REVIEW: THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
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AFTER what seems like ages, Disney jumps back into the hand-drawn animation game with colourful fairytale PRINCESS AND THE FROG (U).
You can almost feel the film-makers stretching muscles they haven't used in a long time - but this is a triumphant return to old school animation once it gets into the swing of things.
And swing is the order of the day here as the classic story gets relocated to 1920s New Orleans, with all its majestic architecture, voodoo magic and foot-tapping jazz spilling out from every restaurant, café and swamp shack. Even the alligators get in on the act... well, this is Disney.
Waitress Tiana dreams of opening her own restaurant but gets a little sidetracked when a talking frog persuades her that he's actually a prince and, like in the fairytale, she can release him from his curse with a kiss. Things, though, don't go as planned.
It might not be on a par with the Disney classics but the film is funny, touching and genuinely scary in places (voodoo magician Dr Facilier is a wonderfully animated villain) while the plot rattles along with an incredible infectious energy.
Throw in a lovesick firefly, a jazz-mad gator and some catchy tunes from Randy Newman and you've got a brilliant flick for all the family. Roll on the next one, Disney. - JUSTIN MATLOCK
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