The Princess and the Frog

traditional ‘follow-your-dreams’ narrative. It’s also the first film from the House of Mouse to have an African-American as the major character since 1946’s film-that-must-not-be-mentioned ‘Song of the South’. Anika Noni Rose voices heroine Tiana, a young woman living with her seamstress mother in post WW1 New Orleans. Her father failed to return from the war and Tiana, determined to fulfil his dream of opening a fancy eating place (speciality Gumbo), works double shifts as a waitress to raise the requisite funds. She attends a party held in honour of visiting royalty, thrown by her ditzy white Southern Belle friend Charlotte (Cody) where Tiana hopes to meet Prince Naveen of Malvolia (Campos). Alas the arrogant egotistical Prince only has eyes for Charlotte. Before Naveen can make his move he is transformed into a frog by an evil voodoo-wielding Dr. Facillier (David) who plans to plant his own substitute in Naveen’s place. Frog Naveen manages to make it to Anika’s balcony where he asks for a kiss in order to be returned to human form. Tiana acquiesces but the kiss backfires (Tiana is not a princess, you see) and she is transformed into a frog. The duo make their perilous way through the bayou in search of eccentric witch Madame Odie (Lewis) who they hope will be able to reverse the spell. En route they gradually build a mutual respect, and encounter a jazz loving alligator (Wooley) and a simple but big-hearted firefly Ray (Cummings). So determined seem Disney to ensure that their heroine is a positive representation of African-Americans, women, ambitious waitresses, frogs etc, that doughty and determined Tiana often comes over as dull and over earnest, and for large sections of the film just fades in to the background while the other, far more entertaining, supporting characters do their stuff. Randy Newman’s songs are breezily enjoyable but his score lacks a real killer tune. And even though Newman is a veteran purveyor of musical uplift for Disney, hearing the barbed satirist rhapsodising about segregation-era Louisiana as a place where ‘dreams come true’ still feels a little weird. Caveats aside, Disney still know how to rattle off a tale and the vividly-coloured old school animation is often stunning, particularly the Harlem Renaissance-influenced fantasy sequence illustrating Tiana’s dream of owning a grand, ornate restaurant. And the conclusion, in which one of the supporting characters reaches for their star, is surprisingly moving.- David Willoughby

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