It's been quite a while since Disney treated audiences to an animated classic without the glitz and glam of CGI and 3-D. Don't get me wrong—technology is great, but when it comes to that nostalgic feeling of watching cartoons from the good ol' days, there's nothing like classics such as Beauty and the Beast or Lady and the Tramp to dig up those treasured childhood memories.
The creators of Princess and the Frog have leapt at the challenge of returning Disney to the warmth of the hand-drawn genre. Fandango and a few other journalists were invited to chat with directors Ron Clements and John Musker (who wrote and directed Aladdin and Little Mermaid), and we also took in some never-before-seen, extended clips from the film. Below is a look at exclusive photos from the movie with details on the videos we watched, a full report on our tour, and a trip down memory lane at the Disney Archives.
First off, if you've seen the trailer, you already know this is nothing like that fairy tale you heard when you were a kid about a princess who drops her golden trinket in a bog. The first clip we viewed introduced us to fickle Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) and his greedy servant Lawrence, who both visit a spindly legged Dr. Facilier, in hopes of furthering their own selfish ambitions. Dr. Facilier, a smooth-talking practitioner of voodoo magic, has his own bluesy medley, where he sings, dances and performs tricks with his shadow—kind of creepy. The visit to the witch doctor doesn't do our royal friends any favors. Instead, Prince Naveen is turned into a talking frog.
In another scene, which has already been released online, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), a young maiden who's dressed up in a Cinderella ball gown and tiara for a party, is also inadvertently transformed into a frog after her magical kiss gone awry with Naveen. They get tongue tied a bit later when they start flicking their tongues toward a tasty looking fly.
The newly turned frogs set out to find Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), a kind of good witch who might be able to turn them into humans again. On the musical side of things, Oscar winning composer Randy Newman makes effective use of jazz themes and chorus style choirs during Mama Odie's number.
The journey is set in Jazz age era New Orleans, where the couple run into a trumpet-tooting gator named Louis (after Louis Armstrong). He also wishes to become human so he can play trumpet with his favorite band.
When Tiana, Naveen and Louis get lost in a bayou, they run into a firefly named Ray (after Ray Charles). The video clips where the fireflies light up and lead the way were by far the most spectacular. The fireflies' bodies are like light bulbs, which they can tighten if they're flickering. They dance around during their number like sentient pixie dust and bursting fireworks. Check out the rest of the exclusive photos in our Princess and the Frog gallery.
Also, check out our Disney report of what we saw at Club 33, Disneyland's Behind-the Scenes Tour, and the Disney Animation Research Library!
Related Links:
