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Ebony, Ivory, and Frog

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (82)

princessfrog.jpg

I have no idea what the last successful 2D animation movie was. I don’t even remember the last time I saw one. And since 2D animation has become an endangered species, it’s been basically erased from the all-time box-office records. The biggest 2D animation film of all time, Aladdin, is only 11th, all time, among all animation films. In fact, there’s only 3 2D animation films in the top 25.

Well, Disney is attempting to bring back 2D with The Princess and the Frog, which is the first animated film to feature an African-American lead. She’s the princess. It’s set in New Orleans. And the prince is white. Ooooh, that’s envelope pushing. 15 years ago. Just like 2D animation.

Here’s the trailer, and it looks a lot like traditional Disney 2D films, which is to say: Kind of dull. And the biggest disappointment for me: The frog never breaks into “Hello, My Honey (hello my ragtime gal).”









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Comments

I'm excited for this movie, it will be the first movie from Disney that John Lasseter was actively involved in, and not freakin 3D.

Posted by: DoubleH at May 11, 2009 11:51 AM

Say what you will but it looks like a good movie to take the kids too.
My kids will totally get into it .

Posted by: gilp at May 11, 2009 11:55 AM

2D animation is beautiful. I was so happy to see some of it in Enchanted and will be first in line to see this. 2D somehow has a charm and soul that 3d animation will never have.

Posted by: returnofthesmith at May 11, 2009 11:56 AM

Sure, now dat de White Man done with 2D, the knee-grows can have it. Black Man say, "Yassuh, Boss" when the White Man call and "Nossuh, Boss" when the White Man ask if he need anythin' and what de Black Man get? HE GET DE SCRAPS, DATS WHAT HE GET.

Oh, I'm gonna get me a shotgun and kill all de whiteys I seeeeeee.

Posted by: Tracer Bullet at May 11, 2009 11:56 AM

Hey! Disney cast me as the princess for their promos in the parks. So I automatically think this is cool. That's me!

Posted by: Trouble at May 11, 2009 11:59 AM

When ah kill all de whiteys ah see, dem whiteys dey won't bother meeeeeeee....

Posted by: TK at May 11, 2009 11:59 AM

I heard the Prince was just a fair-skin brotha? He's actually white? I don't believe it.

Posted by: Sweetie Dahling at May 11, 2009 12:09 PM

So ugly green prince kisses beautiful human princess, and princess turns into ugly green thing. Where have I seen this before? Shrek?

Posted by: BWeaves at May 11, 2009 12:10 PM

I can't access the video right now. Is that what really happens? If so are they trying to say that anything has to be better than being black, even being green???

Posted by: elsie at May 11, 2009 12:21 PM

Not that Disney isn't a money grubbing exploitative corporation already, but this movie stars a black princess for a reason.

If you don't have or know any girls aged 2-10, Disney's "princesses" are the rage. Yet outside of Jasmine from Aladdin, there are no princesses of color (somehow Mulan and Pocahontas don't count). This just adds another princess to Disney's money making stable.

And really, if you bleached this new one's skin, she'd look a lot like the Little Mermaid/Belle/etc.

Posted by: B-Unit at May 11, 2009 12:25 PM

Congrats, Trouble! When I was at Disney, I always wanted to be one of the Stepsisters at Cinderella's castle! I wouldn't make a good princess, but I could be a bratty stepsister very easily!

Posted by: Melissa at May 11, 2009 12:28 PM

Dustin - the Main Squeeze's mom gave us a Valentine's-themed stuffed frog a few years back that plays that song when you push it's belly--well, that line from that song.

Tracer - I think you might be looking at this all the wrong way. I think not giving up on 2-D is a good thing. Not that I'm trying to discourage you from shooting all the white folks you see, clearly there are too many of us.

Posted by: tamatha at May 11, 2009 12:31 PM

B-Unit: BINGO!

And mmmmm... lemme see, all the Princesses have to end up with non-threatening white dudes(the dude in Mulan looked like he was from upstate New York), even the black ones.

Interesting...

