The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

[BwayJ]

Actually the Hillbillies werent pointless. Frog hunting is a real sport down there and a realistic threat to any frog in those parts. lol Frog legs anyone?

Also I bet you would like the movie even better seeing it on the big screen. The animation is just amazing and some segments just will never be the same experiencing them outside of the movie theater. Go to the theater and see it if you can.

What you pointed out is a cultural reference. Still has no relevance to the plot.

i'll probably will go see it in theater but I watched it online to see what the story about. Save time and money for me.[/b]

The hunters' scene serves as an ice-breaker for Tiana and Naveen. She sees that he is not very selfish (he comes back to save her) and that he is smarter than he looks (his manipulating the hunters so they keep hitting themselves). Naveen, meanwhile, sees that Tiana can be spontaneous and that she does have a sense of humor. It is from this point that they start to like each other.

[IagoZazu]

I got the soundtrack monday, and after listening to it for a couple days it made me start to like "Friends on the Other Side" and "Down in New Orleans." I love it.

I wonder though, did any kids get scared of Facilier's shadow friends? Because the kids at the theater I went to were surprisingly brave.

[katemonster]

I enjoyed this movie so much I was to see it again this upcoming weekend! Yay! for Disney for bringing back 2D in style!

[Disney Duster]

It seems all of us feared the kids getting scared but they didn't...I think we were more scared!

BwayJ the scene may have been good for Tiana and Naveen, but...let me put it this way, Tiana and Naveen's actions were not pointless, the frog hunters themselves were pointless. They could have been done so much better at least.

[pap64]

I finally got around to seeing the film, and I loved it! Despite all the spoilers I read, all the scenes, video tours, interviews, images etc. etc. the film managed to surprised me on nearly every level. The characters were wonderful, the animation was fantastic and the music truly worked.

Here are my opinions about some of the concerns expressed earlier...

First off, I actually understood Facilier's plan. From what I understood, Facilier knew that Daddy Lebouf was the richest man in New Orleans, and knew that Naveen was coming to his costume party and ask Charlotte to marry. So with this, he sets out to trick Naveen and steal his blood. He also knew that Lawrence would give in to his demands because of how desperate he was. So he used him to pose as Naveen so he could meet Charlotte and marry her.

Then when he got married, Facilier would use voodoo to kill Daddy Lebouf so Naveen and Charlotte would inherit his money and give it to Facilier. Then to repay his friends on the other side once he gains the trust of the people of New Orleans, he would offer their souls to them. So that way, he gets his money and they get souls.

I thought it was very clever and different for a Disney villain.

My favorite character is easily Louis the Alligator. Not only was his animation great, I loved his character. I loved his voice, I love his story, he is a great character and easily the best Disney sidekick since Timon and Pumbaa. I confess the reason I like him so much is because I identify with him. I am also a big, fat, lovable guy who wishes to accomplish his dream and gain the love, respect and friendship of other people. Having bad breath, being a coward and loving food also helps a bit .

My favorite Louis scene is actually a very quick joke during the "Gonna Take you There" sequence. When he is dancing he trips and falls on the fireflies. When he stands up, the fireflies are on his body, forming a mardi gras costume. Then they fly away and Louis covers himself, as if he was being stripped. I don't know why, but not only his expression great I just love how self aware he is during the situation.

As for Tiana and Naveen...they were fantastic characters. I actually believed in their love. And here's why...

When the two meet they aren't in the brightest dispositions. Tiana just learned that she is about to lose her restaurant, and Naveen is penniless and forced to marry in order to be fine in financial terms. So both are frustrated and both feel that one is making the other feel worse. When they calm down and realize that they have to work together in order to get out of their situation, their emotions calm down a bit and slowly begin to appreciate each other for who they are. Tiana learns that the reason Naveen is so carefree is because his family didn't give him enough reason to be a hard worker, because everything was given to him. Naveen then learns that Tiana HAS to work to earn what he has taken for granted. He appreciates what Tiana has to do and her work ethic and while he was at it he realizes how good he had it until he lost it.

So both realizing this they finally forget about what made them angry and see that deep down they are wonderful people, and thus a mutual growth in interest happens, and ends in love. Sure, it happened very quickly, but I think their love is truly legit.

