themes and issues. What is important in this, it would seem, cartoon about the Princess is an incredible balance between men and women, including the main couple. Equality smells in the air. So this cartoon I would call ideal feminist film (when we talk about true equality, not superiority of women).P. S. What more I can say, when even the story line of minor character touched me so deeply that I cried...
Hermione Granger
I was excited about the movie before I watched it. We have a black princess, its 2D, and this is from the directors of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid! What could go wrong with it? Almost everything. No wonder this didn't get much attention. We have evil spirits, unmemorable songs, and the ONLY black princess being a frog for most of the movie. Plot: Tiana and Naveen were frogs for most of the movie, which really dragged it. The plot was super weird, and it could have done without Voodoo, which was creepy even in cartoon. It had kids screaming in theaters.Characters: I like Tiana (who is a fabulous singer and role model), Naveen at the end, and Dr. Facilier, but no one else. One of the characters died, but I didn't feel any attachment and wasn't sad to see him/her go.Music: I love, love, love the songs, "Almost There" and "Friends on the Other Side," but the rest isn't memorable. Fun, yes. Energetic, yes. Something that gets stuck in your head? Nope. They were actually written by the person who did Toy Story's songs.Animation: The hand-drawn cartoons were just gorgeous! It's in a beautiful style I can't describe. Humor: Spot-on! I was continuously laughing. Really, everything that was supposed to make me laugh made me laugh, except for the firefly Ray being in love with a star, which was just plain weird. Message: The lesson is good, but it's not strong or clear. It's "try harder to find what you really need."Acting and voices: The acting was good but some voices annoying. The old woman, Ray, and Charlotte's voices annoyed me, especially Charlotte's. She was high-pitched and squeaky, constantly bugging me.In the end, Tiana is a fabulous role model, character, and singer. We have gorgeous animation and a great lesson, even though the latter isn't very strong. However, the movie did not deserve to be rated G just because the Voodoo was in cartoon. Tiana isn't human for even half of the movie, but 33% (I actually calculated that). This is not worth watching again. I honestly would've liked it and wouldn't even have minded the songs being done by Randy Newman if Tiana had been a frog for a shorter amount of time and there hadn't been Voodoo.
