Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Princess and the Frog (2009)

This is topic The Princess and the Frog (2009) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-12-2009, 04:11 PM:

Disney's animation unit redeems itself after the awful "Home on the Range" from 2004. This film looks great, sounds great and people are loving it. The score, especially is cool -- I'm glad they finally got Randy Newman to do a whole movie's worth of songs.

Disney might be competing with itself for some Oscars this year. [thumbsup]

I haven't been able to watch the whole thing yet but will confer my 'stars' rating after I've seen it.

Posted by Louis Belloisy (Member # 3836) on 12-13-2009, 12:19 PM:

Great movie. the old time animation works wonderfully. saw parts of it, laughed out loud with tears in my eyes. don't want to spoil it for you guys, just remember the hill-williams and the frogs, you will know it when it comes.

Louis

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-13-2009, 02:21 PM:

I went in to this fully expecting to think "eh, it's OK, hope it does some business" but I was fully transported.

Well...one word - EXCELLENT! This movie totally brings Disney hand animation back to the standard where it belongs. Fun characters, humor that isn't "stupid," great music, a villain that isn't so over-the-top, and genuine heart.

The backgrounds also deserve special mention. This film takes place in a world Disney had never really explored before and the artwork is beautiful.

4.5 out of 5 stars from me. If it had been in Scope, it would have been a 5.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-13-2009, 04:46 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
I'm glad they finally got Randy Newman to do a whole movie's worth of songs.

That does it. Now I will never see this movie.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-13-2009, 05:03 PM:

Short people got no reason
Short people got no reason
Short people got no reason to live.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-13-2009, 05:30 PM:

Well, I will agree with that.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-13-2009, 09:00 PM:

Keep in mind, Newman does not SING most of the songs, which is a plus.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-13-2009, 11:47 PM:

Oooo that is indeed a plus.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-14-2009, 06:35 PM:

Alright, I saw this one today.

Regal Riverpoint Stadium 14 - Sheridan, CO
Screen #9, 2:50pm
Audience: Empty auditorium (except us)

The Presentation:
Very dirty with a severely flickering xenon bulb! I talked to the manager kid after the show and told him. He said that he'd have them "put a cleaner on it". I didn't bother to inform him that one pass with a cleaner won't do much as he obviously didn't know much about such things. But the film is only a few days old, how could the Regal Riverpoint Stadium 14 have gotten it so dirty so fast? The trailers were horrendously, all of them, even the attached. I counted 3 lab splices, only one of which dropped to analog. The sound was tolerable for a change. This was a different auditorium than the one I am usually stuck with at this place.

The Movie:
It was... not bad. I don't really care about New Orleans culture, so I was a bit put off from the start. No titties were flashed during the Mardi-Gras scenes yet people were shown throwing beads. I do not understand this, especially since that is the only thing that Mardis-Gras is about... worth mentioning, anyway. The characters were mostly uninteresting. The songs sucked my anus juice.

However I was very glad to see 2D animation again. Even moreso to see the style returned to as seen in The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, etc. That Mulan/Hercules style looked very odd (almost Picasso-like) and was a big turn off. Unfortunately, Disney doesn't "still have it". You can tell that they haven't done this in a very long time. The animation, while very good, is still rusty around the edges. All in all it is acceptable, but there is nowhere near the detail in the shading and backgrounds as there was in Beauty and the Beast. Granted, Aladdin also lacked this fine detail, but it was a fun movie that forces you to watch it again and again because it is so awesome. I do not want to see this movie again. Keep trying, Disney, you're almost there!