The Film:

When Disney announced that they were returning to cell animation, it felt like they were going to make a quaint homage to their classics of yesteryear. For the past decade, cell animation has been regulated to TV shows, and for the theatrical films, computer animation has been the medium of choice. To think, a whole generation of kids growing up on computer animated films. I imagine they would initially think that what we call traditional animation, 2-D cell animation, is some old relic that Disney dusted off for a second. That’s a shame, because it’s not that styles die, it’s that film makers forget how to use them properly. Leave it to Disney to show why they are the once and future kings of cell animation. The Princess and the Frog is not just a return to glory days for the studio, but a superb, borderline masterpiece.

It always comes down to storytelling. No matter the style or medium, if your story isn’t that interesting, then your film isn’t going to succeed. I think that’s what happened to Disney in the late 1990s, after delivering classic after classic with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Lion King, their films lost a little heart, and were just average stories without much hoopla to them. Don’t get me wrong, I think Brother Bear is a bit under appreciated, yet something like Atlantis felt too un-Disney for a lot of us. Then came Pixar. The whole game changed, because those last few cell animated films flopped, and Pixar’s use of computer animated films delivered at the box office, signaling an unfair death toll for cell animation. But it came down to stories. Pixar understood the formula of great storytelling, and those latter films did not.

The Princess and the Frog is a warm-hearted, play on the Disney Princess story archetype, as well as the classic story of a prince who became a frog. Tiana is a unique female character in the Disney universe, and I’m not saying that because of her race, the much talked about first Disney Princess that is African-American. I think it’s unfair to really comment on that. For one, anything mentioned about her race, or the fact that it has taken this long for Disney to have a character like her, is shortsightedness, and maybe a little bit ignorant. I don’t doubt a post-Obama world helped, but in the end, the simple mention of this feels outdated and besides the point. She is a smart, independent woman, who believes in hard work and the power of the self. While more progressive, than she should be, a woman in the ’20s, it’s a powerful statement, and a source of inspiration.

The constant play on the traditional Walt Disney formula for the so-called Princess films here in The Princess and the Frog makes the film feel smart and alive. The New Orleans, Depression Era setting has some flavor to formula, as well as housing some great secondary characters, a Disney trademark. But aspect of these films, seemingly now forgotten in our animated world of today, is the songs. Songs return, and they are electric, catchy, and wholesome. When I first visited New Orleans, the warmth of the people and their great food, felt like going to Grandma’s house for welcomed visit. The Princess and the Frog is a return to form, not in style or medium, but in terms of great Disney film making.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Is there anyone better than Disney (Criterion aside) about releasing films on Blu? This transfer is perhaps more vibrant and gorgeous on high-def than when I saw it theatrically. Each color pops and is vivid. The film is naturally a colorful film, but the transfer really showcases this aspect. Color is the showcase of the transfer and the mastering was really up to the task. The black levels are thick as ink, a plus, and this is, all things considered, a flawless presentation. The audio is as alive as it is on Bourbon Street, with a blitz of sound effects and music coming in from all channels, bass is rich, and despite all of the noise, it never hampers the dialogue or overall track. Well done, again, by the Mouse House.

Commentary: The co-directors and producer are featured on this great, focused, informative track. They never tire on chatting about the film, but it’s never aimless chit-chat. Thoroughly involved and engaging, making it a mandatory listen.

Work in Progress Track: Here’s an extra just for animation fans and students. It’s basically a picture-in-picture track, showing the finished film along side storyboards, rough animated sequences, all here to give you the developmental process of the film.

Magic in the Bayou: In HD, this is a pretty candid little behind-the-scenes piece, giving us insight into the film’s production (without repeating too much from the commentary) and about Disney’s return to cell animation.

Bringing Animation to Life: This 8-minute HD piece shows us how he animators used real actors to help out in two difficult scenes.

