The Princess and the Frog

“The Princess and the Frog,” Disney’s first hand-drawn animated feature in five years, isn’t only a throwback in style.

When it opened today, it also will be the first Disney animated film since 2003’s “Brother Bear” to start in limited release in New York and Los Angeles (Read the review below). Like that movie and many other of its traditional cartoons, including “The Lion King” and “Hercules,” the studio is pairing the two initial runs of “Princess” with an “experience” that includes games, actresses dressed as Disney princesses, props, costumes and other activities that give kids fun time beyond the film.

John Lasseter and 'Princess Tiana' at the New York film opening

Check out images from the film

Check out images of character Princess Tiana’s debut at Walt Disney World

All those extras mean ticket prices will be substantially higher than for a normal picture. Disney is charging $30 for general admission tickets, $50 for the best seats and $20 per person for groups at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City and on the studio lot in Burbank. (Disney’s El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, its traditional spot for high-profile L.A. runs, is currently using its 3-D projection system to play “A Christmas Carol.”)

The “ultimate Disney event,” as the studio’s Web site calls it, will play until Sunday, Dec. 13, the first weekend that “The Princess and the Frog” plays nationwide. Disney already has racked up more than $3.2 million in pre-sales. In Burbank, all but one show from Wednesday through Sunday is sold out, while the larger Ziegfeld in New York has fully booked half of its screenings over the holiday weekend.

In the meantime, high demand and inflated ticket prices — more than six times the U.S. average at the top end — means “Princess” should see huge grosses for a two-theater run. It’s no accident that the top seven per-theater averages of all time on Box Office Mojo are all Disney animated runs, and it’s very likely that “The Princess and the Frog” will join them this weekend, particularly with Friday being a holiday.

– Ben Fritz, Los Angeles Times

‘The Princess and the Frog’ grants us a return to Disney’s song-filled fantasy

By Betsy Sharkey
Lost Angeles Times Film Critic

Go ahead and pucker up. Because long before “The Princess and the Frog” is over you’ll want to smooch the charming couple, air kiss a romantic firefly and hug a voodoo queen in this foot-stomping, smile-inducing, heart-warming animated twist on the old Brothers Grimm frog-prince fairy tale.

The filmmakers have brewed up a delicious roots story in every sense of the word. “The Princess and the Frog” is set in the 1920s jazz age in the New Orleans heart of it all. It’s the studio’s return to the lush, fluid beauty of hand-drawn animation. It’s an old-fashioned fairy tale, even though they’ve had some fun with the story. And it’s set to music in the grand tradition of “Beauty and the Beast,” which is to say the neoclassic ‘90s brand of Disney animation.

That might make “The Princess and the Frog” seem like a creature of ancient times, particularly since kids these days are raised on 3-D flash. The effect, though, is the opposite. After being bombarded by so much computer-generated, motion-captured high-and-higher jinks, the film feels fresh — a discovery, or a rediscovery, depending on your age.

At the keyboards, we have the always flavorful Mr. Randy Newman creating a spicy gumbo of blues, gospel, jazz, Dixieland and, because we are in the Big Easy, a dash or two of zydeco along with the Tobasco (nothing says “now” like product placement).

There’s plenty of razzle-dazzle, starting with Anika Noni Rose, the perky third of the “Dreamgirls,” who’s lending her fabulous pipes to Tiana, the hardworking lovely with big plans at the center of this story. Yes, a prince on the side might be nice, but this career girl from humble beginnings has her eye on an empty warehouse that will make a fine restaurant where the flappers will be hot, the jazz will be cool and the food oh so divine.

Though there are all sorts of barriers to be broken and despite a day job as a maid that has her forever pinching pennies, Tiana is not one to give up. That shouldn’t come as a complete surprise since she has the ultimate overachiever in Oprah as her mama, though for some reason directors John Musker and Ron Clements, who wrote the script with Rob Edwards, call her Eudora. No matter.

This being New Orleans, the dark arts are a major factor in the story with Keith David’s Dr. Facilier making so many deals with so many devils it will make your head spin and possibly frighten some little ones when those voodoo masks start multiplying and moving.