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at May 11, 2009 12:31 PM

Ooooooh, 2-D animation flick! God, I'm not sure if it's just the nostalgia talking here, but my GOD am I ever excited to see a new 2-D Disney flick. Please God don't let this totally suck monkey scrot.

Posted by: Jeremy Feist at May 11, 2009 12:39 PM

You know, 5 years ago if you'd asked me which would come first; a black Disney princess or a black US president, I probably would've picked the princess. Not because I have a lot of faith in Disney, but because they're all about making money and with the increasing amount of middle to upper middle class black families, I figured they'd be on that demographic right quick.

The fact that we had a black president before we had a black princess is pretty damning for Disney. Nice job, guys, the American electorate is apparently more open-minded than you. That's really not a pat yourself on the back kinda thing.

Posted by: Genny (also Rusty) at May 11, 2009 12:39 PM

Don't care about the color of the princess, don't think it makes a statement or a damn piece of difference.
But you get me a fat princess, NOW you're talking!

Posted by: courtney at May 11, 2009 12:39 PM

Black, white, girlfriend is still a damn PRINCESS.

Posted by: samantha t at May 11, 2009 12:39 PM

Well I, for one, am excited for this movie. Although that may just be because I grew up in the '90's and therefore my entire worldview is based on the 2D disney musicals. That slimy marketing ploy, tacking all the momentous moments from prior movies to the front, TOTALLY worked on me. (Although their exclusion of The Hunchback of ND and Pocahontas gnaws the canker a bit.)

@BarbadoSlim: Non-threatening? He's cajun. I couldn't think of a more threatening genre of white dude if I tried. (tongueincheektongueincheek)

Posted by: Ling at May 11, 2009 12:44 PM

Umm...why is there royalty in New Orleans?

Posted by: Austin asking for trouble at May 11, 2009 12:48 PM

@Genny: do you know how long it takes for a 2D movie to come out? this project was probably in the works by the beginning of Bush's 2nd term. (Although, in the beginning they conceived her as a servant girl named Maddy, so...)

Anyway, I feel like today Aladdin the Arab would be a lot more contentious than this movie because of you-know-what.

Posted by: Ling at May 11, 2009 12:48 PM

Actually, Samantha, this character started off as a maid. Oh sure, a maid that eventually gets her prince but still...a servant. A bit of an outcry went up and they changed that bit. Still not sure how I feel about that bug with the missing teeth. But I look forward to seeing a black princess and just in time for my little great-nieces.

Posted by: Shazza at May 11, 2009 12:51 PM

The fact that we had a black president before we had a black princess is pretty damning for Disney.

This movie was in the works before the election. I remember reading something about this movie back when it was in the concept stage. The commenter was a woman of color and her reaction was essentially "It's about damn time."

Posted by: Inaras at May 11, 2009 12:53 PM

Ling, that was NOT a Cajun accent. And they better not be trying to pass it off as one.

Oh god. I'm going to have to listen to the Disney version of a cajun accent. Oh god. Oh god. There was a fat alligator, too, wasn't there? Oh god. I love 2D animation, but I hate all of the stupid Louisiana stereotypes that are almost undoubtably going to find their way in.

Well, on the plus side... an animated New Orleans should be very pretty...

Posted by: PaleoLithchick at May 11, 2009 12:54 PM

Why isn't Beyonce doing the voice of the princess? Her father must be getting ready to murder someone over at Disney.

Posted by: slip at May 11, 2009 12:54 PM

Guys, there is an alligator playing trumpet. This movie is going to fucking rock.

Posted by: Zuzu at May 11, 2009 12:56 PM

I know that the movie was "in production" before the election, but I guess my big question is why is this movie coming out now with a big "return to 2-D!" fanfare instead of in the 90's in the heyday of 2-D animation and princess movies? I would've seen this movie when I was a kid and bought the toys and whatnot and I'm whiter than paper. I mean, Disney made a movie set in Peru where a guy voiced by David Spade got turned into a Llama before they made this. It's a little ridiculous.

