The Princess and the Frog

[Watashi]

Full Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6DmEgtibOg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfil m.com%2F2009%2F05%2F09%2Fthe-full-movie-trailer-for-disneys-the-princess-and-the-frog%2F&feature=player_embedded)

Good ole' Disney is back.

[lovejuice]

holy...fucking...shit....that' s good. is it a musical? who compose?

[Watashi]

holy...fucking...shit....that' s good. is it a musical? who compose?
Randy Newman

[Watashi]

It's also being done by the guys behind Great Mouse Detective, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules.

[Mysterious Dude]

With this film and Up, I hope 2009 will reintroduce a little more variety into mainstream animation. I'm getting a little tired of all the talking animals/inanimate objects.

[number8]

With this film and Up, I hope 2009 will reintroduce a little more variety into mainstream animation. I'm getting a little tired of all the talking animals/inanimate objects.

Unfortunately, the main character here is a talking animal.

But it's okay, I know what you mean.

[Sycophant]

As Musker & Clements's first film in seven years and Disney's first traditionally animated film in five years, I'm looking forward to it. However, I'm hoping it isn't as underwhelming as that trailer. Ah, well. At least it looks pretty.

[[ETM]]

With this film and Up, I hope 2009 will reintroduce a little more variety into mainstream animation. I'm getting a little tired of all the talking animals/inanimate objects.

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but: http://www.thesecretofkells.com/

[lovejuice]

As Musker & Clements's first film in seven years and Disney's first traditionally animated film in five years, I'm looking forward to it. However, I'm hoping it isn't as underwhelming as that trailer. Ah, well. At least it looks pretty.

this reminds me of your frog animation. you should do more.

[Dukefrukem]

Randy Newman

Fat man with his kids and dog. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqAblOEoclc)

[Sycophant]

this reminds me of your frog animation. you should do more.

Hey, thanks. I'm actually thinking I'm going to try to get a short Flash animation series up this Fall.

[Grouchy]

;161259']I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but: http://www.thesecretofkells.com/
Hey, that's effing beautiful. Hadn't heard of it.

[[ETM]]

Hey, that's effing beautiful. Hadn't heard of it.

Yeah, it drives me crazy - no one has, apparently. Even though it opened in February in Ireland, France and Belgium. Wikipedia says May 1sty for UK, too.

I've been dying to see it for some time now. There's a video floating around Youtube - the guys who made it took the film to Pixar and screened it for the animators there, and there was a Q&A session. The Pixar guys asked to see it again.

[Watashi]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2009/05/princess--the-frog_teaser-poster_99089crop-(2).jpg

[Wryan]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2009/05/princess--the-frog_teaser-poster_99089crop-(2).jpg

Not black enough.

Also, what's with the skull and crossbones hat? Awesome as that is, where have the days gone wherein we could only tell a villain by his unAmericanness?

[Sycophant]

See that firefly with the accordion? Fuck. Me.

I've never much cared for Disney theatrical posters. The overshading looks strange. And is it just me or is this one trying to convince me the film is CG?

The characters' skin also looks purposely ambiguous in color.

[Saya]

Ronaldinho pirate?

http://www.guillembalague.com/galeria/22rumores_guillem_p/500px-Ronaldinho_11feb2007.jpg

[Wryan]

The characters' skin also looks purposely ambiguous in color.

Twas a joke re: the hullabaloo.

[lovejuice]

i love the bayou setting. it reminds me of a musical adaptation of Peer Gynt set in the south.

[Kurosawa Fan]

As Musker & Clements's first film in seven years and Disney's first traditionally animated film in five years, I'm looking forward to it. However, I'm hoping it isn't as underwhelming as that trailer. Ah, well. At least it looks pretty.

This.

[KK2.0]

As Musker & Clements's first film in seven years and Disney's first traditionally animated film in five years, I'm looking forward to it. However, I'm hoping it isn't as underwhelming as that trailer. Ah, well. At least it looks pretty.

This too.

The Secret of Kells actually impressed me more, even with the animation not being as fluid, the imagination and art direction at display was inspiring.

[Henry Gale]

Better version of the poster without that overly bluey green tint Amazon pictures often have:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2009/05/image002-(2).jpg

And was anyone else surprised by the reveal in the trailer? I haven't really been keeping up with plot for this but when they showed her kissing the frog turned into one herself, I was a bit puzzled. I mean I was kind of wondering how they were going to keep up that main conflict for the entire length and not make it seem like Beauty & The Beast all over again, but I guess this is how they're going about it. It just seems strange that for a princess Disney has put so much emphasis on her physical attributes, to have her as a frog for the majority of the movie seems like the type of thing they would keep hidden in the marketing (similar to how Dreamsworks did with Fiona in the first Shrek).