In keeping with the ethnic blend, the song and dance man with the Hugh Jackman good looks, only darker, is Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), from the mythical kingdom of Maldonia. Whether it’s a worry about offending African Americans with “cartoonish” exaggeration, or a desire to make the film palatable for white audiences, or both, the animators have been very careful with their pens when it comes to drawing black characters on the page. Just about everyone here has “good hair,” and Tiana could be Halle Berry’s kissing cousin. So while it’s not Disney’s first time at dipping a toe in multicultural waters — “Aladdin,” “Mulan” and “Pocahontas” were there first — “The Princess and the Frog” still feels like baby steps.

With all of Dr. Facilier’s scheming, Naveen is about to be green anyway, which makes him very jumpy, especially since there are gun-toting moonshiners who fancy frying up his legs. He was supposed to be kissed by Charlotte (Jennifer Cody), a rich Southern belle, but in a mistake of monumental proportions, he smooches Tiana instead and we have two frogs, not one, and no happily ever after in sight.

The rest of the film trots out many of the swampy tropes of childhood — always be good, be careful who you trust, follow your dreams, it’s what’s inside that counts. But what could be tried as well as true is not, because the filmmakers have done to the bayou what Mardi Gras does to the French Quarter — put music, magic, light and laughter everywhere.

There are the big Broadway-style numbers we’ve come to expect from Disney musicals of that only slightly bygone era, the kind that let the animation team go wild. One of “The Princess and the Frog’s” best comes when a swarm of fireflies seeks a blind voodoo queen named Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), who might be the only one powerful enough to break Dr. Facilier’s curse. Led by a hopeless romantic named Ray (Jim Cummings), a bit of a dim bulb, the bayou turns into a high-kicking extravaganza with singing and dancing swamp critters pulling off complicated choreography while Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), a gator with a jazz obsession, blows a really mean trumpet.

Clements and Musker are pretty much Disney born and raised with two of the studio’s best musical showstoppers, “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin,” heading their resumes. With “The Princess and the Frog” they’ve gotten just about everything right. The dialogue is fresh-prince clever, the themes are ageless, the rhythms are riotous and the return to a primal animation style is beautifully executed.

So shake a stick at those Grimm Brothers, when it comes to princesses and frogs we now have a beautiful, boisterous sister in charge.

betsy.sharkey@latimes.com

Princess Tiana aboard the Liberty Square Riverboat in "Tiana's Showboat Jubilee!"/Joe Burank, Orlando Sentinel

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board today praises Princess Tiana, the Walt Disney Co.’s first African-American princess:

Disney is cranking up the hype machine for its newest make-believe princess, and this one’s worth talking about.

Tiana is the star of Disney’s upcoming animated movie The Princess and the Frog. This princess also happens to be African-American, a first for a company whose early films included some unfortunate stereotypes. And critics already have started firing off broadsides at the Tiana character.

The sensitivity is understandable, but there’s a lot to like about giving African-American girls a princess who looks more like them. Yes, we understand the movie and the character are ultimately designed to make truckloads of money.

That’s OK, especially if the latest addition sparks the imagination of youngsters who until now have felt left out

Princess Tiana talks with guests during a meet-and-greet at the Magic Kingdom. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

The Walt Disney Co.’s newest princess doesn’t arrive in movie theaters for another month, but she is already easy to find at Walt Disney World.

Theme-park guests can meet Princess Tiana and watch her perform in a musical riverboat show. They can buy Tiana dolls, undergo Tiana makeovers, and eat Tiana’s Magical Kisses — bite-sized, white-chocolate-covered graham crackers. They can even get vouchers for a child’s ticket to Tiana’s movie.

The in-park promotional blitz, extensive even by Disney standards, is part of a company-wide push to pump up The Princess and the Frog, the animated film that is one of Disney’s most important movies in years.

>> See pictures of Princess Tiana at Walt Disney World

Set for nationwide release on Dec. 11, The Princess and the Frog is Disney’s first attempt in more than a decade to add a new heroine to its stable of fairy-tale princess — a wildly lucrative franchise that now generates an estimated $4 billion in sales across Disney’s entertainment empire.

The Disney princesses are particularly important to the company’s theme parks. They are, for example, the focal point of the sweeping expansion that Disney World plans to begin work on next year in the Fantasyland section of its Magic Kingdom park.

The possibility of expanding that franchise has Disney pulling every lever it can to ensure The Princess and the Frog is a hit.

