The Princess and the Frog – Review

The Shattuck Cinema’s showing of the new Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog, was far from crowded. In fact, the theater held about 25 people, the majority of them over the age of 12. As the movie began, six high school girls sat in the third row, hyperventilating with excitement, myself included. The opening scene was reminiscent of an older Disney movie, from the animation to the original music. However, there was one major difference. This movie starred the first-ever black Disney princess.

The Princess and the Frog was set in New Orleans in the early 1900s. It features Tiana as the young protagonist, and follows her struggle to earn the money to start her own restaurant through hard work and lots of saving. It also brings together the stories of Charlotte, the daughter of a wealthy sugar mill owner, and Naveen, a foreign prince who is accustomed to extravagant parties and the easy life.

Naveen is low on money and must therefore marry Charlotte to gain access to her fortune. However, soon after the ship from Maldonia arrives, he manages to get himself mixed up in New Orleans voodoo and is turned into a frog. Believing he can reverse the spell by receiving a kiss from a princess, he approaches Tiana, who he mistakes for royalty. After convincing her that he can reward her, she agrees to kiss him. Unfortunately, the arrangement does not go as planned, and Tiana is also turned into a frog. Chaos and excitement ensues in their endeavor to escape evil and become human once again.

One thing that I found disappointing was simply the timing of the first black Disney princess. Disney has had decades to come out with a black character, and yet, in 2009 with our first black president, they have finally chosen to. Perhaps this is just coincidence, and perhaps I’m overanalyzing. However, whatever the reason, I certainly hope Disney continues this trend.

Ultimately, the movie exceeded my expectations, although they were quite high. The plot, while a little formulaic, was still enjoyable, and the music added a lot, even though it wasn’t up to par with the old Disney musicals. My generation grew up with movies such as Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan and The Beauty and the Beast, and The Princess and the Frog was a nice reminder of movies like this. I have always felt bad for children of younger generations, because they had to grow up with movies like High School Musical and The Hannah Montana Movie. Perhaps this movie represents a return to enjoyable movies for Disney. I know there would be at least one person who would relish the change.