The animation in the trailer looks pretty spectacular, though.

[lovejuice]

her kissing the frog turned into one herself, I was a bit puzzled. I mean I was kind of wondering how they were going to keep up that main conflict for the entire length and not make it seem like Beauty & The Beast all over again, but I guess this is how they're going about it. It just seems strange that for a princess Disney has put so much emphasis on her physical attributes, to have her as a frog for the majority of the movie seems like the type of thing they would keep hidden in the marketing (similar to how Dreamsworks did with Fiona in the first Shrek).
on the other hand, to me, the princess and the frog, along with its variations, is among the least interesting fables. i can't imagine a feature length animation made from the original concept. showing that spoiler in the trailer, i think, is a good idea to assure audiences this movie will be somewhat interesting.

[Mara]

If I recall, the film isn't based on the fairy tale, but based on this (http://www.amazon.com/Frog-Princess-Tales/dp/1582349231/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242238344&sr=8-2) book, which was based on the fairy tale. The book doesn't look very good, but Disney has always adapted very loosely.

[number8]

Hmmm. Much better than I expected, but not really that good.

[megladon8]

Hmmm. Much better than I expected, but not really that good.


So it's not a new Disney classic?

That's too bad to hear.

I hope it does well enough that they continue doing these classic animation projects and are able to get a few new classics under their belt.

Disney is still magical to me.

[number8]

I think my problem is that it tries to emulate the classics.

It sets up a very modern character—a woman who is not a princess and pursues a hard-working dream of her own instead of pining for a man to rescue her—and then towards the end there's an unconvincing turn out of nowhere where she suddenly turns into every other Disney princess by stating that her dream wouldn't be complete without her Prince Charming. It's incredibly off-putting.

[MadMan]

I'm starting to think I'm the only one who isn't interested in this at all.

[BuffaloWilder]

That firefly is just a hideous character.

Disney's still got it.

[baby doll]

I'm starting to think I'm the only one who isn't interested in this at all.Personally, I'm far more interested in it as a representation of African-American life than as a movie per se (and the same goes for Precious). After what Dinsey did to the Middle East in Aladin, Africa in The Lion King, the Native Americans in Pocahontas, and China in Mulan, it's about friggin' time they found a way to make money off of black people in New Orleans by reducing them to a kitschy stereotype.

From Scott Foundas' review in the Village Voice:

"Disney's first black 'princess' lives in a world where the ceiling on black ambition is firmly set at the service industries, and Tiana and her neighbors seem downright zip-a-dee-doo-dah happy about that."

[megladon8]

Yet replace it with a white woman whose "ceiling on ambition is set at the service industry" and no one says a word.

If a white guy says he'd be perfectly happy working at a gas station for the rest of his life and that's what he aims to do, people say nothing. In fact they'd probably support him in his endeavor for happiness over monetary wealth.

If a black guy says this, it's some huge racial issue where this one guy is made to represent how all black people have no ambition in life, and in turn how this is incredibly racist.

[baby doll]

Yet replace it with a white woman whose "ceiling on ambition is set at the service industry" and no one says a word.

If a white guy says he'd be perfectly happy working at a gas station for the rest of his life and that's what he aims to do, people say nothing. In fact they'd probably support him in his endeavor for happiness over monetary wealth.

If a black guy says this, it's some huge racial issue where this one guy is made to represent how all black people have no ambition in life, and in turn how this is incredibly racist.That's racist. (Joking!) But seriously, in North America, black people don't have the same opportunities as white people. I think the key word here is "ceiling"; in the world of the story, if a white person is talented and hard working, they can go far, and an equally talented, hard working black person... well, at least there's the service industry. You might not get rich, but it sure beats diggin' a ditch.

[megladon8]

But does the movie actually show this view, or are people going in with their own pre-conceived notions of racial dilemma and this is affecting their thoughts on what is actually presented?

I have a very hard time believing that this modern-day Disney film shows white people who are rich and successful, then pointedly shows blacks who work hard and are unable to attain anything higher than service-level jobs.

I mean, if this is the case, then yeah, that's some fucking twisted stuff right there. But I doubt this is the case.

[baby doll]

But does the movie actually show this view, or are people going in with their own pre-conceived notions of racial dilemma and this is affecting their thoughts on what is actually presented?

