"I'm Sweating Like a Sinner in Church": Review of Disney's The Princess & the Frog

-I really want to see "The Princess and the Frog"

-Me to. I mean I want to see how long the first black princess stays black?

-Ya, that's why I want to see it to!

Although I am 20 years old I enjoy cartoon movies as much as the 8 year old behind me. Last night I saw Disney's newest creation "The Princess and the Frog". I had high expectations for this movie, that I first heard Disney was going to make when I was on vacation in Florida in the 12th grade, naturally the movie did not meet my expectations. For some reason the movie seemed to be a mix of the animals from "The Jungle Book" and the villain from "Aladdin"; there was a snake like Kaa (but nice), an alligator like Baloo (the song where the frogs sang on his belly while they swam down the river was the same) and the Voodoo shadow man was Jafar's twin.

As for the music it was not at all what I expected from a movie that took place in pre-Katrina New Orleans. It was not jazzy or innovative; like the music from "The Lion King" or "Tarzan" instead it was blah.

As for the Princess herself, Tiana, she was different from traditional Disney Princesses. Most notably she was black, first a black president than a black princess, the world is moving up! Also she was not an orphan like Cinderella, she was not a damsel in distress like Jasmine or Sleeping Beauty, and she was not a mermaid like Ariel. Tiana was a hardworking girl whose Daddy told her she would have to work hard to achieve her dreams, she couldn't just wish upon stars, and work hard she did. She was saving up to buy her very own restaurant until a prince who had be turned into a frog by the Shadow Man convinced her to kiss him, causing her to turn into a frog, with mucus and all. This lead to to there adventure in the Bayou and the friendships with a crocodile named Luis and a lightning bug named Raymond. Blah Blah Blah. There is a lot of song and dance in between and a scary Voodoo lady who might just have the coolest house in the world (a boat in a tree above a swamp.) Eventually the two frogs, Prince Naveen and Tiana fall in love.

The comic relief of the movie was Charlotte, the daughter of the richest man in New Orleans, and Tiana friend. She is Tiana's polar opposite when she wants something she gets the money from her big daddy or she wishes on stars. She has a typical southern accent, which is hilarious coming from a cartoon, and all the funny lines, while waiting from the prince she says, "I am so nervous I am sweating like a sinner in church", that caused me to LOL. Eventually i think Charlotte learns that she to has to work hard to make her dreams come true, but this wasn't really clear to me so I dout it was clear to the 8 year old behind me.

SPOILER ALERT! The downside. The death of the lighting bug, Raymond, was cry worthy and had one littler girl full out crying and another boy asking "So there never going to see him again" and me thinking "why would Disney want to hurt children, and bugs?"

"Dreams do come to true in New Orleans..." Ironically this is the last line of the film, sung of course!