Reviews of The Princess and the Frog
Displaying all 4 reviews
Destroy Apathy
28Jan11
What Happened:
Set in New Orleans, this is an inversion of both the Princess and the Frog tale along with he Disney Princess mythos (see below). The frog-based inversion comes as the Princess is turned into a frog after her reptilian kiss rather than revealing the frog as her prince. They then commence their journey to try and regain their human forms, foil the vilain’s plot to acquire power and wealth, all whilst finding a great deal about themselves, each other, the world, etc, etc. So nothing structurally outside the box, but it doesn’t need to be; it does what it needs to do strcturally and creates all the interest thematically.
What I read as its theme/message:
As eluded to above, it was primarily about admitting to some of the wrongs that Disney may have been guilty of in the past – reinforcing dominant ideologies, marginalising difference and the likes (Note that these features of Disney have in no way affected my enjoyment of some of the greats). Therefore not only was the lead the cultural other, the friend of the – to be expected – Disney Princess archetype, the black working class daughter of a maid, but she at no point showed the ‘need’ for her prince, her knight in shining armour, to save her. She embodied what would be expected of the empowered, yet still proudly feminine figure. The balance was struck by making her not ‘need’ these things but still to ‘want’ them, ultimately making the ‘right’ choice after believing she didn’t have her prince. This balance ensured that the film charmed in a way that Disney manages to do, was full of passion and whimsy, but the emphasis on want rather than need took her away from being a ‘passive’ female, yet not too far to be wooden and preachy; she was a well rounded individual.
What it did particularly well:
It was as charming and as fun as a Disney romp should be, whilst making the blatant concessions to Disney’s past that I mention above. The songs were mesmerising and the deep south setting was really brought to life.
Where it may have fallen short, unimpressed or didn’t quite reach potential:
It never reached more than just very good. The songs were all enjoyable, but made no lasting impression. Similarly with the supporting characters (except the villain who was great); I liked the crocodile but he was no Timone and Pumba.
Performance of the film:
The villain voiced by Keith David, really over the top sinister
Most outstanding or memorable feature:
The setting: as a post Katrina film, this does a lot to justly glamorise the deep south vibe through the animation, the music, the characters, the food and the emphasis on passion.
More film musings and discussion via twitter: destroyapathy
Daniel Zuares
11Sep10
Yes, I there are quite a few things that bother me as well in this Disney film but I still enjoyed it for what it is. I wish there were perhaps 2-3 songs less included. They sort of ruined the flow of the storytelling and character development. The Villian and secondary characters aren’t really interesting or original at all to be honest.
They seem to be a mere feeble recycle of some other Disney figures. With all this being said, the film nevertheless does posses the kinetic energy and fluidity of style reminiscent of they’re last decades’ sucessful films. Even though at times it does feel to much similar to “Mermaid” and Aladdin". I mostly liked the art design of the interior background. Very snazzy and stylish. Really brings beautifully up the Neo Orleans flavour to the screen. The combination of a semi-realistic and semi- fairy-tale elements works surprisingly well.
So, for most part I would say the creators of this film managed to accomplish what they aimed for, despite really achieving nothing truly exciting or refreshing. The same old Disney trying to be the same old Disney only with some new make up this time.
Amir Syarif Siregar
21Apr10
Well kiddos… Jauh sebelum Finding Nemo merebut gelar sebagai film animasi terlaris sepanjang masa (gelar yang tak bertahan lama karena Shrek 2 meraih posisi tersebut beberapa saat kemudian), atau sebelum dunia animasi kalian dipenuhi oleh tokoh-tokoh animasi CGI, ayah, ibu, dan saudara-saudara kalian yang berumur jauh lebih tua terlebih dahulu mengenal berbagai tokoh animasi yang diproduksi dengan cara yang lebih tradisional.
Teknik tersebut, yang disebut dengan hand-drawn animation, merupakan sebuah teknik tertua dalam membuat sebuah gambar animasi, memerlukan waktu dan ketelitian yang lebih lama karena setiap frame gambar-nya dilakukan melalui goresan tangan seorang animator. Lewat cara inilah Beauty and the Beast berhasil meraih nominasi Best Picture pada ajang Academy Awards tahun 1991 atau The Lion King berhasil meraup pendapatan sebesar US$783 juta dari peredarannya di seluruh dunia pada tahun 1994.