Deleted Scenes that are in rough animated shape with a discussion on why they were deleted, EPK pieces The Return to Hand Drawn Animation and The Disney Legacy are okay at best, A Return to the Animated Musical and Disney’s Newest Princess are average looks at each, Princess and the Animator and Conjuring the Villain briefly look at the art side of the characters, with Galleries, Trailers, Music Video, and an interactive game rounding out the slew of extras.

Look for a second disc that is a DVD and a third that is the Digital Copy of the film in Disney’s neat packaging idea.

Conclusion: A near masterpiece, a vailant return to cell animation, and perhaps a film better that their Best Picture nominee in Up, all on a superb Blu-ray. Own it.

The Film: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

We sat down with composer and performer to discuss THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG.

Randy, how different is it to write for a movie?

Randy Newman: The primary difference in a song for a film is that it’s supposed to do something to put the story forward a little bit. The story doesn’t stop for the song. You can tell something about someone or describe some action that is to come.

What was the most important thing to get across?

RN: Different things for different scenes. No one over-arching thing. It wasn’t so much what I did, but it has to be natural for people to break into song. Or animals [LAUGHS] to sing. Come to think of it, it’s also got to be natural for an alligator to play the trumpet. And that was done for me, in a sense. I wrote the songs, and I think it certainly doesn’t seem artificial that those songs are where they are. I mean, like the songs or not, I don’t think they’re inappropriate to the setting or the story.

Mr. Lasseter said you spent summers in New Orleans with your family?

RN: Summers, yeah. I did. I don’t know whether it had any effect on me, other than to give me bad work habits. [LAUGHTER] But, I certainly have a deep affection for the city and for the music that’s associated with it.

How did it affect the writing of this movie?

RN: Well, I know the music from the city, the pianists, the performers. Professor Longhair and Jelly Roll Morton and Dr. John. Louis Armstrong. King Oliver. I heard them and listen to them all the time. But I listened to them again with a different intent…looking for something to steal. And I did. I mean, I tried to do it justice with the arrangements as best I could. It may not be as good as Fletcher Anderson, but it sounds, maybe on an off-day, it sounds pretty good, the New Orleans stuff we did.

Anika, how does it feel to be singing as a princess?

Anika Noni Rose: It’s phenomenal. It’s phenomenal. It’s been a dream of mine my entire life to do a Disney voice. So the Princess is an elevation of my dream, even. You think when you’re dreaming that you’re dreaming big. And then somebody comes along and they’re, like, oh, who’s your fairy godmother? Now, you’re the Princess! [LAUGHTER] Randy has such a gift with his music and the ability to tell stories. I think that in today’s music, we have a lot less storytelling. And that’s the wonderful thing, I think, about what you do, Randy, even back to ‘Short People,’ which I’m not offended by, by the way!—there’s a story involved in your songs. So it lent itself perfectly to this land, because every song that you hear is moving the story forward. Randy’s not an easy music writer, so the things that you’re listening to sound simple to the ear, which is good for kids. But it’s not simple music at all. It’s actually very intricate. The chord structure, the way the notes move, also help with creating an emotion—the tone and the emotion help move the story forward. So it was really wonderful to be able to sing music that does that. I didn’t start performing until I was about 14. I did a play. That’s sort of late. Most people are, like, ‘I was in ballet when I was two and I was en pointe at six and I’m brilliant!’ [LAUGHTER] But, I started very late, and I thought I wanted to be a recording artist. And then it switched, and I stuck with acting. I still wanted to be a recording artist, and I thought, ‘One way to break in would be to do soundtracks.’ And it occurred to me yesterday, well, that’s exactly what I’m doing. [LAUGHS] This wasn’t the way I was thinking of it. But it’s a huge blessing. It’s really an amazing thing. And when I see all these children from all different backgrounds walking around in Tiana outfits. I’m so excited about her. It really is very, very moving. And it proves that the only people who are caught up in what she looks like are the adults. The kids are caught up in who she is and that’s beautiful.

In the movie, what is the big performance for you?

ANR: Oh, I think she has a couple of really fantastic moments. [LAUGHTER] ‘Almost There’ is a pretty remarkable number, particularly in the land of Princesses, because it’s not the yearning, wishing, please-come-to-me song. It’s, ‘I see my dream, it’s there, on the horizon. I can feel it on my fingertips, I can smell it, I can taste it. And I’m about to hold it in realization.’ That’s a very different song for a Princess to sing. And I think, really inspiring. And then she comes back at the end with the reprise of ‘Down In New Orleans,’ which Dr. John sings in the beginning. But you’ll find that in the reprise, she has really found her voice. She has truly become this young woman, finding the fullness of who her person is. She’s no longer somebody who’s just searching to make that dream happen and working toward it. She’s somebody who has found completeness. And so you hear a different side of her again at the end, which is pretty fantastic. I was really excited that they let me come back and sing that. So she has a couple of really, really great moments.

Randy, Anika, where in the process did you get involved?

RN: I was involved two-and-a-half years ago, with the first song, which was, I think, ‘Down In New Orleans.’ I wrote it and recorded it. In the case of the songs, they were written before the animation. They animated to the songs later. The score was written after the picture. So I was involved two-and-a-half years ago.
ANR: I think I’ve been involved now for two years. I’m so bad at time, and it has gone by so quickly. I’m very bad at making things chronological, but it’s been about two years. I’ve seen several ideas float by. They had their whole picture, but things have changed and tweaked and modulated to what needed to be as we’ve have worked on it. And we’ve found out more about who these characters really are—past the general character sketch of what they look like—to the actual person inside. So it’s been about two years.

Did you find working together easy?

RN: Very much so. She’s singing it, and I’m trying to get her to sing it like I want it. [LAUGHTER] No, it’s a collaboration. We’re worked together to do the recording, along with Mitchell Froom, who produced the songs. So it’s highly collaborative, at least at that point.

Has your relationship with John Lasseter changed?

RN: He’s very busy now. He’s always dealing with rides and the studio and the animation. He’s gotten better at his instincts about music, though. With the first Toy Story, he was pretty good—there’d be maybe ten things that’d come up, and I’d be right, I think, in about seven or eight of the instances. But now, I think his instincts are better than mine. He’ll say, ‘No, the joke is gonna be here,’ or ‘This should be louder than this,’ and I’ll change it on the stand. He’s kept his enthusiasm to a remarkable degree. He’s really an enthusiast. And he isn’t like a lot of creative people are, always looking for what’s wrong. He’s able to recognize what’s good about something and tell you. It’s very inspiring to work with him. It’s sort of inspirational. Hey, that’s where that word comes from! And he’s still a really good guy, even though he’s a billionaire or something. [LAUGHTER]

How is your creative process?

RN: In the case of writing to assignment, I get as much information as I can. As many adjectives, adverbs—slow, fast, sad, happy. I read the script. And I ask them to keep it as simple as they can make it. Often people preface their remarks to say, ‘Well, I’m not a musician…’ But I don’t want any musical hints, really. What you need are feelings about things, and then I’m able to execute it, and try to give them back what they gave me, only in the music.

Do you believe in fairy tales?

ANR: Yes. [LAUGHTER]

Is this a fairy tale for you?

ANR: Yes. I believe that, in this moment with the gift of this project, I’m living my own fairy tale. It truly is, for me, a dream come true. I feel that we need more fairy tales, particularly at this point in time. Real life has become so invasive. You can’t turn on the TV or the radio, or get on the internet, without getting every intricate detail of every horror that has happened at every minute of the day. I think that children need a break from that. I think the adults need a break from that, too. We do need to be informed. But, we also need to be able to sit back and think the about the soft things in life. And I think that fairy tales are a nice way for that to happen. And then, they’re not always fake. Sometimes fairy tales really do happen.

Were you able to sing with the other performers, or did you sing to pre-recorded tracks?

