As the 2000s exit, we can look back at CGI animation with mixed feelings. Pixar has always scored with their movies, but Disney, Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox has had their hits and misses in CGI, enough so that Lasseter has done the right thing, resurrecting the House of Mouse by bringing back traditional animation. The Princess and the Frog screams of ambition and effort. Plot, action and character are crammed firmly tight into 90 minutes of wall-to-wall animation, with the dancing, movement and Broadway scores tuned right up to 11 to create an excellent feature.
One problem with 2D animation is the generational gap. I firmly enjoyed the film but the kids around me under the age of 10 did not. One of the kids, who is 9, took out his Nintendo DS during the movie. "It's boring, I don't want to watch it." I think the hardest, yet boldest, move on Disney's part was setting the movie in the bayou. They stuck to their guns, and it's possible they invested for the long haul in Princess Tiana. Right now, in a time of Christmas, Avatar, and a whole generation of crummy 2D animated films (Home on the Range? Anyone?), that preceded this wonder, Princess and the Frog had a very big uphill slope to climb. A success critically yet underwhelming domestically, Disney has to go back to the drawing board and dig deep, now that they've dusted off their papers, pencils and ink. Which is a shame, simply because Princess and the Frog really is a smart and fun movie.
What makes Princess and the Frog great? It's largely due to character. Prince Naveen is far removed from any other prince in Disney's world. He's a layabout, and it results in his family dilemma. He's flawed but he knows the difference between right and wrong. He's charismatic, yet it works to his disadvantage. Then there's Tiana herself, a Princess unafraid to run herself into the ground, so to speak. The Shadowman, Dr. Facilier, our main antagonist, is something or other. These characters, and everyone else for that matter, are exceptionally important to why this movie is so great. It's about the story, and Princess and the Frog has made a decent effort at providing a contemporary take on old themes. I look forward to what Disney has in store.
One problem with 2D animation is the generational gap. I firmly enjoyed the film but the kids around me under the age of 10 did not. One of the kids, who is 9, took out his Nintendo DS during the movie. "It's boring, I don't want to watch it." I think the hardest, yet boldest, move on Disney's part was setting the movie in the bayou. They stuck to their guns, and it's possible they invested for the long haul in Princess Tiana. Right now, in a time of Christmas, Avatar, and a whole generation of crummy 2D animated films (Home on the Range? Anyone?), that preceded this wonder, Princess and the Frog had a very big uphill slope to climb. A success critically yet underwhelming domestically, Disney has to go back to the drawing board and dig deep, now that they've dusted off their papers, pencils and ink. Which is a shame, simply because Princess and the Frog really is a smart and fun movie.
What makes Princess and the Frog great? It's largely due to character. Prince Naveen is far removed from any other prince in Disney's world. He's a layabout, and it results in his family dilemma. He's flawed but he knows the difference between right and wrong. He's charismatic, yet it works to his disadvantage. Then there's Tiana herself, a Princess unafraid to run herself into the ground, so to speak. The Shadowman, Dr. Facilier, our main antagonist, is something or other. These characters, and everyone else for that matter, are exceptionally important to why this movie is so great. It's about the story, and Princess and the Frog has made a decent effort at providing a contemporary take on old themes. I look forward to what Disney has in store.