Ray is also an enduring character that surprisingly gives the film its message and mysticism. And his death was truly tragic. Though, I was not put off by his appearance as the star right next to Evangeline. I think it gives the movie hope that we gain our deserved rewards even after death. In other words, because Ray was so helpful, loyal, friendly and a romantic his wish of being with Evangeline was granted. It was his wish. And I thought that was wonderful.

Charlotte was such as fantastic character, and a wonderful diva. Her dad was also great. So was Facilier, Mama Odie, Juju... Hell, this is one of those rare films in which I loved all of the characters.

My issues with the film, however, is that the movie did have a paced issue. It definitely went too fast, jumping from one scene to the next without even taking its time. Maybe its because I got used to Pixar's movies. They aren't afraid of extending the movie as long as it helps the story. So with Princess and the Frog it feels that the movie is going by faster and not wasting any time telling the story.

So to end my informal review, the movie was great. It surpassed all my expectations and still surprised me despite everything I read prior to watching it.

If for some dark twist of fate this is the first and last 2D animated film from Disney, at the very least it went out on a far more spectacular note than Home on the Range, a good film but not as powerful.

[Escapay]

The NJ Trilogy went to the AMC Loews in Cherry Hill today and watched The Princess and the Frog. It was intended to be a big cousins outing, but in the end, was just a sibling one, lol. Anyways, we watched it, enjoyed it, then went to the mall for an hour before driving home. We stopped at Target on the way home and bought a toaster.

I was thinking about typing up my own assessment of the movie, but honestly, I don't feel like it (and given that I haven't even read many posts in this thread, or the previous one, or the previous one, I wouldn't know what the hot topics are that I'm supposed to discuss ). I mean, it was surprisingly enjoyable, but not something I'd want to write at length about.

albert

Plus, you guys would hate me if I told you that I fell asleep for about 5-10 minutes in the middle of it.

[ColorsOfTheWind]

I saw Princess and the Frog for the 4th time today and the movie has yet to become the slightest bit boring or less magical. Each time I've seen it, I always leave the theater absolutely blown away. I can't wait to see it again! (Can you say, addicted?)

[Escapay]

(Can you say, addicted?)

Addicted.



albert

[ajmrowland]

Totally addicted.

[akhenaten]

im not really keen on night scenes in general, it leaves little room for visual ideas and colors. but i like the bayou gang and wish i could've joined them on their journey to mama odie.

6 times and counting. if it fails to reach 10 times means its not really a fav.

[CJ]

My grandmother and I got to go see it today. We both enjoyed the movie. I loved the animation and the characters. Right now I am having a hard time deciding which character is my favorite.

I loved Charlotte, she is hilarious. I also like that she even though she is spoiled, she isn't selfish.

Louis and Ray made great sidekicks. Both characters were a lot of fun to watch. I liked that Louis got to realize his dream of "playing with the big boys" without having to change into a human. I also like that Ray got be with Evangeline in the end, but I'm sad he was killed off. The entire theater made a gasp when Ray was stepped on.

[Dream Huntress]

some pictures from the book "The Art of The Princess and the Frog" by Jeff Kurtti. I can't wait to receive my own copy!!!

I love the dress she has on this pic, it's so cute.

Well the movie is out, it was good, not perfetc, and definitely not epic like the big four, but it's a nice film. What I liked of the theater where I watched the movie is that the kids really loved it, they even clapped.

I don't know why some people got confused on Dr. Facilier's plan, I know they don't spell it right out loud, but they give you enough clues so you can do the math. And Naveen's character development was good, it was nice to see him grow through his love for Tiana, because he was a good person, just lazy, and that brought him down to earth.

Still, I do have some issues with the movie, some of them have been already pointed out here in the boards, like the whole thing with Ray, which makes me think, was Timon right all along?

An there's Mama Odie, funny old lady, but what was the point of going with her? Other than she telling them to dig a a little deeper, nothing else gained with that visit, I mean, they go back right were they started, and it makes look that they only introduced her character just to advance the plot, which is a real shame.

Also I'm a bit confused with the moral of the story, but that's just me nitpicking, so, PATF it's a fun, sweet and entertaining movie, and already got a Golden Globe nomination, and that's a though one, because besides "Up", "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" both got glowing reviews, so let's how that goes.

