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The Princess and the Frog

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The Princess and the Frog
File:The Princess and the Frog logo.jpg
official The Princess and the Frog logo.
Directed byRon Clements
John Musker
Written byRon Clements
John Musker
Rob Edwards
Produced byPeter Del Vecho
StarringAnika Noni Rose
Oprah Winfrey
Keith David
Jenifer Lewis
John Goodman
Bruno Campos
Edited byJeff Draheim
Music byRandy Newman
Distributed byWalt Disney Pictures
Release date
December 25 2009[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Princess and the Frog is an upcoming 2009 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and based upon the classic fairy tale The Frog Prince. It will be Disney's 49th animated feature and first traditionally animated feature since 2004's Home on the Range. It is being directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, with songs and score composed by Randy Newman and starring the voice talents of Anika Noni Rose (as Princess Tiana), Oprah Winfrey [2], Keith David, John Goodman, Jenifer Lewis, Bruno Campos, Michael-Leon Wooley and Peter Bartlett.

The film, which began production under the working title The Frog Princess, will be an American fairy tale musical set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age, and will feature the first Black Disney Princess that joins the actual official line up.[3]

History

Disney had once announced that Home on the Range would be the studio's last 2D animated film entry to their animated features canon, but after the company's acquisition of Pixar in early 2006, it was reported that Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, new leaders of the animation department, were interested in going back to the Disney tradition of 2D animation.[4] Ron Clements and John Musker, directors of successful 2D Disney films The Little Mermaid and Aladdin will be writing and directing. [5] About a month later, at the Comic-Con, Disney animator Eric Goldberg confirmed the news and also mentioned that Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken would be in charge of the music. [6] [7]

The film promises to return to the Broadway-style musical in the style of the successful Disney films like Walt's classics, and the musical renaissance of the late-1980s and all of the 1990s. [8] Rhett Wickham also reported that John Lasseter had personally asked Ron Clements and John Musker to direct and write the film, and had let them choose what form of (both traditional animation or CGI) they wanted the film to be in. New and updated software will be used in the digital processing of the film, as the old Computer Animation Production System from Disney is now outdated. [9]

On November 13 2006, it was revealed that Randy Newman, who was responsible for the music of many Pixar films, would be in charge of the music in the film instead of Alan Menken and his new lyricist Glenn Slater. This change was due to John Lasseter not wanting the public to feel Disney being repetitive, as Menken was also working on another Disney fairy tale film, Enchanted.

On December 1, 2006, a detailed casting call was announced for the film at the Manhattan Theatre Source forum. [10] The casting call states the film as being an American fairy tale musical set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age, and provides a detailed list of the film's major characters, including the leading character, who at that point was to be called Maddy. Disney later officially confirmed this.[11]

In February 2007, it was reported that Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose were top contenders for the voice of the film's title character, and that Alicia Keys directly contacted Disney's studio chief Dick Cook, telling him that she wanted the role very much. [12] It was later revealed that Tyra Banks was considered for the role as well.[13]

During the Walt Disney Company's annual shareholder meeting in March 2007, Randy Newman and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band performed a song from the film called "Down in New Orleans", while slides of pre-production art from the film played on a screen.[11]

On April 19, 2007, it was confirmed that Anika Noni Rose would be voicing Tiana.[14]

On July 5, 2007, it was reported that Keith David would be doing the voice of Dr. Facilier, the villain of the film.[15]

On July 29, 2008, the official website was launched with the first teaser trailer of the movie.

On August 8, 2008, Rhett Wickham, writing for LaughingPlace.com [5]confirmed and clarified the names of the ten supervising animators at the helm of the ten principal characters.

Production

File:Tiana the princess.jpg
Tiana and the frog from the teaser trailer

While the Goofy short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater experimented with paperless animation, the artists on The Princess and the Frog will use traditional pencil and paper that is scanned into the computers. Although a new pipeline for hand-drawn animation has been developed at the studio, like digital coloring without CAPS, the actual animation process remains the same.[16]

The former trend in Disney's hand-drawn features where the characters were influenced by a CGI-look has been abandoned. Andreas Deja says "I always thought that maybe we should distinguish ourselves to go back to what 2D is good at, which is focusing on what the line can do rather than volume, which is a CG kind of thing. So we are doing less extravagant Treasure Planet kind of treatments. You have to create a world but [we're doing it more simply]. What we're trying to do with Princess and the Frog is hook up with things that the old guys did earlier. It's not going to be graphic…". He also mentiones that Lasseter is aiming for the Disney sculptural and dimensional look of the '50s. "He quoted all those things that were non graphic, which means go easy on the straight lines and have one volume flow into the other -- an organic feel to the drawing."[17]

