I was interested to see The Princess and the Frog, because I like to know what Disney's up to and to not give them any money in the process (I'm still bitter about the fact that they get to rewrite copyright law whenever Mickey Mouse is about to enter the public domain).
As you may know, this film has already been much talked about because this is the first black Disney Princess (copyright, trademark, insignia, coat of arms).
They didn't really get into race relations or anything (the movie basically glides over that whole issue, imagining that people 'from every walk of life' live in harmony--which I suppose may have been closer to true in New Orleans than in a lot of places in the 1920s), but I thought Tiana made a fine addition to the Princess line (as far as that goes, and not getting into my mixed feelings about said Princess line itself).
She's admirably spirited, hard-working, not inclined to lie around waiting to be rescued, puts a lot of importance on family, has an ambitious dream, and doesn't get intimidated by royalty or let herself be pushed around.
The story takes place in New Orleans, and of course depicts it beautifully. Lots of gorgeous scenes, lively music, etc. These animators can draw a nice picture.
In case you want a little plot summary: Tiana is a young woman who dreams of owning her own restaurant, and is working two jobs waiting tables to save up money for it. Her friend Charlotte, daughter of the Mardi Gras King, throws a masquerade ball in order to meet Prince Naveen, in town from his far-off land. Prince Naveen, who's a little short on cash, makes an unwise deal with the Shadow Man, who knows mysterious magics and has 'friends on the other side.' Prince Naveen becomes a frog, mistakes Tiana for a princess and gets her to kiss him hoping it will change him back, but instead she turns into a frog herself...and antics ensue as the two frogs head off into the bayou for a series of adventures.
I don't think that gave away anything that wasn't in the preview.
It seemed like there were kind of a lot of musical numbers, which for me means that they didn't all really grab me, but there were some nice showy ones. Fireworks, glowing flowers, etc.
There were the usual comic relief sidekicks (in this case a jazz-loving alligator and a Cajun firefly). The kids in the audience seemed pleased with them. The villain, as usual, had somewhat more flair and punch than many of the sympathetic characters. He also had some great creepy shadows running around to do his bidding. I want shadows to do my bidding!
I appreciated the fact that Tiana's competition for the hand of the prince in the story (Charlotte, a wealthy southern belle) is not presented as being a horrible person. She's a bit shallow, with that whole prince-marrying obsession, and a bit clueless about other people, but she's basically a decent person and Tiana's friend. It's nice to see some indication that female characters can be friends in the movies. (I do wonder idly if she might have been more classic-evil-stepsister-y horrible if she weren't white. Is the movie trying to give us a sympathetic white character in case we can't handle a black--though sometimes frog--main character? Or just trying to show that rich white women and poor black women can totally be best pals?)
The prince also had a bit more character than they sometimes do...he's a playboy and lay-about, but develops, learns and improves through the trials of his adventures with Tiana. Being a frog is good for the soul.
I did not observe a library, or any particular health tie-in, so I'm kind of at a loss there, but no matter. All in all, it was certainly a worthy addition to the Disney Princess (copyright, trademark, insignia, coat of arms) lineup, with a wholesome message about love and hard work and not giving up.
If you have a kid, and you're not totally boycotting Disney, you might as well go see it.
The tune I'm left humming is actually from that Simpsons episode where Marge is in the musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire: "Home of pirates, drunks and whores, New Orleans! Tacky, overpriced souvenir stores!"
But that's just because my mind tends to wander to Simpsons quotes at any excuse.
As my viewing companion said, "Disney may be evil, but they make a great cartoon."
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