"Disney animation is back on top."
- Rated G
- Who's going to like it: Fans of Disney's classic, hand-drawn Princess films.
- Who's going to like it: Fans of Disney's classic, hand-drawn Princess films.
I wasn't one of those kids that grew up on Disney movies – and because
I didn't have any sisters, I especially didn't grow up enjoying the “princess”
ones. Aladdin was the exception - probably because it's so funny,
vibrant and the male character has just as much on-screen time as the Princess does. To my delight, The Princess And The Frog,
Disney's first hand-drawn animated movie since Home On The Range
(2004), is in the exact same format as Aladdin – so it was easy for me
to fall in love with it.
The Princess And The Frog tells the story of Tiana – a young black woman who grew up in a poor part of New Orleans during the Jazz Era. Every since she was a child, Tiana grew up with fantastic dreams of owning and running a fancy and lively restaurant with her father. Now a young adult, Tiana has lost her father and there's nothing she wants more than to realize their dream in his memory. Everything is thrown askew when the arrogant partier Prince Naveen visits from the Mediterranean. After being transformed into a frog by the villainous “shadowman” Dr. Facilier, Prince Naveen seeks the fabled kiss that will undo his hideous, amphibious transformation.
What separates The Princess And The Frog from the typical fairytale frog-kissing stories of the past is what happens after the two lock lips – Tiana, much like her kissing buddy, is turned into a frog. Together the two insect-eating hoppers travel into the dangerous Bayou to seek help from a creole witch-lady and to find refuge from Facilier's shadow army.
Earlier this week, The Princess And The Frog animators Randy Haycock (Supervising Animator of Prince Naveen) and Bruce Smith (Supervising Animator of Dr. Facilier) sat down to talk to The Reel Place about their latest film.
R.H.: We are very proud of the film. It's the best thing we've done in a long time and I'm as proud about this film as anything I have worked on in many years – probably [since] the Lion King era. We're reaching those kind of heights again in terms of the entertainment value and the appeal of the characters and what the film leaves you with. ... The people aren't seeing “the same old same old.” … There was a time when Disney made these kind of films that nobody else could imitate. People would try, but it never quite felt as great. Even Disney stopped making those kind of films for a while. We had a niche. And we forgot what that niche was – it was making these kinds of films. I'm not saying just “musical fairytales” - Lion King isn't a fairytale – but making films that were about strong storytelling, great characters that resonated with people – that they felt for these characters, they continue to live with these characters after the film is over – but also a lot of humor, romance, emotional qualities that are the things that stay with people. That's what made those films classic. We needed to have that kind of film again.
B.S.: The problem wasn't the medium. The problem was the tone, the types of stories, the types of characters we were trying to tell those stories with. … (Referring to the CG animation of films like Beowulf and The Polar Express) Something about those characters kinda pushes you away. You can't embrace those characters. You don't feel the pure emotional joy or sadness of those characters.
R.H.: There's a certain lack of genuineness about those characters.
B.S.: Yeah, it's hard to explain. It's something you walk away from [without] feeling.
R.H.: When you start animating, you get excited because you make a drawing that moves. But once you're into it and you realize what the power and capability of animation is, you become more excited about the idea that your drawings can move an audience and create emotion in them. That's the real reward.
The Princess And The Frog – just as Haycock and Smith claim – is a rewarding film – not only for children, but for anyone who has ever admired the unique tone of Disney's classic films. Before having seen it most people are recognizing it for being the first Disney fairytale with a black princess. After having seen it, The Princess And The Frog will be known for bringing the spirit of classic Disney film back to life.
Photo credit: Disney Animation Studios
The Princess And The Frog tells the story of Tiana – a young black woman who grew up in a poor part of New Orleans during the Jazz Era. Every since she was a child, Tiana grew up with fantastic dreams of owning and running a fancy and lively restaurant with her father. Now a young adult, Tiana has lost her father and there's nothing she wants more than to realize their dream in his memory. Everything is thrown askew when the arrogant partier Prince Naveen visits from the Mediterranean. After being transformed into a frog by the villainous “shadowman” Dr. Facilier, Prince Naveen seeks the fabled kiss that will undo his hideous, amphibious transformation.
What separates The Princess And The Frog from the typical fairytale frog-kissing stories of the past is what happens after the two lock lips – Tiana, much like her kissing buddy, is turned into a frog. Together the two insect-eating hoppers travel into the dangerous Bayou to seek help from a creole witch-lady and to find refuge from Facilier's shadow army.
Earlier this week, The Princess And The Frog animators Randy Haycock (Supervising Animator of Prince Naveen) and Bruce Smith (Supervising Animator of Dr. Facilier) sat down to talk to The Reel Place about their latest film.
R.H.: We are very proud of the film. It's the best thing we've done in a long time and I'm as proud about this film as anything I have worked on in many years – probably [since] the Lion King era. We're reaching those kind of heights again in terms of the entertainment value and the appeal of the characters and what the film leaves you with. ... The people aren't seeing “the same old same old.” … There was a time when Disney made these kind of films that nobody else could imitate. People would try, but it never quite felt as great. Even Disney stopped making those kind of films for a while. We had a niche. And we forgot what that niche was – it was making these kinds of films. I'm not saying just “musical fairytales” - Lion King isn't a fairytale – but making films that were about strong storytelling, great characters that resonated with people – that they felt for these characters, they continue to live with these characters after the film is over – but also a lot of humor, romance, emotional qualities that are the things that stay with people. That's what made those films classic. We needed to have that kind of film again.
B.S.: The problem wasn't the medium. The problem was the tone, the types of stories, the types of characters we were trying to tell those stories with. … (Referring to the CG animation of films like Beowulf and The Polar Express) Something about those characters kinda pushes you away. You can't embrace those characters. You don't feel the pure emotional joy or sadness of those characters.
R.H.: There's a certain lack of genuineness about those characters.
B.S.: Yeah, it's hard to explain. It's something you walk away from [without] feeling.
R.H.: When you start animating, you get excited because you make a drawing that moves. But once you're into it and you realize what the power and capability of animation is, you become more excited about the idea that your drawings can move an audience and create emotion in them. That's the real reward.
The Princess And The Frog – just as Haycock and Smith claim – is a rewarding film – not only for children, but for anyone who has ever admired the unique tone of Disney's classic films. Before having seen it most people are recognizing it for being the first Disney fairytale with a black princess. After having seen it, The Princess And The Frog will be known for bringing the spirit of classic Disney film back to life.
Photo credit: Disney Animation Studios
(4 out of 5)
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