Dan yahhh… kemajuan teknologi membuat teknik hand-drawn animation perlahan-lahan ditinggalkan. Untungnya, Walt Disney Pictures, perusahaan yang dianggap paling terdepan dalam karya animasi, tetap berkomitmen untuk melanjutkan tradisinya untuk merilis sebuah film animasi dengan teknik ini minimal satu film setiap tahunnya. Untuk tahun 2009, Walt Disney merilis The Princess and the Frog, yang menjadi animasi tradisional pertama Walt Disney semenjak merilis Home on the Range pada tahun 2004.
Mendasarkan jalan ceritanya pada kisah populer The Frog Prince karya The Grimm Brothers, film ini menceritakan mengenai kish hidup Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) yang berusaha untuk mewujudkan mimpi ayahnya (Terrence Howard) agar keluarganya memiliki sebuah restauran. Selepas ayahnya meninggal, semangat Tiana, yang kini tinggal berdua bersama ibunya (Oprah Winfrey), semakin menggebu untuk mewujudkan mimpi ayahnya tersebut. Ia bekerja di dua tempat sekaligus dan sepertinya hanya mengisi hidupnya hanya untuk bekerja.
Pada suatu pesta yang diadakan teman masa kecilnya, Charlotte (Jennifer Cody), Tiana, yang memakai gaun sebagaimana layaknya seorang puteri, bertemu dengan seekor kodok yang mengungkapkan bahwa dirinya sebenarnya adalah Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), yang diubah wujudnya oleh seorang penyihir, The Shadow Man (Keith David). Mengingat legenda bahwa sebuah ciuman puteri akan mengubah dirinya kembali ke wujud asalnya, sang kodok meyakinkan Tiana untuk menciumnya. Karena Tiana bukanlah seorang puteri, tentu saja tidak terjadi apa-apa. Yang ada malah tubuh Tiana turut berubah menjadi seekor kodok lainnya. Film ini kemudian menceritakan pertualangan Tiana dan Prince Naveen, dalam wujud tubuh kodok mereka, mencari jalan keluar agar mereka dapat kembali berubah menjadi manusia normal.
Dari sisi cerita, twist yang diberikan oleh Disney pada kisah The Princess Frog yang telah melegenda tersebut memang cukup berani. Namun, bukan Disney namanya kalau mereka gagal dalam memberikan sebuah penampilan yang segar, menghibur namun tetap memiliki berbagai unsur moral yang penting. The Princess and the Frog secara sukses akan membuat para penontonnya tertawa dengan beberapa adegan dan dialog yang sangat menggelitik. Karakter-karakter tambahan lainnya yang ada di sepanjang film ini juga mampu menambah sisi hiburan yang ditawarkan film ini.
Seperti halnya Beauty and the Beast, Walt Disney juga mem-format The Princess and the Frog sebagai sebuah film animasi musikal, dimana karena latar belakang lokasi kisah ini berlangsung di New Orleans, maka score dan lagu-lagu soundtrack-nya didominasi track-track bernuansa gospel dan jazz karya komposer langganan Walt Disney, Randy Newman. Harus diakui, lagu-lagu yang ditawarkan di film ini cenderung kurang catchy, bahkan beberapa diantaranya sama sekali tidak mengesankan. Hal ini yang mungkin akan membuat The Princess and the Frog kurang begitu dapat dinikmati oleh beberapa orang.
Secara keseluruhan, bagi mereka yang rindu akan zaman-zaman keemasan Disney, ketika Disney merilis film-film animasi tradisionalnya seperti Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Bambi hingga The Lion King, dijamin akan menyukai apa yang diberikan Disney di The Princess and the Frog. Namun, sepertinya hal tersebut hanya akan berhenti di titik tersebut. Film ini hanya akan membawa berbagai kenangan manis akan zaman-zaman keemasan Disney tanpa memberikan hal baru lainnya. Tidak cukup untuk membuat film ini akan sangat diingat dalam beberapa waktu kedepan. Bagaimanapun, apa yang dihasilkan Disney lewat The Princess and the Frog sudah cukup memuaskan dan sangat menghibur. Dan itu sudah cukup menjadi alasan bagi Anda untuk tidak melewatkan film ini.
Rating: 4 / 5
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
jaredmobarak
28Dec09
Two-dimensional animation is back in the Mouse House, but for how long? The Princess and the Frog is the first hand drawn feature length to be released theatrically since a string of failures at the hands of Disney studios, before they bought Pixar and began distributing Studio Ghibli work. I have no problem saying that it is a return to form and hopefully a sign of things to come, showing that creativity still resides in the cell by cell creations. However, despite praise and opening weekend success, the medium may not be able to sustain the type of draw that it needs to stick around. When you have a CGI pile of drivel like The Squeakquel beating it up, there is something wrong. The Disney name can no longer be the end all be all for a children’s film, it needs to blow away the audience visually. Unfortunately, the times have changed, and while this new entry to the genre is gorgeous to look at, the lack of three-dimensionality hinders its appeal, showing once again that a good story does not always make a monetary winner.
