Tiana (Rose) longs to make her late father's dream of owning a restaurant come true. She works hard as a waitress, saving her money to buy the property and cook at her own restaurant. She is too focused to spend time with friends, or fullfill her mother's (Oprah Winfrey) dreams to make a wedding dress and get grandchildren. To reach the final total, Tiana agrees to cook and serve at her wealthy friend Charlotte's (Cody) masquerade party to celebrate Mardi Gras and the arrival of visiting royalty, Prince Naveen (Campos).
Prince Naveen is in trouble. He wants a carefree life, playing jazz and doing what he wants, but his parents are not giving him anymore money, so he needs to marry wealthy... making Charlotte the perfect candidate. But before meeting his future bride, Naveen meets the "shadow man" Dr. Facilier (David), who offers to use his "friends on the other side" to help Naveen get what he wants...
But it isn't that simple, and Naveen becomes a frog.... seeking a princess to give him a kiss and break the spell. When he mistakes Tiana for a princess, she turns into a frog as well...
And Disney animation is back!! Hand drawn animation AND a princess film... heck yes!
But it is more of a re-imagined Disney princess. She doesn't want to be rescued... doesn't want to wish on a star and wait for her prince... she plans to work hard to make her dreams come true. She is determined and quite capable of saving herself. Anika Noni Rose, from Dreamgirls, brings the right amount of sass and fun to the role.
And then there is the character of Charlotte, the princess wanna-be who wears the foofy dresses and waits for her literal prince to show up. The character could easily go wrong, or be overly obnoxious, but Broadway vet Jennifer Cody makes her vulnerable and loveable (which she does with all her Broadway shows, love her). And Bruno Campos is a suave and dashing Prince Naveen... and Michael Leon-Wooley (the voice of Audrey II in the Broadway revival of "Little Shop of Horrors") is great as the jazz loving crocodile Louis. And two well-known voice-over actors appear as well: Keith David as creepy voodoo dude Dr. Facilier and Jim Cummings as the Cajun firefly Ray. What a great cast!
The music, by Randy Newman, is great as well. Fun and upbeat at the right times, serious or sentimental at other times... and always memorable. Worth a listen (check them out at YouTube). Great job Disney, keep on doing hand drawn animation!!!
The Princess and the Frog (2009) 97 minutes
Directors: Ron Clements & John Musker
Starring: Anika Noni Rose as Tiana
Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen
Keith David as Dr. Facilier
Michael Leon-Wooley as Louis
Jennifer Cody as Charlotte
Jim Cummings as Ray
Peter Bartlett as Lawrence
Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie
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