That said, I do hope it does well and if I had any cartoon aged children at my disposal I would take them to see it.

Posted by: Genny (also Rusty) at May 11, 2009 1:00 PM

This looks cute but, yeah, since this is Disney I can't get past the whole "Look at us! look at us! we're so inclusive and good! Now just smile and wonder at our goodness while we take all your money!". Disney just fills me with cynicism.

And yeah, fuck princesses. What the fuck happened that the world is all into monarchy again? POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

Posted by: figgy at May 11, 2009 1:00 PM

Ummm....what about The Lion King? Was #1 until Finding Nemo knocked it off, and it's still #3 all-time.

Not only that, but as much as I've loved many of Pixar's films (I prefer to believe that Dreamworks never existed), Miyazaki blows Pixar out of the water.

Posted by: DC at May 11, 2009 1:02 PM

tamatha, I like you. When the revolution comes, I'll take you as my own.

Posted by: Tracer Bullet at May 11, 2009 1:02 PM

Miyazaki blows Pixar out of the water.

there's a fighting-diamonds-with-high-performance-sports-cars comparison if I ever heard one.

the only people who don't like 2-D are idiots who think 3-D only makes money because it's 3-D.

exactly like people thinking a headlining star makes a movie when most of them have zero ability to salvage a bad scrip through acting. Especially the ones with a vast repitoire of 'pretty'

Posted by: twig at May 11, 2009 1:08 PM

The prince is voiced by a Brazilian actor, Bruno Campos, which is probably why people are saying that he's white. But in the story, the prince is from the fictional kingdom of Maldonia. So who's to say if he's black, white, or of mixed heritage?

Also, if the prince had been clearly African (or African American) wouldn't people be complaining that Disney felt the need to "make them match"??

Finally, if you have -- or know -- any girls in the preschool set, then you know that the princes are kind of like Ken dolls in that they function mainly as accessories.


On another topic, I think it's GREAT to have a black princess in the Disney portfolio. My daughter is in preschool right now and princesses are hugely popular with them. One of the moms (whose daughter is half black/half white) told me that her girl regularly cries because her curly hair won't "go down" like a princess, but poofs out instead.

I imagine that little girl--and plenty of others like her --will be THRILLED to see herself represented as a Disney princess, no matter how long it took to have happen or who the prince is.

Posted by: SeaKat at May 11, 2009 1:12 PM

Oh, right the fuck ON.

It is about goddamned time. I hope this kicks all-time Disney box office ASS.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at May 11, 2009 1:13 PM

For once I’d like to come to pajiba and not be bombarded with talk of race which inevitably turns into racial conflict. Can we please turn pajiba into a non-racial tension zone? We are all Americans, we should all be able to get along with our fellow man or women no matter what hue that person may be.

Posted by: Guess who! at May 11, 2009 1:25 PM

I don't really know what to think of this. I grew up in the nineties loving TLK and Alladin and all the rest of those awesome Disney movies. And I never really longed for a black princess. Now that I'm older and have kind of grown out of those films and realized that Disney fucking sucks now - I don't really care about this.

This movie looks lame. Just like that New Groove movie or Tarzan did. It just looks strange and stupid. As others have said - why the bad Cajun accent? Why royalty in New Orleans? Why not have a black prince like the princess?

It's all so non-nonsensical that I can't really give a shit.

I do love 2D animation though, but it's over. 3D has taken over. A black (Creole? Cajun??)Disney Princess is not gonna change that.

Posted by: kayla at May 11, 2009 1:28 PM

Here’s the trailer, and it looks a lot like traditional Disney 2D films, which is to say: Kind of dull.

What Disney movies have you been watching, Dustin? I'll admit that Snow White is kind of dull, but Beauty and the Beast and Aladin are still kick-ass.

Posted by: Claire at May 11, 2009 1:28 PM

Not all of us are Americans, gringo!

Posted by: figgy at May 11, 2009 1:29 PM

The prince is not Cajun. That is not a Cajun accent.

The actor is Brazilian and the character hails from a fictional country.