“They certainly want to take a hard swing at the plate on something like a new princess,” said Doug Mitchelson, an analyst who covers Disney for Deutsche Bank Securities. “The financial performance of this film could be vastly outweighed longer-term if the appeal to kids is strong enough to sustain it in the parks and with consumer products.”

Tiana's Showboat Jubilee makes its way down the Rivers of America at the Magic Kingdom (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Disney has a long history of using its theme parks — which drew an estimated 118 million people worldwide last year — to gin up interest in upcoming film releases. Characters from Pixar’s 2009 release, Up, began greeting guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios two weeks before the film was released.

But the marketing push for The Princess and the Frog is both larger and longer. The most obvious example is “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee,” a lavish parade and musical revue now performed three times a day in the Magic Kingdom. The show, in which characters from the movie march through the Liberty Square section of the park and onto a waiting riverboat, where they perform several songs, began more than six weeks before The Princess and the Frog’s scheduled national release.

There are scores of smaller examples. Tiana merchandise, from cookbooks to school kits, is stocked in gift shops alongside similar items featuring Snow White, Ariel and other princesses. At Disney’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutqiues, which peddle princess makeovers that cost as much as $240 a child, girls can now choose to be outfitted with Tiana dresses, tiaras and wands.

Elements from The Princess and the Frog, which is set in New Orleans, have been added to the holiday overlay at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. Disney plans to have the characters appear during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. And various giveaways will launch in the parks through November and December featuring The Princess and the Frog fortune cards, bookmarks and more.

Many of the same elements, including Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee, have also been added at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.

A Princess Tiana doll (AP)

Dara Trujillo, manager of merchandise synergy and franchises for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said The Princess and the Frog has been rolled out in the parks about three weeks earlier than is typical for a new Disney movie.

“The most beautiful thing about The Princess and The Frog is the fact that the word ‘princess’ is” in the title, Trujillo said. “When you say the word ‘princess,’ our guests automatically get it. They can’t wait to see what the princess looks like, what her personality traits are.”

John Frost, a veteran observer of Disney World and publisher of The Disney Blog, said the in-park marketing blitz is the biggest he could recall since The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was released in 1996.

“It has been done before, but not at this level,” Frost said. The early reaction, he added, appears upbeat. “I see lots of little girls running around in Tiana dresses, and the comments on my [message] boards are all uniformly positive.”

Disney is going to extra lengths to promote the movie beyond the parks, as well. At a fan convention earlier this year, Disney screened the first 30 minutes of the film, which has been made in a conventional, hand-drawn animation style. And it has scheduled an advance screening at its studio lot in Burbank, Calif., which is not typically open to the public.

The company is anxious to make Tiana a star. Under Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger, Disney Co. has focused on developing signature franchises that can be exploited across its various platforms, from television shows to theme-park rides to video games.

The approach, which emphasizes properties such as the princess and fairy lines and Pixar’s Toy Story and Cars films, has helped to reduce Disney’s dependence on some of its oldest characters. Five years ago, more than 60 percent of the company’s licensing revenue was generated by Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh; this year, they are expected to account for less than 40 percent.

But while the princesses have emerged as one of Disney’s most profitable brands, they lack fresh faces. Disney hasn’t introduced a major animated princess since the 1998 film Mulan, and none has emerged as a true star since Jasmine, of 1992’s Aladdin.

Making Tiana especially important: She is Disney’s first African-American princess. If the character catches on, it will help Disney diversify the princess fan base.

“The princess line of properties has over the last five years been one of our best-growing line of properties, and I think this is fresh content and a natural means of invigorating that even further,” Disney Co. Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs said during an investor conference earlier this fall.

Mitchelson, the Deutsche Bank analyst, said the ancillary potential of The Princess and the Frog is so large that the best measure of its success won’t be box office results — it will be consumer-product sales.

“To the extent that The Princess and the Frog is only considered modestly successful from a film point of view, that doesn’t  mean it won’t be quite successful from the perspective of broadening the princess franchise,” he said.

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.

Click above to see more Princess Tiana photos (Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)

Disney’s first new African-American princess – and its first official royal since Mulan hit the scene in 1997 — was officially welcomed to the Magic Kingdom Monday morning.

Princess Tiana, the lead character of the upcoming “The Princess and the Frog” animated film, was greeted at the base of Cinderella Castle by assorted theme park characters and royalty. She was escorted in with jazz music from the film and a New Orleans-style procession.

