The Princess and the Frog
2009
I’m so close. So, so VERY close to finally finishing this blog. You have no idea how utterly thrilled I am about this. Sadly, I still have two reviews to write, so I best get started on this one.
Everyone knows the classic story of The Princess and the Frog. You know, where the frog is actually a prince, and he just needs the princess to kiss him so he can return to his true human form? Well, that is what we have here, with a few twists.
Tiana is not a princess. She’s a simple working girl, holding down two jobs while trying to earn enough money to open her own restaurant. Ha, the first time I typed “restaurant” I accidentally wrote restraint. It’s really not that funny, I guess. It just made me chuckle, but I am sleep deprived at the moment so that could be why.
One day, all of Tiana’s dreams and hopes are destroyed. Stomped on. Lit on fire. You get the picture. The building she was dreaming of owning ever since she was a small child was bought. Sort of. If Tiana can get the full amount for it within a few days, she can still be the proud owner.
However, wrench has been thrown into her plans. One night while at a ball, she finds a frog in her room. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but the fact that this frog talks kind of changes things. He tells her he is Prince Naveen, and he needs her to kiss him so he can be human again. He mistakes her ball gown and tiara costume for her being a real princess you see. Reluctantly, Tiana agrees.
Unfortunately, this kiss is not one of your typical magic Disney kisses. It did not fix anything; in fact it made everything worse. Tiana is now a lovely green amphibian due to a voodoo man’s curse on Naveen.
Neither Naveen nor Tiana wish to be frogs forever. Really, would anyone want to be a frog? No. They wouldn’t. So they must travel along the bayou with an alligator/crocodile and hillbilly lighting bug as a guide.
Oh and the hillbilly is in love with a star. It’s not weird though! It’s adorable. I swear.
Finally, after encountering many hillbillies, evil crocogators, and a voodooress, (that is a female voodoo doctor. Yes that is a word I made up, unless it is a real word, then I am just smart for knowing it!) Naveen and Tiana make it back to New Orleans. Oh yeah it’s set in New Orleans! I forgot to mention that part. Once back, they find the original voodoo doctor and try to have everyone changed back to normal.
Of course it’s not that easy. In order to be changed back, Naveen must kiss a princess. New Orleans isn’t exactly full of princesses, so this is a challenge. Luckily it happens to be Mardi Gras, and the King of Mardi Gras has a daughter! So they figure that she is a princess, and convince her to kiss Naveen.
However, once she does, everyone realizes that the clock has struck midnight, and she is no longer the princess. Oh well. Naveen and Tiana do not care anymore, as they have decided they love each other, in frog form or not. They have the voodooress marry them in the woods with all the woodland creatures watching.
But! Remember how Naveen is a prince? So once he marries Tiana, she becomes a princess! And once they kiss at the altar, they are turned back into humans! Yippee! Tiana also finally opens up her restaurant! Double yippee! Everyone lives happily ever after. Well not Ray, the hillbilly star loving lightening bug. He died.
I really liked this movie. This shocked me, as most people I had talked to abhorred this film with a passion. I don’t know why, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I kind of liked that all the magic was actually voodoo, I thought it was a nice change from nice old fairies with glittery sticks going around and saying odd words. Not that I dislike the Fairy Godmother! I just like when people switch stuff up. When you belong to a canon with fifty bazillion movies, standing out is absolutely necessary. It’s not just the voodoo that was different this movie. I loved that they really used the New Orleans setting and had it incorporated in all aspects of the film, like in the soundtrack for example. The whole movie was just jazzy, and I liked that.
Movie Watching Budd(y)(ies): Katie.
Best Song: “Ma Belle Evangeline.” Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
Best Part: This may sound odd, but my favorite part was when Ray died. It was beautiful. He turned into a star, and was able to sit next to his love in the sky.
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