Posted by: SeaKat at May 11, 2009 1:31 PM

I've actually read a few really positive reviews from early screenings of this. I suppose you could say that this is a return to form for Disney.

Posted by: Smatt584 at May 11, 2009 1:32 PM

Just like that New Groove movie

Ok so you obviously didn't see it.

Posted by: twig at May 11, 2009 1:36 PM

Dude, "The Emperor's New Groove" was hilarious. So off with your head.

Posted by: figgy at May 11, 2009 1:39 PM

Well pardon me honey, I’m trying to solve the racial tension in the world, I don’t have the time to mention your country specifically.

Posted by: Guess who! at May 11, 2009 1:39 PM

2D's not envelope pushing any more, huh? I have to say to you, may friend: Shorts.

Don Hertzfeld.

Bill Plympton.

Watch and be amazed.


Posted by: frumpiefox at May 11, 2009 1:45 PM

Guess who!, I don't see any of this discussion as being racially tense. I've seen a couple jokes, but that's it, and I feel like people should be able to calmly and intelligently discuss racial politics without feeling like it's some huge taboo. If we never talk about it, nothing's ever going to change. Yes, many of us are Americans but to assume that all Americans (or others) are treated the same regardless of race, religion or gender is just obtuse. I think it's better to discuss the differences in what most people here see as a safe environment than to never hear how someone else's personal experience of life as an American differs from yours.

And The Emperor's New Groove was praised by no less than David Mamet. It's wonderful.

Posted by: Genny (also Rusty) at May 11, 2009 1:50 PM

OMG Don Hertzfeld, yes. Not a day goes by that I don't reference "Rejected," and if I were not already married to Mr. Awesomesauce, dating me would require you to understand what I mean when I say, " 'Mah SPOON is TOO BIG!' 'I AM A BANANA!' "

Posted by: Tammy at May 11, 2009 1:53 PM

I'm sorry but I hate that damn Emperor movie. We watched it in class during the end of the school year and I just didn't get it. I wasn't with it.

I actually don't mind that the prince is from some fake country. Disney's always been weird like that. As a kid I always wondered why Rafiki was the only character in The Lion King that seemed African and wondered why Sebastian was the only Jamaican in The Little Mermaid. Geography is not their strong suit.

Posted by: kayla at May 11, 2009 1:56 PM

*sobs* Can't we all just appreciate the return of big-screen 2D animation and get along?

Posted by: Kayanne at May 11, 2009 1:59 PM

Tammy

"I'm a mindless consumer whore! And how!"

Also, his earlier work, which is sheer macabre genius: "Billy's Balloon"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc5vgi9zbM

Posted by: twig at May 11, 2009 1:59 PM

Guess who, I'm sorry to burst your fucking bubble, but LIFE is a goddamned racial tension zone. And contrary to what you and the 23% of Americans left who still want to believe we're living in fuckin' Leave it to fuckin' Beaver Land, you can't escape it, not even at the movies.

So, yeah, even when you come to Pajiba -- where the goddamned HDEAER tells you what to fuckin' expect, babe -- you're gonna run into motherfuckin' REALITY. And reality includes a good, strong dose of RACIAL TENSION.

Now, maybe if you and the thumbsuckers with whom you've chosen to surround yourself throughout your "La la la, everything is all right if I just PRAY hard enough and look away when the dirty faggots and ugly FEMINISTS walk by" friends had instead opted to PRACTICE a little of the Christianity you wanted to sprinkle all over this land of sunshine and daffodils, it wouldn't be the case that over two and half centuries after the FOUNDING of this FABULOUS nation of ours we'd still be wrestling with whether people of colour are still deserving of a goddamned HOME LOAN in the same neighbourhood as George motherfucking W. BUSH.

But honey pie, that be the fuckin' way it IS.

So man up or check in to the local nut ward and bite down on something while they give you a few rounds of the new and improved electroshock, because it's gonna take a while for us to work out the kinks -- and a hair iron ain't gonna suffice.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at May 11, 2009 2:18 PM

HEADER.

