The Princess and The Frog Review
I’m torn between wanting to write a full critique of The Princess and The Frog, the way I have for the other films in the Disney Princess Culture. You know, deconstruct the whole thing and look for meaning, obvious and subtle, relate it to the Feminist Promise of Past and today’s Working Mother Reality. I want to at-once say this film was accurate in terms of teaching our daughters to dream and warn poor Tiana that dreams get exhausting and perhaps less fulfilling or important when you throw a baby or two into the mix.
And seriously, Tiana do. not. marry. a. man. who. does. not. see. the. value. of. an. honest. day’s. work. A spoiled, poor prince playboy? Oh, my goodness. One could an entire doctoral thesis on today’s Hip Hop Pimp culture, current African American demographics and family crisis and the gender/work theme in this film.
But, unlike the rest of the Disney Princess Genre this movie just came out.
I don’t want to ruin it for you or your children. Really, I don’t.
Instead, I’ll say “hurray” for Disney. They finally have an African American Princess in Tiana.
The plot was fun. The story was creative. The themes and romance was appropriate for children. The cast was darling. It was super-colorful and interesting and fun. The film even poked some fun at its own genre with one character insanely obsessed with marrying a prince at any cost. Its setting is in New Orleans, a town with a rich and colorful heritage that could surely use the boost.
Both my son and daughter enjoyed this film equally, and frankly, so did I.
Take your kids to the movies during Christmas break. They don’t make a new Disney Princess movie everyday. As much fun as it is to deconstruct them an, it’s equally fun to go see them and experience them with your kids. Disney Princess films are, after all, an integral narrative to our love stories, for better or worse.
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