The Princess and the Frog
The Princess and the Frog is a 2009 American animated romantic musical fantasy comedy-drama movie. It was produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 49th movie in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The movie is loosely based on the novel The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker. That novel is in turn based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "The Frog Prince". The takes place in 1920s New Orleans, Louisiana. The story is of a hardworking waitress named Tiana who dreams of owning her own restaurant. After kissing a prince who has been turned into a frog by an evil witch doctor, Tiana becomes a frog herself. She must find a way to turn back into a human.
| The Princess and the Frog | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ron Clements John Musker |
| Screenplay by | Ron Clements John Musker Rob Edwards |
| Story by | Ron Clements John Musker Greg Erb Jason Oremland Don Hall |
| Based on | The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker |
| Produced by | Peter Del Vecho |
| Starring | Anika Noni Rose Bruno Campos Keith David Michael-Leon Wooley Jennifer Cody Jim Cummings Peter Bartlett Jenifer Lewis Oprah Winfrey Terrence Howard John Goodman Abigail Kubeka |
| Edited by | Jeff Draheim |
| Music by | Randy Newman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $105 million[1] |
| Box office | $267,045,765[2] |
The movie was in movie theaters in New York and Los Angeles on November 25, 2009. It went to more theaters on December 11, 2009.
The Princess and the Frog was Disney's last hand-drawn movie to be originally-created.
Story
Tiana is a young lady hoping to open a restaurant in New Orleans. Meanwhile, Prince Naveen arrives in the hopes of marrying Charlotte La Bouff. Naveen and his selfish assistant Lawrence meet Dr. Facilier, a voodoo witch doctor who transforms Naveen into a frog.
Naveen meets Tiana and asks for a kiss to break Facilier's spell. The kiss does not work and turns Tiana into a frog. They journey to Mama Odie so that they can find a cure. On the way to Mama Odie, they meet Louis (an alligator) and Ray (a firefly).
Meanwhile, Facilier uses a talisman (given to him by voodoo demons) to disguise Lawrence as Prince Naveen. They do this so that Lawrence can marry Charlotte La Bouff and Facilier can take her family's fortune.
Tiana, Naveen, Ray and Louis reach Mama Odie, who tells them that the kiss can only be broken by a princess. They realise that as Charlotte's father was crowned King of the Mardi Gras, she will be a princess until midnight. They go back to New Orleans and discover Facilier's plot.
Tiana destroys the talisman and Facilier is killed by voodoo demons. Charlotte tries to kiss Naveen but it is past midnight and so the kiss does not work. Tiana and Naveen are happy as frogs and marry each other, making Tiana a princess. They both turn back into humans.
Cast and characters
- Anika Noni Rose as Tiana ("Tia"), a 19 year old waitress who wants to be a chef/restaurateur[3]
- Elizabeth Dampier voices Tiana as a child
- Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, the 20-year-old prince of Maldonia
- Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis, a friendly, trumpet-playing alligator whose dream is to become human
- Jim Cummings as Ray, a Cajun firefly
- Keith David as Doctor Facilier, called "The Shadow Man", a voodoo witch doctor
- Jennifer Cody as Charlotte "Lottie" La Bouff, Tiana's best friend since childhood
- Breanna Brooks voices Charlotte as a child
- Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie, a blind voodoo priestess who is the movie's Fairy Godmother
- Peter Bartlett as Lawrence, Prince Naveen's valet
- John Goodman as Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff, a wealthy Southern sugar mill owner
- Oprah Winfrey as Eudora, Tiana's mother[4]
- Abigail Kubeka as Tiffany, as the witch
- Terrence Howard as James, Tiana's father
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Satellite Awards[5] | Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media | The Princess and the Frog | Nominated |
| Best Original Song | Randy Newman ("Almost There") | ||
| Randy Newman ("Down in New Orleans") | |||
| 2009 Producers Guild of America Awards[6] | Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures | Peter Del Vecho | |
| 2009 Online Film Critics Society Awards[7] | Best Animated Feature | The Princess and the Frog | |
| 67th Golden Globe Awards[8] | Best Animated Feature Film | ||
| 2009 Chicago Film Critics Association[9] | Best Animated Feature | ||
| 2009 Critics Choice Awards[10] | Best Picture | ||
| Best Animated Feature | |||
| Best Score | Randy Newman | ||
| Best Song ("Almost There") | |||
| 2009 Black Reel Awards[11] | Best Film | The Princess and the Frog | |
| Best Song, Original or Adapted | Ne-Yo ("Never Knew I Needed") | ||
| Anika Noni Rose ("Almost There") | Won | ||
| Anika Noni Rose ("Down in New Orleans") | Nominated | ||
| Best Voice Performance | Keith David | ||
| Anika Noni Rose | Won | ||
| Best Ensemble | The Princess and the Frog | Nominated | |
| 37th Annie Awards[12] | Best Animated Feature | ||
| Animated Effects | James DeValera Mansfield | Won | |
| Production Design in a Feature Production | Ian Gooding | Nominated | |
| Character Animation in a Feature Production | Andreas Deja | ||
| Eric Goldberg | Won | ||
| Bruce W. Smith | Nominated | ||
| Voice Acting in a Feature Production | Jennifer Cody ("Charlotte") | Won | |
| Jenifer Lewis ("Mama Odie") | Nominated | ||
| 82nd Academy Awards[13] | |||
| Best Animated Feature | Ron Clements and John Musker | ||
| Best Original Song | Randy Newman ("Almost There") | ||
| Randy Newman ("Down in New Orleans") | |||
| 36th Saturn Awards[14] | Best Animated Film | The Princess and the Frog | |
| 2010 Teen Choice Awards[15][16] | Choice Movie: Animated | ||
| 2011 Grammy Awards[17] | Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Randy Newman ("Down in New Orleans") |