Book Vs Movie: “The Princess & The Frog” (2009)
The last traditionally made Disney animation film is the subject of this episode which explores New Orleans in the 1920s
The Margos are feeling like sipping some sweet tea and exploring one of America’s most sous cities for food, culture, music, and architecture—New Orleans.
The Princess and the Frog originated with the Brother Grimm’s fairytale “The Frog Prince” (which we are not really discussing today) and “The Frog Princess” by E.D. Baker. Writers/directors Ron Clements and John Musker who previously worked on “The Great Mouse Detective” and “The Little Mermaid.”
In this story, the action takes place in New Orleans in the 1920s but in the early 2000s there were very critical notes on how the city should be treated (this was just after Hurricane Katrina) and the lead character went from being a chambermaid to a woman looking to open her own restaurant. None of than Oprah Winfrey herself was hired as a consultant in 2007 and she voices the character of Tiana’s mother Eudora.
Tiana is a hard worker who was raised by parents who taught her an excellent work ethic. She dreams of opening her own restaurant. After kissing a frog (who was a prince but a Cajun witch doctor put a spell on him)Tiana and her new frog friend Prince Naveen navigate the waters of the Bayou before true love prevails.
The film was one of the first big release animated films that featured a largely African American cast and it made over $270 million worldwide. It was released the same year as Pixar’s “Up” so it did not win the big awards at the time but it still has its big fans.
So between the original story & movie–which did we like better?
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The origins of The Princess Frog
- The changes Disney made to make Tiana a new kind of princess
- The cast: Anika Noni Rose (Tiana,) Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen,) Keith David (Dr. Facilier,) Micheal-Leon Wooley (Louis,) Jennifer Cody (Charlotte La Bouff,) Jim Cummings (Ray,) Oprah Winfrey (Eudora,) Terrence Howard (James,) and John Goodman (“Big Daddy La Bouff.”)
Clips used:
- The Princess and the Frog trailer
- Prince Naveen meets Dr. Facilier
- Tiana meets the Prince as a frog
- Tiana and Charlotte as kids (with Elizabeth Dampier, Breanna Brooks, and Oprah!)
- Tiana confronts “the Shadowman”
- Music by Randy Newman “Down in New Orleans”
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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
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