Perhaps, though, the filmmakers will take a page from their own story and realize that money isn’t what we need, it is only what we want. When all is said and done, the true cinephiles out there—including parents seeking a well constructed film for their children that relies on a morally centered theme—want quality work. The love we have for Disney classics and the kind of storytelling that emits regularly from behind Cinderella’s castle will always be held higher than the box office take. And if The Princess and the Frog did anything, it continues that reveled tradition. Utilizing a popular tale for its story’s basis, the film puts on a new spin, breathing some fresh air on an otherwise old subject. Whereas the greats such as Cinderella and Snow White took a time-honored fairy tale and made it accessible for children, Disney has this time used the German tale “The Frog King” and brought it into the 21st century, turning it on its head. Putting it in the locale of New Orleans is an inspired move, adding a little culture that many people are unaware of, while also positing the fantasy in a world ripe with mysticism and uniqueness. Where else could you have a voodoo practicing con artist for a villain and a Cajun firefly as one of its heroes?
True love is the main underlying theme here, showing people that happiness and love is more important than all the money and empty dreams we may wish for upon a distant star. Tiana is a fiscally poor young woman that has been rich in familial joy her entire life. Her father James, voiced recognizably by Terrence Howard, worked multiple jobs and literally killed himself for his family, never showing his little girl the suffering behind the smile. Wishing to fulfill his dream of opening a restaurant, a vision she has wanted herself so as to bring the world her famous gumbo, Tiana works double shifts waitressing, hoping to save enough for a down payment. Meanwhile, childhood friend Charlotte is entrenched in a wealthy family about to bring a prince to town. So, by hiring Tiana to cook for the welcome banquet, she earns the money to open her dining parlor, unaware that this affair has begun a chain of events about to spiral her life out of control. You see, ‘Shadow Man’ Dr. Facilier—who better than Keith David to lend his deep baritone for a nefarious creature such as this—envisions great wealth and control of the bayou, using black magic to transform Prince Naveen into a frog, make his servant into a prince, and wait for the wedding of this false royalty and Charlotte so he may murder her father and take their money.
Prince Naveen is a poor soul that has been cut off by his parents for loafing around and doing nothing with his life. Full of charm and charisma, he hopes to talk Tiana, dressed as a princess for the masquerade, to kiss him and break the spell, just like the tale he was told as a child. Alas, the smooch only turns her into an amphibious pile of mucus too, sending them both on a journey through New Orleans to find a way back to the human world. Being trapped by their wants of material gains, the adventure they take brings them closer to understanding what it is they truly wish for and to each other as a result. The story doesn’t lack a wonderful cast of new friends met along the way to enhance the proceedings, with Louis the gator, Ray the firefly, and Mama Odie the blind old mystic in the swamp to name the best. Infused by a distinct southern flavor, these creatures help the frog pair find the answers they seek, hide from the evil Facilier, and also help themselves to reach the goals they desire … those being for Louis to play jazz trumpet amongst the humans and Ray to meet his true love Evangeline, the Evening Star.
Credit the filmmakers for never shying away from the tough topics that lesser works would gloss over. There are many instances of darkness, even with songs to accompany them, and the subject of death comes into play as well as greed and ego. You cannot have the topic of unequivocal bliss without the rough stuff, though, so seeing all the suffering is a necessity to make the joyous occasions resonate even more. Both Michael-Leon Wooley and Jim Cummings are hilarious as Louis and Ray respectively, adding the levity to counteract the more dark moments. The roles reminded me of the congenial animals of The Jungle Book and I’ll admit that it was a welcome treat to have them be played by non A-list stars. Even our leads, Anika Noni Rose and Bruno Campos as the Frog Princess and Prince really excel in their roles despite being unfamiliar in the live action world. Both evolve their characters with a complete range of emotion, bringing them to life before our eyes and allowing us to get behind them and hope for a happily ever after. Whether that final outcome is blissful living on four sticky appendages or two upright legs is for you to watch and find out. Either way, as the song says, it’s a wondrous thing to know that dreams do come true in New Orleans.
The Princess and the Frog 8/10
http://jaredmobarakreviews.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/princess-and-the-frog/
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.