Princess & The Frog (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

It only took a couple of huge misses like Valiant and Pixar bringing in all the money and critical acclaim to get Disney back on the right track. That's not to say I'm one of those people who is anti-CG and thinks anything hand-drawn is good just because of how it's animated, but face it, Disney's own CG animated movies are best forgotten. And most of their 2D animated movies after Lilo and Stitch were a joke. I finally watched The Princess and the Frog tonight, after hearing my 3 year old daughter rave about it and how cool the Shadow Man is. And you know what? This IS a pretty damn good movie. To me, it seems like this could've come out in the early 90s along with Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Rescuers Down Under and fit right in. There really isn't much I can say as far as the negatives go with this movie aside from that I wanted it to be a little longer, and that I wish Shadow Man would've gotten more screen time. The story is pretty basic, but still fun. Tiana is a lower class girl trying to save up enough money to buy a building and turn it into a restaurant, which was a dream her father had. She's working two jobs as a waitress, and saves every cent she can, filling a bunch of coffee cans with tips. One day, Prince Naveen comes to town in search of a rich princess to marry since his parents cut him off, and it's either that or get a job. Tiana's friend Charlotte just happens to fit the bill, but before he can do anything, he takes a chance at getting rich an easier way thanks to the sinister Shadow Man. Long story short, Naveen turns into a frog and Tiana turns into a frog as well when she tries to turn him back with a kiss just like the old fairy tale. The two set off to find a way to turn human again before it's permanent, and before someone else marries Charlotte. I really did love everything about this movie. Most of the songs are memorable, especially Almost There and Friends on the Other Side. Though if you think about it, the animation during the latter is an awful lot like the Genie's song in Aladdin- A Friend Like Me. Regardless, the Shadow Man is one of the coolest Disney villains, animated or live action, to appear in a long time. He's kind of a cross between Ursula and Jafar, and the fact that he uses his shadow to control other people via their shadows is just plain rad. I was just disappointed that he got little screen time compared to other Disney greats like Scar, Ursula, Jafar and even lesser ones like Clayton. The animation, while it did have a lot of CG bits here and there (magazine covers and cards stood out like a sore thumb), was beautiful, and the character designs are a lot like those in the early/mid 90s, before Disney started to get weird like they did with Mulan and Hercules. The cast of characters is great, and characters I thought were just going to be comic relief ended up having some truly heart warming moments. What can I say? This is a great movie, and anyone who had doubts about Disney's future needs to check it out. Both the audio and picture quality on the blu-ray are perfect. 'not much else needs to be said here. As for the extras, well, go look at the list of them, 'cause there's a lot and I don't have enough room to talk about them all. But each extra covers nearly every aspect of making the film, though most of them are a bit on the short side. It's good to see that a newer film like this is getting the same treatment as the Platinum and Diamond editions of Snow White and others. If a special edition of this comes out in a few years, I really have no idea what extras they can throw in aside from a retrospective or something. And hey, you're also getting the dvd and digital copy here too, so you can keep the blu-ray at home to enjoy on a nice tv/sound system, bring the dvd in the car for trips, and have an extra copy on your computer or portable media player. This is a great deal. Do yourself a favor and get this movie, if not for your kids, for yourself if you're a fan of animation and good jazz music. I've seen a lot of reviews talking about how kids were scared by the Shadow Man, but really, it depends on what your kids like. My daughter loves 'scary' things like the Nightmare Before Christmas, Skelanimals and Dia de los Muertos style art, and she's only 3. Needless to say, when another kid would say that he's scary when watching the movie with her, she'd go "no, he's cool!". But aside from that, there's not much here that should be questionable for anyone. Thanks for making this movie Disney, now keep up the good work with the next few and we'll see if you can get back on the road to greatness that you once were.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG is a very loose adaptation of the classic fairy tale, THE FROG PRINCE. Disney took the story of the prince who has been turned into a frog and can only be saved by a kiss, and launched a story all its own. The story itself is pleasant enough, but frankly, it is nothing special. What IS special about this film is Disney's return to a 2D, hand drawn animation style and the wonderful idea to set this film in bayou country in Louisiana. First, the story. In this film, a plucky but poor young lady named Tiana desires nothing more than to open a restaurant and prepare the food she and her dear departed father used to enjoy making for their friends and neighbors. She has remained friends with spoiled but kind-hearted rich girl...and this puts her into contact with Prince Naveen, who is visiting New Orleans in search of a rich girl to marry (because his parents have cut him off from their money). Unfortunately, by the time Tiana meets him, he's already been turned into a frog by the local voodoo specialist, Dr. Facilier. He convinces Tiana to kiss him...but rather than break the spell, Tiana is ALSO turned into a frog. This launches the two into an unlikely but fun adventure in the swamps, where they meet a friendly gator and a very amusing (and very Cajun) firefly. Leave it to Disney to come up with great sidekicks. And the idea of the fireflies is not only creative, but leads to some absolutely gorgeous scenes. And those gorgeous scenes are rendered "old school". I'm sure some of this was aided by computer...but the look is hand-drawn, just like the days of SNOW WHITE or SLEEPING BEAUTY. While I heartily enjoy the Pixar films and many other 3D-esque animated features...PRINCESS AND THE FROG reminded me that these 2D images can feel like masterpieces of art come to life. The lush and colorful backgrounds somehow feel more "real" than the sometimes photorealistic backgrounds of a film like TOY STORY. I frequently found myself simply marveling at the gorgeous, watercolor backgrounds or the sumptuous, evocative color choices. The whole film feels like a Mardi Gras. The story certainly could have been told in other settings...but putting it in New Orleans at what feels like the time between the two World Wars was genius. We see the stark contrasts between rich and poor. Between black & white. Yet New Orleans has a sparkle and energy that is unique...and that comes to vivid life too. It's a melting pot like no other...and the film captures that mood and ambiance. And this setting inspired Randy Newman to write some of his most un-Randy Newman-like music...and it works great. I FREQUENTLY found myself tapping my toes to the beat. The songs are simply terrific. None really became breakout hits...but they all wonderfully accent the film. The voice work is generally top notch. A few famous folks drop by, such as Oprah Winfrey and the unmistakable John Goodman (both in small roles). But led by relative unknown Anika Noni Rose as Tiana...we spend very little time "recognizing" famous voices, and most of the time appreciating the uniformly excellent acting and singing. The film was a modest hit in theaters. It just didn't generate huge excitement. Heck, it took me over a year to see it. But truly it is a throwback to Disney's glory days, and while it doesn't quite achieve the heights of PINOCCHIO or CINDERELLA...it is a very, very worthy entry into that pantheon. While it's great for adults, please try to see it with a child. They'll thank you.