ANR: You know, it was interesting, because I think ‘When I’m Human’…
RN: Yeah, the gator song…
ANR: We were together, but not. [LAUGHS] We were all in a studio that was pretty big, and the orchestra was there, sort of in the center. And then, somebody was off to one side. And I was in a room in the corner. And then, somebody was in another booth. Sometimes, I was on the outside, with the orchestra. It depended on where you were, if you could see each other. And you could hear them in the earphones, but you weren’t really standing next to each other. But that’s one of the few times that we actually got to work together. But there is something fantastic about working with the orchestra live, right there. You can feel that music moving through your body. It really informs the energy that you’re able to give. And there were some times that Randy was making changes, as we went along with the musicians, which was just wonderful, because that also informs you. And he gets to hear where things are working in your voice—where you might want to slide to the side a little bit, or shake it up a bit. That’s a wonderful experience. I love recording with a live orchestra. Having everybody’s energy there… [LAUGHTER]
RN: I do, too. There’s something about an orchestra. It’s a great thing.
ANR: It’s amazing.

Were the Toy Story movies a great adventure, to be able to develop those characters through three films?

RN: In the case of those movies? Oh, sure. I didn’t know when I did the first Toy Story that the series would be as successful as they’ve been—every picture they’ve made, in fact. It’s remarkable the record they have. Artistically and financially. I would never, on my own, write a song like ‘You’ve Got A Friend.’ [SINGING] ‘You’ve got a friend in me.’ I mean, it sounds like a used car salesman or something. But, to be able to do that, and to be able to go the places you go to harmonically and orchestrally in these pictures—that’s one of the reasons I do it. Also, the music business is disappearing, so you’ve got to do something else. But, you get to places that you just wouldn’t get to on your own. There’s no way in writing a song for Tiana that it references much in me personally, except I try to give each character what they need. They often say that the thing about music is, when you can no longer express what you’re trying to say with words, music is a way of expressing it in a more emotional way. And in most of these songs, that is the case. They couldn’t exactly say with words what they express in those songs.

Do you feel that somehow, you’ve helped to re-create the legend of Walt Disney?

RN: Well, it depends on a lot of things. I mean, I did James and the Giant Peach, and I tried just as hard doing that one as I did doing this one. And I was satisfied with what I did. But the picture didn’t have a life—not enough people saw it. But I sincerely hope that this one does have that kind of life, for a lot of reasons.

The Princess and the Frog is Available on Blu-ray & DVD March 16th!

It always comes down to storytelling. No matter the style or medium, if your story isn’t that interesting, then your film isn’t going to succeed. I think that’s what happened to Disney in the late 1990s, after delivering classic after classic with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Lion King, their films lost a little heart, and were just average stories without much hoopla to them. Don’t get me wrong, I think Brother Bear is a bit under appreciated, yet something like Atlantis felt too un-Disney for a lot of us. Then came Pixar. The whole game changed, because those last few cell animated films flopped, and Pixar’s use of computer animated films delivered at the box office, signaling an unfair death toll for cell animation. But it came down to stories. Pixar understood the formula of great storytelling, and those latter films did not.

The Princess and the Frog is a warm-hearted, play on the Disney Princess story archetype, as well as the classic story of a prince who became a frog. Tiana is a unique female character in the Disney universe, and I’m not saying that because of her race, the much talked about first Disney Princess that is African-American. I think it’s unfair to really comment on that. For one, anything mentioned about her race, or the fact that it has taken this long for Disney to have a character like her, is shortsightedness, and maybe a little bit ignorant. I don’t doubt a post-Obama world helped, but in the end, the simple mention of this feels outdated and besides the point. She is a smart, independent woman, who believes in hard work and the power of the self. While more progressive, than she should be, a woman in the ’20s, it’s a powerful statement, and a source of inspiration.

