“The Princess and The Frog” DVD Review

We recently received “The Princess and The Frog” on DVD from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.  It was an adorable movie, but I think I liked it more than my boys did!  I loved Princess Tiana!  The movie was fun to watch, but Dr. Facilier made me uncomfortable to watch (it was like Ursula in “The Little Mermaid” but a little more extreme).  However, I loved the singing, dancing, and New Orleans music throughout the movie.  I also loved the ending!  It was so sweet – classic Disney!  Plus, the DVD had special features on it that were fun to watch, including Deleted Scenes, a music video, and a fun game about the beautiful Disney princesses!  The Blu-ray disc has even more fun features!  “The Princess and The Frog” was released on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, March 16th online and in stores all over the country. 

A timeless heroine in the tradition of Snow White, Ariel, Jasmine and the rest of the beloved royal sisterhood, Tiana comes to life with classic hand-drawn Disney animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid) and a jazz-infused musical score from Academy Award® winning composer Randy Newman (Best Original Song, Monsters, Inc., 2001).  A royal procession of exclusive bonus features, including games and specially- created featurettes, take viewers on a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the storied French Quarter of New Orleans and into the magic-steeped bayou for hours of
can’t-miss family entertainment.

The Princess and the Frog transports audiences to glorious, glamorous New Orleans as Tiana, the first African American Disney princess meets her frog prince and gives him the fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical, magical bayous of Louisiana. The Princess and the Frog’s colorful cast of one-of-a-kind new characters joyfully raises the roof, with voice performances from stars including Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose (Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, 2004,“Caroline, or Change”), Keith David (Crash), Jenifer Lewis (“Strong Medicine”), Jim Cummings (“Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”), Michael- Leon Wooley (Ghost Town), Bruno Campos (“Nip/Tuck”), Peter Bartlett (The Producers), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Jennifer Cody (Broadway’s “Shrek: The Musical”), Oprah Winfrey and John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.). 

 
Bonus Features

The single disc DVD comes with these exciting bonus features:

• Deleted Scenes
• Audio Commentary by John Musker and Ron Clements (co-writers and directors) and Peter Del Vecho (producer)
• “Never Knew I Needed”- Music video by Ne-Yo

Games and Activities

• What Do You See: Princess Portraits — A bayou-style quiz tests viewers’ knowledge of all of
Disney’s beautiful princesses. Ray’s firefly family creates twinkling portraits of each princess and if
the player correctly identifies her, they can enjoy a tongue-cheek mini re-telling of that character’s
story. 
 
The Blu-ray Combo Pack edition comes with additional bonus features, including: 

Backstage Disney
• Magic In The Bayou: The Making of A Princess — Co-writers and directors John Musker and Ron
Clements take a freewheeling, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Disney’s newest animated
film as it grows from an initial concept to a lavish animated film set in the enchanting world of New
Orleans and the surrounding bayous.
• The Return To Hand Drawn Animation 
• The Disney Legacy
• Disney’s Newest Princess
• The Princess and the Animator 
• Conjuring The Villain 
• A Return To The Animated Musical 
• Bringing Life to Animation with an introduction by John Musker and Ron Clements.
• Deleted Scenes introduced by the filmmakers
• Art Galleries — A collection of storyboard art traces the visual development of The Princess and the Frog’s rich gallery of characters and settings.

MY THOUGHTS

I enjoyed watching the movie, but it wasn’t one of my favorite Disney Princess movies.  I think Princess Tiana was gorgeous and the plot of the story was a good one, but I think Dr. Facilier was a little too scary for little kids to watch.  I’m glad I had the opportunity to watch this movie though and look forward to what Disney has coming next! 

STREET DATE:   March 16, 2010
Pricing:     Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack: $44.99 (US), $51.99 (Canada)
    Single Disc DVD: $29.99 SRP (US); $35.99 SRP (Canada)
Feature run time:  97 minutes
Rated:  G 
FastPlay™:     FastPlay enabled 
Technical specifications may only apply to feature. 
 
Blu-ray Disc 
Aspect ratio:    1.78:1
Sound:    English 5.1 DTS-HD
Languages:    English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles 
 
Single Disc DVD: 
Aspect ratio:    Widescreen (2.35)
Sound:    5.1 Dolby
Languages:    English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles