Princess and the Frog (2009) - Oscar ® Nominee!

"The animation, sparkling and graceful, also ranks as the studio's best traditional work in ages.  Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle
"In an amazing year for animation, The Princess and the Frog is up at the top.  Richard Corliss, Time

Editor's Note The classic tale of a princess, a kiss, and a frog gets an update (and a change of scenery) with this film in Disney's grand tradition of animated classics. DREAMGIRLS' Anika Noni Rose provides the voice of a beautiful young woman living in New Orleans who may just have to pucker up to an amphibian. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG arrives not only with Disney's name attached, but also with THE LITTLE MERMAID directors Ron Clements and John Musker at the helm.

	Peter Del Vecho - Producer
	Jenifer Lewis - Voice
	John Goodman - Voice
	Keith David - Voice
	Anika Noni Rose - Voice
	Randy Newman - Composer
	Jim Cummings - Voice
	John Musker - Director
	Ron Clements - Director

Box Office
"It's a beautiful film that clearly feels the responsibility to join the canon of Disney classic." 10/01/2009

Box Office
5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] wonderful, toe-tapping musical gift everyone is likely to love. With a great Randy Newman score and a magical cast of characters, this one is a 100% guaranteed delight for the whole family." 11/25/2009

Los Angeles Times
"[A] foot-stomping, smile-inducing, heart-warming animated twist on the Brothers Grimm frog-prince fairy tale." 11/25/2009

USA Today
3 stars out of 5 -- "[C]lassic, whimsical Disney....PRINCESS is akin to THE LITTLE MERMAID in its blending of gorgeous backdrops, catchy musical numbers and a plucky heroine." 11/27/2009

Variety
"[I]t's an unmistakable pleasure to behold an old-school, hand-drawn toon, assembled with pristine craftsmanship and attention to detail..." 11/24/2009

Hollywood Reporter
"PRINCESS AND THE FROG really marks Disney's rediscovery of a strong narrative loaded with vibrant character and mind-bending, hilarious situations." 11/24/2009

A.V. Club
"Disney's triumphant return to hand-drawn 2-D animation still holds an awful lot of familiar, comfort-food charm." -- Grade: B 12/03/2009

Entertainment Weekly
"[T]he year's deepest, most affecting, and most inventive movies....The filmmakers trust in story over special effects..." -- Grade: A 12/04/2009

Chicago Sun-Times
Included in Chicago Sun-Times's "The Ten Best Animated Films Of 2009" -- "This is what classic animation once was like!" 12/24/2009

Washington Post
"THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG is a triumph on every one of the myriad levels it has been asked to succeed on..." 12/11/2009

Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] sincere fairy tale with a good heart, but one that is never naive or boring." 01/29/2010

ReelViews 9 of 10
When Disney mothballed traditional animation in 2004 following a series of disappointing box office underperformers, the blame was placed upon changing tastes - that viewers preferred the more eye-popping style of computer-generated images to the "old fashioned" approach that had dominated for nearly 70 years. Little or no consideration was given to the decline in quality of the animated productions, especially where the story was concerned. Disney had strayed from the tried-and-true formulas that marked its greatest animated successes and the company was harvesting crops from neglected fields. So hand-drawn animation was dumped, but what at the time seemed to be a permanent measure became temporary once the Disney/Pixar merger was finalized. With Pixar in charge of all animated projects, the decision was made to revive traditional animation but, in doing so, to return to its "roots." The result is The Princess and the Frog and, if you didn't know better, you'd swear this had been made in the late 1980s or early 1990s, alongside The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast...For the most part, the characters are voiced by low-profile actors, all of whom are well-chosen. There are some big names in the cast - Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman - but all have supporting parts. If one elects to trace the beginning of the decline of '90s animated films to Pocahontas, it's worth noting that this was the first time (but not the last) that Disney employed an A-list actor (Mel Gibson) for voice work. If there's something to be said for relative anonymity, the statement was made by The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King...If there's little that's new or challenging in The Princess and the Frog, therein lies the core of its charm. The movie is delightfully "old school," if that term can be applied to how the genre looked a mere 20 years ago when The Little Mermaid reinvigorated it. The structure and composition is the result of careful planning, but it comes across as inspired. Tiana is the next great Disney princess and The Princess and the Frog is a worthy entry into a genre whose resurrection is welcome. - James Berardinelli