The Princess and the Frog

Yesterday I took my roommate's almost-5-year-old, Libby, to see Disney's newest animated feature, The Princess and the Frog. I had heard some time ago that Disney wasn't going to make the old school animated movies anymore, that they were going entirely to computer animation. Sad. Anyway.

I think I will do the negative section first, so that I can end on a positive note. My main complaint about the movie was the pervasive use of black magic. Disney has always had a darker side (who isn't terrified of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty?) but this took it to a new level. The presence of Voodoo, complete with shadow spirits, tarot cards, and "friends on the other side" tainted the cuteness of the movie. The antagonist, known as the Shadow Man, has a voodoo doll of one of the characters, which he plans to poke through the heart with a pin at a crucial moment in the action. He also uses the main protagonist's blood to create a talisman for another character. It was darker than any Disney movie so far. And although Disney's animated 'bad guys' have a way of finding grisly ends, this one topped them all, probably because of the dark nature of the movie.

That being said, I thought the rest of the movie was very well done. It takes place in New Orleans, and they did an excellent job of capturing the 'flavor' of it. The music, the foods they ate, the accents, the Bayou... it was very New Orleans. (Ironically, that is most likely the explanation for the presence of Voodoo magic throughout.) The characters are as funny and lovable as many from Disney's past, and the music (sung by the characters, which has somewhat fallen by the wayside lately) was lively and fun. Selfishness/generosity, loyalty, hard work, and acceptance are some of the themes that were presented in the movie.

At the end, things got a little intense, and because I've never watched a movie with Libby before, I covered her eyes at the height of the intensity, to spare her from something that I thought would scare her. Her voice was dripping with disdain as she informed me afterward, "I can watch the scary parts, I'm not gonna cry!!" So it's good to know that although I was somewhat affected by the dark nature of it, she didn't seem bothered by it.

Introduction

Seems like everyone is blogging these days. I sincerely hope that blogging does not do to normal conversations what e-mailing has done to the old fashioned, hand-written letter. That being said, I am starting a blog of my own, that probably no one will read. One of the things I really enjoy is critiquing movies or shows that I've seen, or books that I have read. I have encountered very few people who also enjoy it; most are satisfied with "liked it" or "didn't like it". Rather than subjecting those people to my rantings and ravings, I have decided to put them in a blog so that the only people being subjected are those who choose to. You have been warned!