Continuing my countdown of favorite Disney Animation movies following my marathon viewing of all 64…
My Top Ten Disney Animation Movies
#2 – The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The mid-2000s saw Disney switch to computer animation, a move tied to the studio’s merger with Pixar. When The Princess and the Frog opened in 2009, it had been five years since the last hand-drawn film (and that was Home on the Range, the movie with the dubious distinction of being last on my list of 64 Disney animated features).
With the exception of a minor Winnie the Pooh feature in 2011, this is also the last time Disney has used this traditional animation method, which is a real shame. While computer animation can be astounding in its own way, nothing can match the elegance and beauty of hand-drawn work.
The Princess and the Frog‘s visuals are just one of the reasons it’s among Disney’s very best work. Another is the music by Randy Newman, making his first contribution to a Disney Animation film after scoring five Pixar features. His upbringing in New Orleans made him a perfect fit for the Big Easy-based movie, and his jazz score and original songs are brilliant.
The film’s characters are nicely fleshed out, with Tiana’s quest to open a restaurant and honor her dead father’s dream offering a stirring through line. Her friendship with the rich debutante Lottie is heartwarming, and her romance with the carefree Prince Naveen is the studio’s best love story.
Much has been made of the fact that Disney’s first Black princess spends most of her movie’s runtime as a frog, and that’s unfortunate, but it makes for a clever and surprising plot. It also opens the door for sidekicks Louis the alligator and Ray the firefly, characters with their own dreams and sorrows. Ray’s fate, in particular, is among the most emotional in Disney’s catalog.
The Princess and the Frog is a feast for the eyes and ears and almost the best animated movie in Disney’s storied history.
—
Yesterday I listed my favorite songs from Disney musicals, so today I thought I’d acknowledge some great tunes from the studio’s non-musicals.
Disney Animation – Best Songs in Non-musicals
5. ‘I’m Still Here’ by John Reznik from Treasure Planet
4. ‘Try Everything’ by Shakira from Zootopia
3. ‘One Little Slip’ by Barenaked Ladies from Chicken Little
2. ‘Barking at the Moon’ by Jenny Lewis from Bolt
1. ‘Another Believer’ by Rufus Wainwright from Meet the Robinsons
Don’t you disrespect me, little man!
Don’t you derogate or deride
You’re in my world now, not your world
And I got friends on the other side
[SPIRITS]
He’s got friends on the other side
[DR. FACILIER, spoken]
That’s an echo, gentlemen
Just a little something we have here in Louisiana
A little parlor trick, don’t worry…
(sung)
Sit down at my table
Put your minds at ease
If you relax, it will enable me
To do anything I please
I can read your future
I can change it ’round some, too
I’ll look deep into your heart and soul
(spoken)
You do have a soul, don’t you Lawrence?
(sung)
Make your wildest dreams come true
I got voodoo, I got hoodoo
I got things I ain’t even tried
And I got friends on the other side
[SPIRITS]
He’s got friends on the other side
[DR. FACILIER]
The cards, the cards, the cards will tell
The past, the present and the future as well
The cards, the cards, just take three
Take a little trip into your future with me
Now you, young man, are from across the sea
You come from two long lines of royalty
(spoken)
I’m a royal myself, on my mother’s side
(sung)
Your lifestyle’s high
But your funds are low
You need to marry a little honey whose daddy got dough
(spoken)
Mom and Dad cut you off, huh, playboy?
Now y’all gotta get hitched. But hitchin’ ties you down
You just wanna be free, hop from place to place
But freedom takes green
(sung)
It’s the green, it’s the green, it’s the green you need
And when I look into your future, it’s the green that I seen
On you, little man, I don’t wanna waste much time
You been pushed ’round all your life
You been pushed ’round by your mother and your sister and your brother
And if you was married
You’d be pushed ’round by your wife
But in your future, the you I see
Is exactly the man you always wanted to be
(spoken)
Shake my hand
Come on, boys, won’t you shake a poor sinner’s hand?
[Naveen and Lawrence shake Dr. Facilier’s hands.]
[DR. FACILIER]
Yes…
Are you ready?
[SPIRITS]
Are you ready?
[DR. FACILIER]
Are you ready?
Transformation Central
[SPIRITS]
Transformation Central!
[DR. FACILIER]
Reformation Central
[SPIRITS]
Reformation Central!
[DR. FACILIER]
Transmogrification Central
Can you feel it?
You’re changin’, you’re changin’, you’re changin’, all right
I hope you’re satisfied
But if you ain’t, don’t blame me
You can blame my friends on the other side
[SPIRITS]
You got what you wanted
But you lost what you had
[DR. FACILIER]
Hush…
Meet Me In Montauk 
I wanted to love this movie, particularly given Randy Newman’s contributions, the setting in one of my favorite cities and your high praise, but, candidly, I found myself bored and disinterested after awhile. Perhaps I’ll give it another viewing, though it will probably be when I have a child watching with me.
Yay!! This is one of my more revisited Disney films and it’s so strong. I do love Lottie as a character and she definitely embodies Princess and the Frog’s ability to subvert expectations and resist simplicity across the board.
Also hooray for an “I’m Still Here” shoutout, a very beloved song for me and Daniel. Your song list left me with some watching and listening to do. 🙂
Excited for your number 1 reveal!
Here for the “I’m Still Here” love!
(remember loving the movie but only saw it once in the theater)