Walt Disney Pictures has revealed the first official image from The Princess and the Frog.
Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) stars as Maddy, Disney’s first black princess. The Princess and the Frog is the first hand-drawn film Disney has committed to since the Pixar purchase. Watching the opening to Enchanted got me excited for a return of 2D animation. 3D may be the future, but 2D isn’t dead yet. The question is, will Disney produce an interesting enough story? Or is this just a new beginning for the animation studio who went perclunk for churning out stinkers like Treasure Planet, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Home on the Range?
The film promises to return to the Broadway-style musical in the likes of the successful Disney animated films such as Walt’s classics. Written/directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the animated musical scored by Randy Newman, is set in New Orleans. The movie follows Maddy, a young African-American girl who lives in the infamous French Quarter. The new movie will feature a soulful singing crocodile, voodoo spells, and the music of Randy Newman.
The Princess and the Frog hits theaters in 2009.
via: ComingSoon
January 14th, 2008 at 11:22 am
they’re still making movies?
January 14th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Well if this is one of the films to benefit from the supervision of John Lasseter then there is hope. It should be, at least, significantly better than anything else Disney has churned out in the last 20 or 30 years.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The new movie will feature a soulful singing crocodile, voodoo spells, and the music of Randy Newman? What can possibly go wrong?
…that actually sounds like an amazing party.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
You don’t find it a little strange to note that this is Disney’s first black princess?
January 14th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Nick O., yes, it seems to be strange, but I don’t think it plays big role
January 14th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
no, I mean, I was saying it was strange that -you- noted that it’s Disney’s first black princess.
January 14th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
How is it strange? It’s important to note that this character actually is Disney’s first black princess.
January 14th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
The color scheme looks too bright - I wish they would get a little richer with the palette. It looks like “Aladdin” - I long for the fluid pencil days last really seen in “The Rescuers” where you could still see the lines and feel the movement. This looks like it’s trying to be computer animated.
January 14th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
The dress is still white…
January 14th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Are you kidding? I loved Treasure Planet and Atlantis! As for little kids, they don’t care about complex storylines or whether something is cliche or not. They just want to be entertained.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
who cares if is black? white? brown or green?
is not like “ohhh whoaa, shes black, ohmygod!” you americans always making a big deal about the skincolor.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Looks promising…
Signed,
Hesitantly Hopeful
January 14th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Oh get off the man about her being black. It just, realistically, adds to the meaning of the story, especially if it has to do with new orleans junks.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:27 am
From where I’m sitting, the princess looks like Leela from Futurama…
January 15th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Soulful singing croc? All dogs go to heaven did it already!
January 15th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Thomas,
You’re calling for two different things here. You say it looks too bright but then call for a “rich pallete”? That shot looks very “rich” in color and bright to me. :P
Also what you call “pencil” lines showing in the animation. Is the time Disney made huge budget cuts and couldn’t pay their inkers to do cellwork. This is why films like The Jungle Book and The Rescuers had that “pencil line” look to them. Disney was just poor at the time. While I liked that look as well, I also liked their inked worked.
I’m glad Disney is doing 2d animation again, i’m tired of 3d. That shot looks beautiful, I just wish it was higher-res so I could see all the details in the painting :)
January 15th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Dear Kode,
Good job fighting a generalization with a generalization.
Cheers,
Captain Awesome
January 15th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Captain,
Thanks, your awesomeness are beyond my non captain rank comprehension. I kiss you.
Cheers,
Kode Destroyer of Worlds
August 1st, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I think that this is going to be a wonderful addition to any Disney fans collection.
Lets look at it this way, Disney want to be diverse correct? Well, movies like this and Pocahontas and Mulan are showing that Princesses aren’t only white. I think it is important that we let our children see other parts of the world through movies. This is showing that Princesses come from all over the world.
I think though that we all need to stop focusing on the fact that she is an African American Princess. Did anyone get this bent out of shape when Pocahontas or Mulan hit the screen? No.
I think we all just need to relax and see if Disney can wow us again!
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:08 am
i can not wait for this film the princess and the frog is one of my faverite fairytales along with the princes and the pea and rapunzal wish disney would make those films too but lets see wot disney do with princess and the frog also does not matter that tiana ia a black princess as theres has been mixed race e.g esmaralda and indian and chinese lol x