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The Princess and the Frog...a traditional fairy tale re-worked with the genius that is Disney.  Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, who brought us the classics The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, it tells the story of Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) who gets turned into a frog by ‘The Shadowman’ Dr. Facilier (Keith David), and Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), a hard-working waitress who dreams of opening her own restaurant, but is mistaken for a princess at a masquerade ball.

Instead of Naveen being restored to his human self when they kiss, Tiana is transformed into a frog.  The main part of the film follows them as they look for Mama Odie, a voodoo witch who can transform them back into humans.  Without giving too much away, the story (in typical Disney fashion), does have a happy ending, even though there are trials and tribulations for the couple, who are joined on their journey by jazz playing alligator Louis and Ray, a firefly in love with a star. 

Much has been made about the fact that Tiana is Disney’s first black heroine, and that New Orleans may not have been the best setting for the film, especially after Hurricane Katrina hit a couple of years ago.  However, after about ten minutes or so, the skin colour doesn’t matter.  The location doesn’t matter.  This is a film that harks back to the so-called golden era of Disney when they made The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King...a full-on musical with fantastic characters and a strong message, which in this case is that hard work will get you where you need to be, and also that what you want and what you need are not always the same thing.  The only problem I had is that the villain is very sinister and the references to voodoo and witchcraft may be something that is lost on younger viewers, but it can’t be too bad because there were no children crying when I saw it!

The film is funny, silly and full of great songs and characters: a real nod back to that golden era.  I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would recommend it for anyone of any age, especially Disney fans.  It’s hopefully a sign that we can expect so much more from Disney than they’ve given us in the past few years.

By Emily Fairclough