On another note, has anybody seen this? It's from the guys at Disney Animation:

<object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a2Mrk6macsY&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a2Mrk6macsY&hl ... 2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object>

It's nice to see the people of Disney have some fun.

[disneyboy20022]

I just thought of another Disney reference that was in the movie..i'll highlight for those who for people where it is not released yet in theaters or for some reason hasn't seen it yet but they plan to..

I just realized...when Ray becomes a star next to Evangeline...did't they look like it was the second star to the right as featured in Peter Pan??? I wouldn't totally write that one off either.....did anyone else notice this?

I've only seen it once now but I plan on seeing it maybe tomorrow or on Friday....[/quote]

[magicalwands]

That was my immediate thought when they showed it disneyboy! At first I thought Peter Pan has a bunch more stars so I didn't say anything, but I'm glad you pointed it out because it is a really great reference.

[Marce82]

People people...

As much as I like to find references withing Disney movies...the whole Peter pan thing doesnt fly (pardon the pun). This film takes place in the 1920's, Peter Pan takes place in 1910.

Sorry all!

[a-net-fan]

It seems all of us feared the kids getting scared but they didn't...I think we were more scared!

BwayJ the scene may have been good for Tiana and Naveen, but...let me put it this way, Tiana and Naveen's actions were not pointless, the frog hunters themselves were pointless. They could have been done so much better at least.

I really thought the frog hunters were fine and funny. This segment also showed how Naveen and Teena how strong they were together and what they could accomplish when working as a TEAM. I loved it....and technically they were a better "threat" then the allegators I thought.

[SpringHeelJack]

People people...

As much as I like to find references withing Disney movies...the whole Peter pan thing doesnt fly (pardon the pun). This film takes place in the 1920's, Peter Pan takes place in 1910.

Sorry all!

Uh... how does that mean they can't include an inside joke from another animated era?

And I'm usually the first person to think that a majority of the references are just people looking for things that aren't there.

[estefan]

It seems all of us feared the kids getting scared but they didn't...I think we were more scared!

BwayJ the scene may have been good for Tiana and Naveen, but...let me put it this way, Tiana and Naveen's actions were not pointless, the frog hunters themselves were pointless. They could have been done so much better at least.

I really thought the frog hunters were fine and funny. This segment also showed how Naveen and Teena how strong they were together and what they could accomplish when working as a TEAM. I loved it....and technically they were a better "threat" then the allegators I thought.

Plus, Tiana's "And we can talk, too" pretty much made that scene for me. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that yet, because I personally thought it was one of the funniest lines in the whole flick (and there were a lot of funny lines). Anika's line reading really sold it, I think.

[a-net-fan]

I really thought the frog hunters were fine and funny. This segment also showed how Naveen and Teena how strong they were together and what they could accomplish when working as a TEAM. I loved it....and technically they were a better "threat" then the allegators I thought.

Plus, Tiana's "And we can talk, too" pretty much made that scene for me. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that yet, because I personally thought it was one of the funniest lines in the whole flick (and there were a lot of funny lines). Anika's line reading really sold it, I think.

I completely agree! Yea I loved this scene!

[Disney Duster]

Yes, I loved of you loved the frog hunters seen...for Tiana's line? For what Tiana and Naveen did? Yea, but not for the frog hunters themselves! They needed to be better!

Dream Huntress, what happened to Ray could be a reference to what Timon and Simba said, and in a weird Timon, Simba, and Pumbaa could all be right, with Pumbaa analyzing what can be scientifically measured while the others getting the spiritual side.

As for Mama Odie...would Tiana and Naveen have dug a little deeper, and found out they wanted to each other (and to make each other happy), and then ended up kissing and breaking the spell, if they hadn't gone to Mama Odie? And who would have married two talking frogs but Mama Odie? I agree, she could have done more, but she was more there to give them wisdom they needed than magic.

What was your problem with the film's message? You can write it in white if you want.

I think Marce means that if those stars formed that way, they couldn't have formed after Peter Pan already went to those stars!

But Marce, a reference doesn't mean it was those stars, it just means they are referencing those stars, they just look like and refer to those stars.