Controversy

There was some controversy when the name of the heroine of the movie (who has an African American appearance) was announced as beening called Maddy (normally short for the french name Madeleine). The character's name was perceived buy some as to be a stereotypical, lower-class, "slave name", and the character was also a Maid, working for a rich white person which received complaints as being racially insensitive (although historically accurate as the movie is set before the American Civil Rights Movement started). Aswell as most Fairy tale princesses like disneys other princesses Cinderella, Snow White, Fa Mulan and Rapunzel all having simpler damsel in distress storys.[18]

On April 20, 2007, E! reported that the title of the film could possibly be changed from The Frog Princess to The Princess and the Frog, and that the lead character Maddy may be getting a name change as well. [19]

On May 4, 2007, USA Today published an article regarding the film in which they referred to it under the aforementioned title, The Princess and the Frog, and referred to the lead character as "Tiana" rather than Maddy, supporting the earlier reported name change possibilities.[20]

On May 8, 2007, BET and other online sites reported that Disney spokeswoman Heidi Trotta stated that some of the original release information was incorrect, and confirmed the USA Today names "Princess Tiana" and The Princess and the Frog to be correct. Trotta stated "Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney’s rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity."[18]

Cast of characters

This is a list of the film's major characters, all of them are now revealed on the official website.

Name Description Voice Actor/Actress
Princess Tiana1 The 19-year-old heroine of the movie. Anika Noni Rose
Charlotte La Bouff An 18-year-old spoiled, southern debutante and diva. Tiana's main rival. Jennifer Cody
Dr. Facilier2 A palm reader and A Voodoo practitioner. The villain of the movie. Keith David
Mama Odie A 200-year-old Voodoo priestess/fairy Godmother. Jenifer Lewis
Ray A lovesick Cajun firefly. Jim Cummings
Louis Jazz singer alligator. Comic, manic, high-strung. Has a trumpet.

Michael-Leon Wooley

Prince Naveen3 A gregarious, fun-loving Prince who comes to the French Quarter for the Jazz scene and who Tiana and Charlotte had fallen in love with, in his early twenties. Bruno Campos
Lawrence Prince Naveen's pompous valet. Peter Bartlett
Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff Wealthy, Southern Sugar Mill owner and father of Charlotte La Bouff. John Goodman
Eudora Tiana's mother. In her fifties. Oprah Winfrey[2]
  1. Originally named "Maddy" on the casting call sheet and listed as a chambermaid. Both details have been confirmed as having changed in development.
  2. The villain's name was originally "Dr. Duvalier" and was going to be a black Voodoo magician/fortune teller. In a recently updated script, he is both a palm reader and a Voodoo practitioner.
  3. The prince's original name "Harry" has been replaced by "Naveen" in a revised script.

Crew

Crew Position
Director John Musker and Ron Clements
Executive Producer John Lasseter
Producer Peter Del Vecho
Written by Ron Clements, John Musker and Rob Edwards
Music by Randy Newman

See also

References

  1. ^ "CanMag.Com". Walt Disney Pictures Offers 10 Releases by 2012. Retrieved April 8. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b "BREAKING: Oprah Winfrey Joins Voice Cast Of 'The Princess and the Frog'". 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Disney to release 'Frog Princess'". Variety. 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2007-03-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Disney Goes Traditional For "Princess"". Dark Horizons. 2006-07-27. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Rhett Wickham: It's Baaack!". LaughingPlace.com. 2006-06-23. Retrieved 2006-06-23. Cite error: The named reference "laughingplace.com" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Comic-Con Sees Stars, 2D Officially Back at Disney". AWN Headline News. 2006-07-23. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Big News for Walt Disney Feature Animation at Comic-Con". The Disney Blog. 2006-07-23. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Hand-Drawn Animation Returning to Disney". The Internet Movie Database. 2006-07-27. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "It's Baaack!". LaughingPlace.com. 2006-06-23. Retrieved 2006-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Frog Princess Casting Call". Animated-News.com. 2006-12-01. Retrieved 2006-12-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ a b "New Orleans the site of new Disney film". Yahoo News. 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2007-03-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Alicia Keys into Next Movie Role". E! Planet Gossip Blog. 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-03-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Princess Anika and the Frog". E! Online. 2007-04-20. Retrieved 2007-06-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Disney Crowns Its Frog Princess". E! Online. 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2007-04-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "David hops aboard 'Frog'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2007-07-5. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Insights From ADAPT 2008
  17. ^ Insights From ADAPT 2008
  18. ^ a b Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing - 11 May 2007
  19. ^ E Online's Planet Gossip article
  20. ^ USAToday article mentioning name change
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