The narrative behind “The Princess and the Frog” is that Walt Disney Animation has rediscovered its traditional hand-drawn animation, which has been supplanted by computer-generated cartoons. But this misses the point about what allowed Pixar — which Disney now owns — DreamWorks and other CG-animation companies to upstage the one-time king of the animation world. It’s a thing called story.
So “Princess and the Frog” really marks Disney’s rediscovery of a strong narrative loaded with vibrant characters and mind-bending, hilarious situations. Under the direction of veterans Ron Clements and John Musker (the team behind “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin”) and the watchful eye of Pixar guru John Lasseter, now chief creative officer of Disney Animation, “Princess and the Frog” celebrates old and new: It’s a musical fairy tale that dates back to the days when Walt Disney was a person, not a brand. Yet it deftly mingles with the new sensibilities in animation where fairy tales must get fractured, settings must be fresh and humor pitched to many age levels.
Check, check and double check.
This is the best Disney animated film in years. Audiences — who don’t care whether it’s cel animation, CGI, stop motion, claymation or motion capture as long as it’s a good story — will respond in large numbers. A joyous holiday season is about to begin for Disney.
The title performs a sly bit of misdirection. In the old fairy tale, of course, a princess kisses a frog, the unlovely amphibian turns into a handsome prince and … everyone yawns. In this new fractured version, something quite different happens.
The scene is New Orleans during the Roaring ’20s, and Clements and Musker go crazy with period details drawn from decorative arts, architecture and design styles. This is not just hand-painted animation; it’s characters and backgrounds lovingly drawn by animators in love with that city, the bayous of Louisiana, the black magic of its underworlds and the 1920s themselves.
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