The Princess and the Frog - Movie Review

Though the girls are past the age of demanding to catch the latest Disney release, we're not and so we saw The Princess and the Frog. Forget the hype about this being the first Disney to feature an African-American princess; I suppose that's an important point to those who think that race matters. Like all good Disney animated films, you'll enjoy it for the characters, story, and wonderful animation - nobody does it better. But this one's an exception to the rule; Randy Newman's score and songs fall flat. They feel forced and crammed into the story, as if Disney, wanting to replicate its past successes, felt compelled to include music and songs, any kind of songs, regardless of their quality.

In some ways, the movie is derivative. Sure, we've seen this story before, where the plucky heroine sticks to her belief in herself to overcome the odds. But the setting is different and imaginative and conjures up an alternative reality that's interesting, so I'll give it that. Not Disney's best by any means but a solid entry in their canon.