"The Princess And The Frog"...

... My take.

It's actually been kind of funny to watch and listen to the reviews rolling in about, "The Princess and the Frog". My hope was that I would read the review at www.pluggedinonline.com, find that it was unquestionably squeaky clean, and have a "girls night out" with Grace shortly thereafter. Not so on the plugged in review, so instead I got a date night with my husband, which is rare and always very welcome! We stuffed ourselves silly at Texas Road House and then headed to the theater to see if the alleged voo-doo and spiritual themes were really as bad as they sounded... And here's what we thought... (Spoilers throughout, so really don't read this if you don't want to know)...

First of all, I was a little concerned about the return to 2-D animation. I was afraid that it would make the quality of the film sub par to recent shows. However, this concern was very quickly dissipated (within the first minute of the movie), because the 2-D animation was, in fact, breathtaking! It was a return to classic Disney in which the fairy tale reigned supreme as entertainment. Visually, I was just as "wowed" as I was when I first saw Aladdin in the theater (17 years ago) with the new 3-D animation that blew me away...

I have to admit, I was also initially a little disappointed with the storyline. Here Disney takes their first animated African American leading lady ever and: #1 She'd not even a princess, #2 They set her in New Orleans, and #3 They turn her into a frog for the majority of the film. Somehow that didn't sit real well with me. Again, however, the story telling ended up being masterful... one of the best stories that Disney has produced in a long time... just amazing, really...

"The Shadowman" (main villain) was undoubtedly very evil. The use of voo-doo practices (including taking blood from the victim to create a spell and calling dead spirits) was quite authentic and frankly frightening (especially for young children). But it wasn't over the top, because the difference between good and evil was so stark. In fact, I was highly impressed by just how evil the Shadowman was, because it presented the opportunity to talk with children about the choices they make and how very important it is to avoid evil. I might make a comparison here to "Sleeping Beauty", in which Maleficent (classic Disney villain if ever there was one) invokes "all the powers of Hell" and is then defeated by the "Sword of Truth". Intense? Yes. Appropriate for small children? Absolutely not! A fantastic teaching tool for older children? You bet. In the end, the Shadowman meets his demise when the spirits pull him into the grave (pretty accurate when you mess with that kind of "magic"). But again, not for little kids...

There is also a good "witch doctor" of sorts, Mama Odie. In reality, she does little more magic than to look into a pot of Cajun gumbo and show Tiana and Naveen the importance of deciphering between their wants and their needs. She is about as "evil" as Grandmother Willow (Pocahontas) and looks a great deal like her, too. I was not disturbed by the role she played in the story.

Of great concern to some other reviewers has been the spiritual message that is conveyed by fervent wishing on a star. Uh... I kind of had to laugh about this. I mean, I did, indeed, pay careful attention to this theme, since other reviewers had found it so inappropriate, but my feeling on this particular point is that if you can't wish upon a star anymore, you really can't appreciate Disney magic. Further, directing the wishing (or even praying) heavenward seemed to make a meaningful parallel to the power that God holds. And I'm not saying that the star in the story was in any way worshipped as God. I'm just saying that it made for a reasonable comparison when discussing the importance of prayer with children.

Ironically (and let me take a step away from the review for just a minute), Grace asked me the other day if wishing on a star really works. And I told her that sometimes what we wish for comes true, and sometimes it doesn't. I told her that if she really felt strongly about something she desires that she should pray about it. And she told me that she does (which I knew) and even gave me the example of how hard she has been praying for a baby sister for years. I told her that when we pray, God will answer those prayers according to what He wants for us, and when we wish, some of those things come true, too, because that's what He wanted. And in the end, Grace let me know that she was going to keep praying... and that she was going to keep wishing on stars, too. And I told her that that's OK... I mean, what else could I say? I cry when the wishes music plays at Disney World, and I still believe in fairies...

But back to the review...

Overall, I felt that the lessons taught were phenomenal! Hard work is important... but it's not everything... What you want might not really be what you need... And personal sacrifice is worthwhile when it helps a friend...

When I take my children to see a movie, I want it to mean something. I am not interested in sitting them in front of an hour and a half of meaningless drivel that they do not understand to keep them quiet for a while. And I am certainly not interested in showing them something far beyond their understanding and losing the opportunity to view the film in a fresh, educational, inspiring way when they are old enough to take something from it. I also don't care to scare them half to death. For these reasons, "The Princess and the Frog" is a "big kid movie" at this house. I am pretty sure that Seth and Grace are ready to grasp the themes and discuss the meaning behind what I saw tonight. They may get to see the movie in the theater, or we may wait until it comes out on DVD. Caleb and Ian can wait. There's no sense "wasting" a good movie before it's time...

Lisa