The Princess and the Frog

Witwiwo:

What: The Princess and the Frog.

When: 18 January, the anniversary of the day I successfully navigated my mother's birth canal.

How Long: 1 hour, 37 minutes.

Where: Manchester Cinemas in Rock THRILL!

Why: Because it's the first Disney animated movie since daggum Toy Story, suckahs!

What I ate while I watched: Cookie dough bites and a friggin' huge Cherry Coke.

Directors: Ron Clements & John Musker

Starring: No one important.

Expectations: Pretty high--I mean, it is the first animated film from Disney for quite a while. I was hoping it would live up to their previously asserted standards.

Two Sentence Synopsis: Tiana, a New Orleans native, has her dream of owning a restaurant put on hold when she kisses the Prince-turned-frog Naveen and is turned into a frog herself. While trying to find a way to return to being humans, they discover what they need, rather than what they want.

My Favorite Part or Quote was: Probably Ray the lightning bug, his Cajun accent and mannerisms were pretty daggum hilarious. Also, this:
Prince Naveen: I am Naveen, Prince of Maldonia, and she is Tiana, the waitress.
Prince Naveen: [leans close to Louis] Do not kiss her.

How Fun It Was: Seeing as it was a kid's movie, the humor was geared toward kids. That being said, it was giggle-worthy throughout.

The Positives: The writing--good lines throughout. Also the storyline, believable (in the fantastic sense) and not overly-happy nor too scary.

The Negatives: There were one or two characters whose accents I didn't really think were believable, namely the Shadowman and Charlotte. And another slight negative was the a whole lot of Jazz music. There was a good bit, but not enough. Never enough in my opinion.

The Theology, Philosophy, Morality or Application: Surprisingly good, much better than I expected from a Disney film. While the dangers of dealing in voodoo/magic were emphasized, there was also a focus on the need for love. As Madame Odie puts it, dig deeper and find what you need, not what you want.

One thing I learned: You gotta dig a little deeper and find what you need, not what you want. Which is love. And a trumpet playing alligator.

The ending: Pretty good. I cried a little when a certain someone met an untimely end. Car said I wasn't less of a man for it, either. So there.

Go/Rent/Buy/Don't: If you are fan of the good ol' animated Disney movies, then go see it. If you are not a fan of those, or jazz, or New Orleans, then don't.