The constant play on the traditional Walt Disney formula for the so-called Princess films here in The Princess and the Frog makes the film feel smart and alive. The New Orleans, Depression Era setting has some flavor to formula, as well as housing some great secondary characters, a Disney trademark. But aspect of these films, seemingly now forgotten in our animated world of today, is the songs. Songs return, and they are electric, catchy, and wholesome. When I first visited New Orleans, the warmth of the people and their great food, felt like going to Grandma’s house for welcomed visit. The Princess and the Frog is a return to form, not in style or medium, but in terms of great Disney film making.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The other newly released film for this weekend, Invictus, made a nice mark by the end of the weekend despite the some what divided reviews. There is not much of a huge change within the top then other than the small but gradual revenue change of Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air. Even though the film goes nationwide this Christmas Day, for those who have the film in their cities are not hesitating to go and see it. Although the film has not cracked the top then, it still managed to make $2.4 Million this weekend. Here’s the rest of the list below from Box Office Mojo:

Weekend Box Office (December 11-13)

1. The Princess and the Frog  ($25 M)
2. The Blind Side  ($15.4 M)
3. Invictus  ($9 M)
4. The Twilight Saga: New Moon  ($8 M)
5. A Christmas Carol  ($6.8 M)
6. Brothers  ($5 M)
7. 2012  ($4.4 M)
8. Old Dogs  ($4.3 M)
9. Armored  ($3.5 M)
10. Ninja Assassin  ($2.7 M)

Starting this Wednesday in New York and Los Angeles is the very limited release of Crazy Heart. Then the weekend hits with the release of what seems to be the most anticipated movie of the year, Avatar. Did You Hear About the Morgans? is the only other wide released film for the 18th. Among the limited releases is the Emily Blunt starring film The Young Victoria along with the NY and LA release of Nine.

A Return to the Animated Musical featurette:

“Almost There” film clip:

Kiss the Frog

Featurette: A Ribbitting Romance

SOURCE: Walt Disney Pictures Backlot

The Princess and the Frog will be released in theaters on December 11, 2009.

SOURCE: Walt Disney Pictures Backlot

Disney

Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA and Clearview’s historic Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City will host a limited engagement allowing fans to screen the film weeks before it’s official December 11th release date. This will not only be a film viewing, but an entire family fun event.

Starting on November 25th, Disney will begin multiple screenings of The Princess and the Frog. The film will be shown several times a day at both event locations with viewing times of 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., with a 9:30 p.m. show available on select dates. During the event there will be several other activities fans can enjoy besides the film itself.

The whole experience is themed to fit the film’s setting in New Orleans. This “Ultimate Disney Experience” features the following:

Princess Power: All nine of the Disney princesses will be together for the first time ever. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Pocahontas, Jasmine and Mulan will be welcoming Disney’s newest princess Tiana.

Fun ‘n Games: The Experience will feature opportunities to swing on ropes, climb trees, play games and race through the Bayou Adventure, plus a New Orleans Bead Toss, Naveen’s Leap Frog, video games and more.

Hollywood Heirlooms: Disney movie archives will be on display for the first time ever, including props and costumes from a variety of films including Mary Poppins, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and more.

Movie Magic: Guests can learn about animated films from real Disney animators who will be on hand teaching guests how to draw a character from the film.

Picture This: Guests can put themselves in the movie at Kodak photo locations. Kodak photographers will capture guests’ images and place them in a scene from the movie.

Insider’s Glimpse: Burbank guests will also have the rare opportunity to tour the Studio lot.

This all sounds pretty amazing. I’m just wondering…since Disney has made such a big deal about this film being set in New Orleans and including all the culture there, why isn’t this “Ultimate Disney Experience” taking place in New Orleans?

Tickets are on sale now, with different pricing levels and packages available. For info on how you can purchase tickets, visit www.princessandfrogtickets.com or call 1-800-DISNEY-6.

SOURCE: Walt Disney Pictures Backlot

Supervising animator Bruce Smith (Bebe’s Kids, The Proud Family) discusses the film’s villain, Dr. Facilier, and how the voice actor for this character, Keith David, influences the animators’ work and the character himself.

Here is the clip:

Disney has also created a really cute website for the film here.

If you’re a fan of Disney’s hand-drawn fairy tale films, especially the Princess movies, you should definitely be anticipating this one. The Princess and the Frog opens in LA and NY on November 25, 2009 and nationwide on December 11, 2009.

SOURCE: Cartoon Brew