I’d just point out here that I, on the other hand, thought this was substantially different than traditional Disney fare in that it served as a response to it. The real strength to this movie was the way it sort of deconstructed the traditional fairy tale and turned it on its ear, going so far as to actually visually mock Cinderella for its adherence to easy and magical solutions.

In The Frog Princess, wishing on a star is not enough, and neither is hard work. And it’s not really about needing a man to be happy either — I’m going to have to take issue with you on that one, Lovejoy. If that’s what you took away from it, maybe you need to “dig a little deeper.” The themes underlying the plot are more themes about figuring out what it is you need, and how that may differ from what you want. It’s actually surprisingly deep for a Disney flick, as each of the characters, in their own ways, abandon what’s best for them in pursuit of their dreams. To see these themes glibly written off as traditional Disney vapidness is a bit dismaying, because all those trappings are included as misdirection rather than direction.

In my estimation, The Frog Princess represents a real evolution in the way this type of story is approached. It’s Lasseter’s tacit acknowledgement that Disney recognizes the unsatisfying way these stories have been presented in the past; that easy solutions aren’t fulfilling, and that it’s not always good for dreams to come true — even if in the end they do anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed “The Princess and the Frog.” It’s an entertaining and long-overdue return to what Disney does best: 2-D Animation. One of the few things that disappointed me, however, was the lack of any concluding, action-filled fight. There was no triumphant battle or big, flashy event that makes the viewer feel as though anybody won.

I was seriously expecting Dr. Facilier or his “friends” to come back and use all the floats in the parade or something to try and take over New Orleans. This would be followed by a fight where all the main characters would use their individual talents to stop him. It would finally end with the good guys winning (of course) and Tiana or Naveen uttering some phrase from earlier in the film for that nice feeling of ironic circular structure. Unfortunately, this marvelous climax only lives in my moist brains.

Still, this film was leaps and bounds beyond Disney’s last attempt at 2-D animation with “Home on the Range.” *shudder*

Triumphantly,

Gideon