Next she participated in a new theme park show called “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!”, which uses Liberty Belle riverboat as its stage. The 10-minute show includes active performers from the crowd (cue the ribbons, tambourines and choir robes) and music from the film, which opens Dec. 11. Disneyland’s Tiana show is set to debut Nov. 6.

The show has an unusual format. Tiana, Prince Naveen and other characters and dancers appear from next to Frontierland’s Diamond Horseshoe, hang a right and parade up to the Liberty Square Riverboat dock. One might say they promenade.

They then get onto the boat, take position alongside predetermined guest/performers, switch to a new song (music by Randy Newman) and head back up the river the direction they just came from. Louis the trumpet-playing gator is at the base while Disney’s newest supercouple is at the very top. The Liberty Belle — decked out in purple, gold and green bunting — floats in its usual cycle, and there’s more singing and ribbon work.

The boat stops near the corner where Frontierland bends toward Splash Mountain, and Tiana and Naveen move to the center of the port side, facing the audience, therefore now centerstage. Liberty Belle becomes a three-tiered stage – at one point four – with action on each level.

The music, of course, is jazzy. I’d call it toe-tapping. The visual presentation is fun, lots of props that involve the guests aboard. It’s a short show, but Disney manages to work in a villain production number and an inspirational finale song (“Dig a Little Deeper”)

Other songs from the film include “Down in New Orleans,” “Almost There,” “When We’re Human” and “Gonna Take You There.”

The finale includes a flash of fireworks and the whistle blowing. The boat then circles around on its normal path back to the dock, and the procession reverses itself.

“Jubilee” will run three times daily for 10 weeks. Showtimes will be 12:15, 2 and 3:45 p.m. A meet and greet area for Tiana and Naveen has been set up behind the Liberty Square Christmas shop, near the bride/walkway to Adventureland.

So when her 4th birthday rolled around, we surprised her with a trip to the beauty salon. She was so excited and in awe of what is the most elaborate game of dress-up, in Cinderella Castle, no less.

Parents of the princesses can choose from three packages:

– Coach package: Hairstyling and makeup ($49.95 plus tax)

– Crown package: Hairstyling, makeup and nails ($54.95 plus tax)

– Castle package: Includes the Crown package plus photos (one 6×8 and four 4×6 images in a princess-themed photo holder) and complete costume of your choice with accessories. (starts at $189.95 plus tax)

Girls must be age 3 and older and choose from three hairstyles: Fairytale Princess, Disney Diva and Pop Princess.

We selected the Crown package and brought a new Ariel dress, shoes, crown — and camera — with us. Our Little Mermaid picked the Fairytale Princess hairstyle, which is a bun with a small tiara in the front and a “jeweled” barrette in the back. She seemed to enjoy the process of having her hair done while a dozen other girls sat nearby and parents snapped pictures like the paparazzi.

The makeup, though, was what she was waiting for. There were so many choices in her personal artist’s palette. Her fairy godmother-in-training skillfully applied just a hint of the colors she chose. It was enough for my daughter to be able to admire herself and for her parents to feel comfortable no one would think we wanted to be contestants on Toddlers & Tiaras.

Unfortunately, as my daughter’s nails were being painted, she started to be uncomfortable with her hairstyle. As beautiful as it was, the bun was just too tight for a little girl and she began to cry and wanted it taken out. Right then. With my son’s help, we made her laugh once and snapped the “finished” photo before she yanked the hairstyle out.

The best part? Each little girl is given a bag of goodies to take home. It includes the comb, makeup and nail polish that were used during her session. My daughter clutched that little pink bag for the rest of the day in the Magic Kingdom and slept with it by her bed that night. And now, almost a year later, it still has a place of honor on her vanity.

The trainees are perfectly willing to practice on boys’ hair, too. They can opt for the Cool Dude package, which is colored hair gel and confetti ($7.50 plus tax).

A second BBB is located in the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney. In addition to the above experiences, they offer a Secret Star Makeover a la Hannah Montana. This pop star experience starts at about $110 for a blonde wig, microphone set, makeup, guitar purse and photo session.

The Pirates League

Going for something more on the rogue side? In summer 2009, The Pirates League opened in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. Wanna-be pirates are invited to assume new identities with a name, look and photo.