WHY don't I ever USE that goddamned preview? Man, I ruin a perfectly good rant with a fuckin' typo.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at May 11, 2009 2:19 PM

OOOH, just actually watched the trailer, and....um.... am I being over sensitive about the idea of demonizing voodoo culture, plus the wickedly minstrel-show-esque dance sequences they've got going on? Have we learned nothing from Dumbo or Song of the South, Disney? I really hope it's less offensive with the sound on (I'm at work, so no speakers for me). Because, YIKES.

Posted by: Tammy at May 11, 2009 2:20 PM

Sigh...

Guess who... I have NO idea if any of the things I just ascribed to you are even remotely true. Probably not. You probably would not be hanging out here if they were.

I apologise. I totally just took out my seething anger to toward the type of person I described on someone I am almost SURE is utterly innocent of the crimes I described. I apologise profusely.

Wow. Bet you didn't see THAT coming on the heels of your frustrated minor outburst...

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at May 11, 2009 2:23 PM

I think I need a meeting.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at May 11, 2009 2:27 PM

Umm


Is it just me, or was Guess Who! simply referring to Disney's portrayal of a minority prince who hails from a fictional country? I mean, why can't the guy just be American or Latin or African? There's nothing wrong with making that observation.

I don't get why so many people are offended. I thought Guess Who!'s comment was funny.

Calm the F down, people.

Posted by: kayla at May 11, 2009 2:31 PM

kayla -- Like I said... I was too late to catch myself, but I apologised.

And I'm going to a meeting.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at May 11, 2009 2:37 PM

Tammy - okay, this may tread the line, but I actually had a very funny "Song of the South" incident recently. My boss, the head partner of our firm who is about 70, was saying that he couldn't find "Song of the South" ANYWHERE on DVD and how it was his favorite Disney movie growing up. There was this uncomfortable silence and I finally spoke up and said that it might be hard to find because so many people find it so offensive, a la "The Little Rascals." He was floored - had absolutely NO IDEA that "SOS" had had any criticism for its racism.

Posted by: samantha t at May 11, 2009 2:41 PM

Yes, moving along!

*Brain wipes*

The princess spends the whole movie as a frog, then? The hell!

Posted by: figgy at May 11, 2009 2:41 PM

samantha t: It's moments like those that make going to work worth it.

Posted by: Tammy at May 11, 2009 2:45 PM

figgy,

To be fair, Ariel spends half of her movie as a voluntary mute and Sleeping Beauty's Aurora is completely passsive -- to the point where she spends the climax of the movie asleep.

With that in mind, having this princess turn into a frog isn't that bad, is it?

Posted by: SeaKat at May 11, 2009 2:51 PM

Tammy, I also watched the trailer without sound (am in a library - forgot headphones.) and your comment resonated with my thought process. The minstrel show scene and even the trumpeting alligator reminded me all too much of that one undeniably racist Disney film with a massive musical swamp scene that involves a toad shooting himself up (was that Song of the South? Maybe it wasn't Disney at all...I studied this in an animated literature class. Shows you how much I paid attention...) This film is certainly treading on fine lines. One might say they are paying tribute to New Orleans culture and others might say they are demonizing it. Who can really make that call though? From a musician's point of view, it would be pretty blockheaded to deny that there is a racial background to the New Orleans style which is such an incredibly important part in the American musical landscape. So how is someone supposed to approach that - or voodoo culture and integrating it as part of the story - safely without someone thinking it as a demonization, fetishization (Are those words??), or being attacked as a racist (or any number of other things?) Perhaps by not using it at all?

I should probably watch this with sound and then make my own call...but I do think there will be lots of hoopla. It seems like some people just like to fight...

Posted by: no name today at May 11, 2009 3:00 PM

Very good point.

Though, really, I loved 'The Little Mermaid'. Still do. For all the anti-feminist crap it was an awesome movie, and I wore the tape out when I was 10. And I turned out just fine!

Posted by: figgy at May 11, 2009 3:01 PM

Maryscott, you are the first person in the history of pajiba to get into an argument with your own self. You’ve just replaced that crazy guy P****e as the craziest person in pajibaville.

