I've seen a number of comments and reviews of the film--some favorable, others more tepid. Most dig the 2D hand-drawn animation as top-notch and Tiana lights up the screen as a princess. Many have liked the songs although Roger Ebert thought the absence of a couple of terrific musical numbers [was] noticeable. Yet a few have complained at the lack of screen time that Tiana actually gets as a princess.* Others called the story formulaic (which I don't get), and that something was missing or not quite up to par.
Does Tiana light up the screen? Absolutely! Do I wish there was more screen time of her as a princess and maybe less as a frog? Yes. What about the story? It may not be legendary, but it's a good one albeit divergent from the classic Disney princess narrative.
Ariel's dream was to be part of Prince Eric's world. Jasmine wanted to marry for love. Snow White was waiting for her prince. No matter the time or place, it's hard to top True Love when it comes to an emotionally-charged motivation.
Tiana's dream was different, one that would have made her father proud. She set off to follow her bliss, to achieve financial success as a restaurant owner in a time when such a thing was anything but the norm. Along the way she just happens to find love. A good story, just different from the normal princess tale and thus feeling a little less magical.
Yet, when The Princess and the Frog comes out on disc March 16th, it'll certainly find its way into my personal library of films.
All images copyright Disney 2009
*Footnote: Since we're talking about not enough princess screen time, let's talk Cinderella. I think Cinderella is the bee's knees. When she's on screen, the film soars. But aren't there too many mice scenes? They're cute, but if more story would have been devoted to the Cinderella character, I would have been hooked.
Those darn mice!
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