All makeovers include a sword and sheath, earring and eye patch, tattoo, exclusive pirate coin necklace, map case folder, and a personalized pirate oath. Buccaneer s can choose from three packages:

– First Mate package: bandana, choice of facial effect (cursed pirate, Captain Hook or Captain Jack), fake teeth, one 5×7 photo ($49.95 plus tax)

– Empress package: bandana, shimmering makeup makeover, face gem, nail polish, one 5×7 photo ($49.95 plus tax) Costumes available for additional charge.

– Captain’s package: choice of pirate costume, choice of facial effect, fake teeth, three 5×7 photos ($124.95 plus tax)

This experience is for age 3 and older. See lots of photos and read a first-person account here .

The Pirates League will extend its hours to 8 p.m. on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates in September and October. Based on availability, walk-ups will be accepted until 7:45 p.m. on those nights.

For months, my preschool-age daughter admired the girls in the Magic Kingdom who had been transformed into Disney princesses at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. She commented on every dress, hairstyle and makeup choice. And she especially coveted the pink sash that announced the wearer had received the royal treatment from the fairy godmothers-in-training.

So when her 4th birthday rolled around, we surprised her with a trip to the beauty salon. She was so excited and in awe of what is the most elaborate game of dress-up, in Cinderella Castle, no less.

Parents of the princesses can choose from three packages:

– Coach package: Hairstyling and makeup ($49.95 plus tax)

– Crown package: Hairstyling, makeup and nails ($54.95 plus tax)

– Castle package: Includes the Crown package plus photos (one 6×8 and four 4×6 images in a princess-themed photo holder) and complete costume of your choice with accessories. (starts at $189.95 plus tax)

Girls must be age 3 and older and choose from three hairstyles: Fairytale Princess, Disney Diva and Pop Princess.

We selected the Crown package and brought a new Ariel dress, shoes, crown — and camera — with us. Our Little Mermaid picked the Fairytale Princess hairstyle, which is a bun with a small tiara in the front and a “jeweled” barrette in the back. She seemed to enjoy the process of having her hair done while a dozen other girls sat nearby and parents snapped pictures like the paparazzi.

The makeup, though, was what she was waiting for. There were so many choices in her personal artist’s palette. Her fairy godmother-in-training skillfully applied just a hint of the col ors she chose. It was enough for my daughter to be able to admire herself and for her parents to feel comfortable no one would think we wanted to be contestants on Toddlers & Tiaras.

Unfortunately, as my daughter’s nails were being painted, she started to be uncomfortable with her hairstyle. As beautiful as it was, the bun was just too tight for a little girl and she began to cry and wanted it taken out. Right then. With my son’s help, we made her laugh once and snapped the “finished” photo before she yanked the hairstyle out.

The best part? Each little girl is given a bag of goodies to take home. It includes the comb, makeup and nail polish that were used during her session. My daughter clutched that little pink bag for the rest of the day in the Magic Kingdom and slept with it by her bed that night. And now, almost a year later, it still has a place of honor on her vanity.

The trainees are perfectly willing to practice on boys’ hair, too. They can opt for the Cool Dude package, which is colored hair gel and confetti ($7.50 plus tax).

A second BBB is located in the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney. In addition to the above experiences, they offer a Secret Star Makeover a la Hannah Montana. This pop star experience starts at about $110 for a blonde wig, microphone set, makeup, guitar purse and photo session.

The Pirates League

Going for something more on the rogue side? In summer 2009, The Pirates League opened in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. Wanna-be pirates are invited to assume new identi ties with a name, look and photo.

All makeovers include a sword and sheath, earring and eye patch, tattoo, exclusive pirate coin necklace, map case folder, and a personalized pirate oath. Buccaneer s can choose from three packages:

– First Mate package: bandana, choice of facial effect (cursed pirate, Captain Hook or Captain Jack), fake teeth, one 5×7 photo ($49.95 plus tax)

– Empress package: bandana, shimmering makeup makeover, face gem, nail polish, one 5×7 photo ($49.95 plus tax) Costumes available for additional charge.

– Captain’s package: choice of pirate costume, choice of facial effect, fake teeth, three 5×7 photos ($124.95 plus tax)

This experience is for age 3 and older. See lots of photos and read a first-person account here.

The Pirates League will extend its hours to 8 p.m. on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates in September and October. Based on availability, walk-ups will be accepted until 7:45 p.m. on those nights.