'The Princess and the Frog': Old-school animation, modern heroine charm down on the bayou

MOVIE REVIEW

Disney cartoons have given us a Native American princess (Pocahontas), a Chinese heroine (Mulan), several European-based fairy-tale princesses (Snow White, Cinderella) and a leading lady who's half fish (Ariel in "The Little Mermaid"). It may seem a mite tardy, but the studio has finally come up with Disney Animation's first African-American heroine.

"The Princess and the Frog," loosely drawn from E.D. Baker's 2002 book, "The Frog Princess," is also the studio's first voodoo musical. The story is driven mostly by a voodoo curse and Randy Newman's gumbo-rich score.

For the most part, it's a winner: spirited, funny and even complex in a way that's been foreign to recent Disney cartoons. The script is a little rushed and predictable in the homestretch, as princess stories usually are, but at least the heroine isn't concerned only with finding a happy ending with a handsome prince.

Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), a hardworking New Orleans waitress who dreams of opening her own restaurant, is Cinderella-like in many respects. She's frugal to a fault, watching others party while she saves every penny and passes up invitations to dance.

When she does give in to a romantic impulse, by kissing a frog named Naveen (Bruno Campos), the result has more in common with King Midas than Prince Charming. The kiss does not transform the frog, but it does turn her into one.

Even wishing on a star doesn't provide much help (heresy for a Disney film!) when your prayers are answered only by practical jokes. When you've kissed one frog and observed the consequences, you tend to be gun-shy.

Tiana and Naveen find themselves under the control of the wicked Dr. Facilier (Keith David), who sings about his "Friends on the Other Side" and suggests the wily, seductive Sportin' Life from "Porgy and Bess." (The Southern locations also inspire the writers to pay homage to "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" — the king of the Mardi Gras parade, played by John Goodman, is even called Big Daddy.)

Newman's songs are designed to accompany several infectious production numbers, including the showstopping "Friends" and "Almost There," in which Tiana dreams of turning a rundown barn into a restaurant so spectacular that it will draw customers from miles around.

The chief comic-relief character, Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), is an alligator who'd rather jazz it up with Tiana and Naveen than eat them. Never quite as endearing or hilarious as he's supposed to be, Louis is a bit of a strain. More successful on that score is Ray (Jim Cummings), a Cajun firefly who also inhabits the swamps.

The animators, who drop the popular 3-D computer format and revert to the old hand-drawn 2-D system that was once standard at Disney, make the most of their opportunity to show why 2-D remains valid. Most of the time you're barely aware of the difference; well-told stories work like that.

"The Princess and the Frog" was codirected by Ron Clements and John Musker, who previously turned the studio around with "The Little Mermaid" in 1989. They've had their hits and their misses since then. This one easily lands in the hit column.

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com