P.S. less meetings, more medication.

Posted by: Guess who! at May 11, 2009 3:36 PM

@Slip: I don't think Beyonce was ever doing the movie. It's Anika Noni Rose, the Dreamgirl who isn't Beyonce or Jennifer Hudson.

Besides, with Beyonce being half white, they would have had a whole new shit storm on their hands.

@Kayla: In terms of Sebastian the Jamaican, it is certainly strange, considering that I'm fairly certain it's set in the Adriatic Sea. Perhaps, centuries prior, the merpeople decided to import crabs from jamaica, reasoning that they didn't have societies that resembled the merpeople's and were therefore less than human. Then, about a century and a half ago, a vicious war erupted between the more progressive Italian side of the ocean and the conservative Croatian side. The Italian side won and crab-slavery became illegal. Many crabs stayed in the Adriatic, though, and several of their descendants now enjoy prominent positions in society; most notably, Sebastian, court composer and inspiration to disenfranchised crab-youth throughout the sea.

Posted by: Ling at May 11, 2009 3:38 PM

figgy,

I love The Little Mermaid too. I think that kids certainly absorb messages from the movies that they watch.

I also believe that children compare those messages with what they see around them -- at home, in school, wherever -- and notice what jibes and what doesn't.

I am pretty sure my daughter could grow up with Disney movies on a 24/7 loop...as long as she sees the women in her life expecting - and receiving - respect on a daily basis, she'll be just fine.

Posted by: SeaKat at May 11, 2009 4:00 PM

Sebastian wasn't Jamaican he was Bajan!

Posted by: Calliwell at May 11, 2009 4:55 PM

What's with the hating on 2D animation? And Disney movies? Mulan and Aladdin got me through my childhood.

Posted by: DontStopNow at May 11, 2009 5:25 PM

I disagree with your opinion of 2D movies. As a child who grew up during the "Disney Renaissance" during the 90's I have a deep affinity towards 2D films, and fairy tales. Though CG is nice, and Pixar does a great job, the magic of 2D is missing. I'm excited for the Princess and the Frog, it looks promising.

Posted by: Person at May 11, 2009 5:32 PM

Guess who -- fuck yourself.


Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at May 11, 2009 5:55 PM

Ling-where did you get the idea that Beyonce is half white? Have you SEEN her parents? Her Mom might be Creole( so she says) but she's still black.

Posted by: Shazza at May 11, 2009 7:35 PM

Shazza - I think the African-American community took one look at the creations from "House of Dereon" and voted Tina Knowles out.

Or did US Weekly mislead me again??

Posted by: SeaKat at May 11, 2009 7:42 PM

I'll give it a shot. I'm curious and hell I too survived the Disneyfication when I was younger and has since become a proud cynic. Yes, Ariel was a spoilt brat who needed some more ground rules (my perspective). Yes, Cinderella was too whiny. Yes Sleeping Beauty SLEPT through all the action, but I still have Mulan, Fantasia, Aladdin and the Lion King(with MUFASA!!!) to even things out.

I might even take my little cousins to see it...even though I'm wondering about the potential demonisation of Voodoo and other wonderful wonderful stereotypes.

Posted by: Four Eyes at May 11, 2009 7:53 PM

Holy crap. I went and watched some of Don Hertzfeldt's animations and that shit is weird. Really, really, weird.

Posted by: EricD at May 11, 2009 8:03 PM

Eh, I'm undecided on this movie. I thought the preview was very reminiscent of Anastasia , actually.

On the bright side, Up (which I got to see at an exclusive screening in Hartford, Connecticut, this past weekend) was fantastic. It was everything you expect from a Pixar movie - simply gorgeous animation, a thoughtful story, a stellar short, and smiles plenty for when you leave.

Posted by: Lafoutloud16 at May 11, 2009 8:25 PM

Seakat-LOL!!! I love that it's referred to as 'House of Do-Wrong' or 'House of Derriere'.

