Like many little girls growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, Disney Princesses were my obsession. One of our family’s favorite home made videos stars a 4 year old me confessing to my grandfather that I would literally die if Santa did not give me the Little Mermaid hand-held game for Christmas. I can remember twirling around my room in my yellow dress and deciding that when I grew up I wanted to live in a castle, have a talking tea pot, and a massive library of books like Belle. Disney has made a modern empire out of princess related movies, dolls, costumes, band-aids, and pez dispensers. The new film, The Princess and the Frog, provides a much-needed update to the outdated Disney Princesses, while returning to the original animation and musical style of the classics.
My favorite thing about The Princess and the Frog is the more modern and empowering message behind the main character. Many of the past Disney Princess movies are based on classic fairytales. While I appreciate that Disney has tried to maintain the integrity of these stories, many of them portray century old messages for young girls that are contrary to modern beliefs about the roles and abilities of women. Lets take The Little Mermaid, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story. Sixteen year-old Ariel is a mermaid who pines over a human prince named Eric. Ariel trades her voice for legs in order to be with Eric. Ariel literally changes herself for a man she doesn’t know and is married just days after actually meeting him. Other Disney Princess stories, such as Snow White, reflect similar images of women who do nothing but sit around all day and wait for their prince charming to save them from their “difficult” lives and the ball and chain of something no woman should ever have to do…. work.
The Princess and the Frog, however, depicts a strong young woman named Tiana who has a dream of her own, starting a restaurant in New Orleans. Tiana makes efforts to achieve this dream by working multiple jobs and saving money. Along the way Tiana meets a prince in the form of a frog. After kissing the frog, Tiana is also transformed into a frog and the two fall in love. Without revealing too much of the story, Tiana is able to stumble upon true love and still pursue her own dream of owning a restaurant. This is a major change from previous Disney Princess movies by the addition of a strong female character. The writers even go so far as to add a character, Charlotte, who is a complete mockery of the traditional Disney Princess image of a girl waiting for her prince. Disney hit the mark by adding to their family of princesses a woman with strong work ethic and meaningful goals who stumbled upon love, rather than spending her life waiting for prince charming. The plot is fun and the frog couple meets a variety of loveable characters who add a good dose of humor to the film.
Another thing I loved about the Princess and the Frog is the good ol’ fashioned 2D animation. While I enjoy the work Pixar has been doing and am fascinated by the recent boom in 3D films, the classic, no gimmicky, 2D animation used here is both nostalgic and refreshing. Randy Newman catches the spirit of New Orleans in the many memorable blues and jazz influenced music sequences throughout the film. Ray the firefly’s sweet, though delusional, ballad “Ma Belle Evangeline” is easily one of my favorite cartoon musical moments. Overall I really enjoyed the Princess and the Frog. I was impressed by it’s more modern message, classic animation, and catchy soundtrack. I recommend it to both children and adults!
Way to go, Mav! It took you long enough to finally blog, but it was well worth the wait as you hit this one out of the park. I love your thoughtful analysis infused with humorous childhood vignettes.
ReplyDeleteIf we hadn't already seen it as a family, your post would make me want my daughters to see the film.
As you know, I tweeted about this film after seeing it and I, too, felt it marked a refreshing return to "Classic Disney Animation," but with a twist. Whereas I focused on the setting of the film, as well as the exhilarating use of jazz, gospel, and zydeco; I did not focus on the departure from traditional princess roles embodied in Tiana and comically juxtaposed with Charlotte. Thank you for that analysis. Well done!