REVIEW: The Princess and the FrogRSS

4 stars

After dabbling with fruitless novelties in the early 2000s (Atlantis, Treasure Planet), Walt Disney’s hand-drawn animation department returns to more traditional fare in the guise of a fairytale. Where better to set it than in America’s deep south, a land rich in mysticism, where our heroes navigate ornate New Orleans mansions and swampy alligator-infested bayous, whilst evading devilish voodoo practitioners like the villain, Dr Facilier.

The Princess and the Frog is dazzlingly colourful and, considering the advances in computer-generated imagery in recent years, more than matches its contemporaries in levels of artistry. The painted backgrounds are beautiful, and the colourful details, whether the lamps of a paddle steamer reflected on the river or the purple plumes of smoke from Facilier’s arsenal, are vivid.

What stops this short of being a Disney classic, however, is the lacklustre music. Despite referencing Dixieland jazz and Cajun jigs, Randy Newman’s songs aren’t very memorable. The story, too, is fun but never thrilling.

But whilst it doesn’t reach the heights of Disney’s early ‘90s renaissance, The Princess and the Frog is a welcome return to form for the Mouse House and will be a holiday treat for children.