Posted by: Shazza at May 11, 2009 8:54 PM

You all have been forgetting, the last truly sucsessful 2D animated movie wasn't Disney at all, it was FOX's The Simpsons Movie, with a gross of 527 million dollars.

That being said, I'm looking forward to this, it would be nice for Disney to have a good last 2D film replace Home on the Range. (Which starred Rosanne as a fucking talking cow.)

Posted by: George at May 11, 2009 8:58 PM

@Shazza: Jesus, I'm not doing well today, am I? I've actually never seen a picture of Tina Knowles. (Well, until now, I just googled her.) I've heard people refer to Beyonce as half-and-half and retained that vagueness as fact. Silly me.

Posted by: Ling at May 11, 2009 9:18 PM

::slams hands over ears::

lalalala... not listening to criticism... lalalala... gonna see it anyway....lalalala... and taking every little Black girl I can find...lalalala... because we FINALLY have a BLACK PRINCESS!!!!

For reals. While I get the incessant caterwauling about all things princess, sparkly, and pink, it is still privilege of the majority to reject that which has been far beyond the grasp of the minority.

Posted by: ceejeemcbeegee at May 11, 2009 10:39 PM

Ling, Beyonce's not half white... Tina is light-skinned, but still Black.

Posted by: ceejeemcbeegee at May 11, 2009 10:42 PM

Dustin. I usually think you're right on, but I have to disagree with some of this review. 2D will forever be greater and cooler than the computer animated stuff. It takes way more effort and talent to produce a good 2D film. While Finding Nemo was cute, all of the Shrek-type shit is annoying as hell. Those films just comes off as lazy and gimmicky most of the time. Almost all of those films suffer from the thing that was making Disney's 2D films go down in quality in the late 90's--the need to have "celebrity" voices, the insufferable "wink wink nudge nudge" hipster douchebag writing, and the attempts to be "hip" by inserting/exploiting "Urban Culture" [a trend which was so wonderfully lampooned in the Simpsons episode where the rapping "Poochie" character was added to the "Itchy and Scratchy Show"]. Also, Disney tried to get all experimental with the drawing style. The shitty art of Hercules could never be as beautiful as that of Lion King or Beauty and the Beast.

Posted by: 2D forever at May 11, 2009 10:50 PM

Well . . . I just don't know.
I'll probably watch it at some point, but I have enough problems with live action films set in New Orleans. What am I gonna do with this?
What are all those voodoo scenes about?

As far as there being royalty in NOLA, maybe she's on the Zulu court? Was there a Mardi Gras ball she was about to attend when the frog showed up?

Might have been funnier (and doubly offensive) if she was taken hostage by the Mardi Gras Indians instead. Get her, flagboy!

Posted by: Sharon at May 11, 2009 11:47 PM

My daughter is three, and I can't wait to get her to a movie with a black princess. She's just a little squirt, half Chinese and half UK-barf, and sadly my attempts to get her to favor Mulan over Cinderella have met with failure thus far ("but, Mulan isn't a pretty princess! Where's her dress and tiara?")

The little guys take it all at face value, so if there's a positive message, different skin tones than have been on offer previously, and nothing that I need to get really pissy over (and I bet Disney took so long with this one because it really is going to be a minefield with whomever decides to make it one, you know? Hopefully we're getting past that shit/Disney made a worthwhile film) then count me a happy mom.

I'd like to see some new faces on the damn toothpaste/toy purses/puzzles/et f*ckin' cetera that coat my household despite my best intentions otherwise. Those princesses sneak in...they just...do...la..la..laaaaaa...

Posted by: replica at May 12, 2009 12:08 AM

I mostly don't care about the princess' skin tone, and I'll probably go see this even though I'm 30 and don't have any kids.

My only colour-related complaint is that she doesn't have an afro. Not because I necessarily think Disney are shoehorning her into white standards of beauty, but because afros are AWESOME.

Posted by: embertine at May 12, 2009 10:09 AM

About the prince--I read that he was supposed to be Middle Eastern. Hence the name 'Naveen.'

Posted by: Genevieve at May 12, 2009 9:48 PM