I have a very hard time believing that this modern-day Disney film shows white people who are rich and successful, then pointedly shows blacks who work hard and are unable to attain anything higher than service-level jobs.

I mean, if this is the case, then yeah, that's some fucking twisted stuff right there. But I doubt this is the case.This seems a fair point regarding people bringing their own pre-conceived notions to the film. However, I don't have a hard time believing that Disney is thoroughly racist, since modern Hollywood in general is full of ugly stereotypes (Lost in Translation, anyone?) Incidentally, if The Princess and the Frog had made a point of hard working black folk not being able to attain success in America, in order to show racism rather than painting over it, people would probably be praising it for that reason alone.

[number8]

Eh. It does, sort of. Tiana's whole goal in life is to open her own restaurant, so she works two waitressing jobs to save up the money for the down payment. The "ceiling" here is just because she never talks about anything else, she doesn't seem to have had any education. She just wants a restaurant. They contrast her with her best friend, who's a rich white girl who helps her out by giving her money and nice stuff. I think the point of the criticism is that, with Disney's previous white characters, they end up as a rich Princess living happily ever after, while here she stays working class.

I have more problem with the sexism than any perceived racism, to be honest. The film keeps harping on about the difference between "what you want" and "what you need." Apparently, what she wants is her own restaurant, but what she really needs is a Prince. It's pretty appalling that the film suggests that marrying a deadbeat is better than pursuing your dream career, because at least you're married to a man.

[Sycophant]

As Musker & Clements's first film in seven years and Disney's first traditionally animated film in five years, I'm looking forward to it. However, I'm hoping it isn't as underwhelming as that trailer. Ah, well. At least it looks pretty.

I feel significantly less like this than I did 7 months ago.

[lovejuice]

I feel significantly less like this than I did 7 months ago.
which part? the looking forward and pretty or the underwhelming?

[Sycophant]

which part? the looking forward and pretty or the underwhelming?

I've been pretty much sapped of any desire to see this film. The marketing is abhorrent, what with its focus on that fucking firefly. Why the hell would I want to watch a movie with that bullshit in it? Did we learn nothing from the nineties?

The commentary on its social perspective (especially after the outrage I felt at 2007's Enchanted) put out by number8 and others has me somewhat troubled, too. And visually, it looks competent, but I guess I'm not really as eager to see a traditional 2-D Disney animated film as I thought I was. In a season where I'm going to probably miss at least a third of the films I want to see and would enjoy, why should I prioritize this?

I was planning on trying to drag people with me to it before. Now I'll only go see it in theaters if dragged.

[Watashi]

I really see nothing wrong with the firefly character at all.

How is he any different from any Disney stock stereotype character?

[Sycophant]

I really see nothing wrong with the firefly character at all.

How is he any different from any Disney stock stereotype character?

Yup.

[Watashi]

I was planning on trying to drag people with me to it before. Now I'll only go see it in theaters if dragged.

Oh c'mon. Really? You've been really grumpy all year about this year's offerings.

I don't think the film looks good at all, but there's still plenty of potential there and the fact that the team involved has been with the company for years is a good sign. I'll gladly settle on the classic 2D princess formula over some of the Mouse's recent animated "efforts".

Plus I have two sisters who dress up as Belle and Jasmine every year for Halloween who are dying to see this film (who in reality are the real target audience).

[Watashi]

Yup.
Okay.

[number8]

Okay.

Your question was pretty much asking for it.

[number8]

By the way, forget the social perspective. The film's biggest crime is that, instead of populating the soundtrack with actual Jazz-age music, it's just more Randy Newman's bullshit.

That really pissed me off.

[Sycophant]

Plus I have two sisters who dress up as Belle and Jasmine every year for Halloween who are dying to see this film (who in reality are the real target audience).

If I had a child who wanted to see this, I would most certainly see this. I don't.

Please note that in my posts you will find no moral judgment of the company or people who made this, or the audiences that will see it. I've just lost interest.

[Winston*]

I don't think you should be seeing this movie in theatres if you are an adult male not taking children. It's a Disney Princess movie, that's creepy, wait for DVD. number8 gets a pass because it's his job.

[Ivan Drago]

By the way, forget the social perspective. The film's biggest crime is that, instead of populating the soundtrack with actual Jazz-age music, it's just more Randy Newman's bullshit.

That really pissed me off.

Ouch.