By far this will always be one of my favorite movies!

It is a good product

I got this for my girls, everybody needs to know their Disney princesses! The voodoo can be a bit scary for the younger ones. The story is lovely, I like the way they incorporated the story, the location, the culture! So beautiful. I like her work hard ethic, not expecting to be saved from her circumstances, without making her seem like she doesn't need no man. Dvd came in good condition, case was intact, all was well!

Abbastanza dispiaciuto dovuto a che il mio dispositivo blu ray non può riprodurre il disco perché questa versione non appartiene a questa zona o codice paese... poteva il venditore spiegarlo prima, reso.

Love this DVD a real family movie with alot of heart.

I'm glad that 2D is coming back to Disney, because as I said: I grew up with the 2D Classics and I'll always love them for years to come. I mean 3D's great and all, but it's artistically beautiful as 2D. I think the animation is beautifully done; the music is awesome. After seeing it, the film instantly became one of my favorite new millennium Disney animated features, along with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet, Brother Bear and Home on The Range. The film retells the age-old "Frog Prince" story - with a slight twist. This story starts in New Orleans in the 1920s. A young lady named Tiana works two jobs...Yes she works two waitress jobs: one at night and one in the day. She works to earn money to own a restaurant, because it was her and departed dad's dream of owning their very own restaurant. One day, during her day-shift, her rich best friend Charlotte LeBouff is excited because Prince Naveen of Maldonia is coming to New Orleans, and is invited to her family estate for a masquerade party. Then Charlotte pays Tiana for catering at party. Excited by the amount of dollars Charlotte had given her, Tiana was sure she got money to the buy the old sugar mill to transform it into her dream restaurant. For the next part of the story, yes, Prince Naveen did arrive in New Orleans. But not just for an invite to a masquerade party, but to marry Charlotte LeBouff for her dad's fortune. You see, his royal parents cut him off for his spoiled, play-boy, jazzy lifestyle. While on the streets with his butler Lawrence, they come across a voodoo magician Dr. Facilier referred as "The Shadowman." Facilier invites the men into his emporium, and cuts a deal with the Voodoo gods for the special powers that will enable him to turn Naveen into a frog; use a voodoo talisman to fill Naveen's blood with to make Lawrence look like Naveen to marry Charlotte. But really, The Shadowman plans to murder Lawrence and LeBouff, seize the fortune for himself, and turn the city over to the evil Voodoo gods, who will feed on the souls of the citizens. Meanwhile while working at the LeBouff's grand masquerade party, Tiana learns that someone else put down a higher offer on the old sugar mill, and is now left with nothing unless she can top him after Mardi Gras - now that is just bull-s**t! Having given up hope, she desperately wishes on the evening star, when Naveen-the-frog appears. Thinking that she is a princess, for she is costumed as one, he convinces her to kiss him in order to break the curse and turn him back into a human again, but the spell backfires (because Tiana is not really a princess) and Tiana becomes a frog as well. And then, the two are chased out and head for the bayou, as Lawrence impersonates Naveen. But the talisman, filled with Naveen's blood, slowly starts to drain away. So Doctor Facilier sends out his shadows to retrieve the prince. In the bayou, Tiana and Naveen encounter Louis, an alligator who wants to become human so he can be a jazz musician and Ray, a Cajun firefly who is in love with the evening star (whom he has named Evangeline), which he thinks is another firefly. They take them to see Mama Odie, the good but eccentric voodoo priestess of the swamp. That's all I could tell you folks, you will have to see the film for yourself how it ends. This is Disney's best film! And I think Dr. Facilier should join other great Disney villains like Chernabog (Fantasia), Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) and Judge Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). To me the Dr. is like someone out of a story to scare kids into being good, like: "Don't stay up late, or the Shadowman will get you." "Eat your vegetables, or the Shadowman will get you." Or..."Come inside now! or I will tell the Shadowman." So my last word is that this film is awesome!

forse non uno dei capolavori disney,però è bellissimo

good watch