[Sycophant]

Armond White's review (http://www.nypress.com/article-20657-bait-and-switch.html) closes with these lines:


"Yet, Tiana’s insipid frog exploits reveal no special subcultural intelligence or ingenuity such as the Joel Chandler Harris creatures in Disney’s fascinating, misunderstood and ready-for-revival Song of the South. Those creatures were historically, authentically, enlighteningly black, but this disingenuous Princess is a toad. "

[Sven]

Song of the South really is one of the most unjustly maligned films ever, especially considering its pleasure and especially especially considering how much blatant racism there is in Hollywood films still.

[Fezzik]

I don't think you should be seeing this movie in theatres if you are an adult male not taking children. It's a Disney Princess movie, that's creepy, wait for DVD. number8 gets a pass because it's his job.

Let them think I'm creepy. I've seen every Disney animated film opening weekend since 1990.

I see no reason that should change now.

(and yes, I'll happily admit that I'm a Disney fan-boy, or was, before some of the tripe they turned out earlier this decade).

[Fezzik]

I'm sure I'll be in the minority here, but I adored this.

I went in expecting to hate the Firefly (Ray) but he really was quite an endearing little sidekick character.

Disney did some rather risky things with him. His arc and resolution were actually quite poetic.

I love that Tiana is a hard-working, bust-her-ass type who believes that wishing for something is less than half the work.

I disagree that she gives up on her dream at the end for the sake of getting a man.

I think its clear that she isn't willing to take the easy way out - and she wanted both. Why can't she have both? Where is that written?

If it meant more work, fine, but she wasn't gonna half-ass it.

The score wasn't bad either. I've heard better, but it was pretty catchy. The one song that stands out for me is Dr. Facilier's - 'Friends on the Other Side.'

Oh, and there is some rather disturbing imagery in this movie. It creeped me out a bit and I could see it making a young'un a little squirmy.

[Watashi]

Really liked it. I really expected an Enchanted-type of film that catered towards the fairy tale bullshit type of crowd. The ending can be kind of seen as a cop-out, but it's handled better due to the character of Charlotte who is probably one of the more decent characters Disney has created.

Also really liked the firefly. I didn't think he was stereotyped at all.

[number8]

Charlotte was my favorite too.

[lovejuice]

absolutely charming. though, the movie's quite a mixed bag with a lot of hits 'n' misses. understandably since they aim to cater old-fashioned princess ideology for the post-911 generation (some of which didn't even experience 911 first hand.) with the ending, they try too hard to give tiana the best of both worlds. this conflict reminds me of disney's older princesses like belle and ariel who can actually get both without even trying. the fault perhaps lies with the age not the movie.

it saddens me the princess and the frog does not succeed more, and yet if this back-to-2d turns out to be a one time deal, the movie will be among the more interesting disney animations.

[Bosco B Thug]

Charlotte should have been our heroine.

OoooOoOooh. :D

[Bosco B Thug]

Naw, yeah, this was quite charming and funny and consistently cute, with its heart and intentions in a good place despite critics' overexamination. But alas, of course it's pretty all-around safe and, yeah, even if you can't quite blame it for its overall plot, I just didn't want to watch a film where three-quarters of it is watching our princess as a frog.

[KK2.0]

finally watched this, i agree with the complaints about the script, awkwardly trying to balance between the old fashioned princess stereotypes and modern concerns, fortunately i was entertained by some of the best sidekicks i've seen on a Disney movie in a long time. loved Charlotte, the jazz gator and was quite surprised with the Firefly as well, and the animation was beautiful as expected, while not as unforgettable as i hoped, it was a solid return to 2D for Disney, i'm more hyped for Rapunzel/Entangled or whatever they're calling it now.

[Sycophant]

I finally saw this. It was... um, pretty dreadful, really. None of the comedy was funny (except maybe some of the firefly and his love, Evangeline). The songs were forgettable and didn't usually help to advance or enhance the story or characters. The love story felt insincere, not helped by the prince is really poorly developed, and the falling in love came off exceptionally unconvincing. It moves at a breakneck speed as if to cover up the fact that there's nothing here. The animation wasn't even that pretty (except that very stylized, pretty nifty retro animation) with every damn thing far too exaggerated; sometimes, even the highlights and shading on the characters actually looked pretty lulzworthy.

It's certainly no Tangled.

The film seemed almost too conscious of its importance as Disney's first hand-drawn feature in so long. Its cameos (Triton and a few others) were gratuitous instead of fun. The entire plot seems to echo previous classic features far too consciously. And I swear a lot of stagings were cribbed, too.

Not a good movie.