10 Things Parents Should Know About The Princess and the Frog

Image from Disney.com.

Disney’s The Princess and the Frog has been out for a few weeks, but we at GeekDad have not said much about it since its release. So here are 10 things parents should know about the movie.

Will my kid like it?

Yes. When I looked around the audience, all of the kids of the were paying rapt attention to the screen. There was lots of group laughter.

Is it just for girls?

No. My five year son really liked it. That group laughter I just mentioned was boys and girls. Don’t be scared off by the princess in the title. The frogs are the real stars.

Will I like it?

You’ve seen this movie before. It’s the Disney formula. There’s a bad guy, mediocre songs, love interests, and forgettable characters. Although John Lasseter of Pixar (now part of Disney) is credited as an executive producer I didn’t see any Pixar magic.

But you don’t go to this movie for yourself. You go for your kids. If you are looking to get out of the house after being snowbound (like I was) it’s not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

How’s the animation?

This is the 49th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics line, and the first of these films to be traditionally (2D) animated since 2004’s Home on the Range. It is pretty, but there is nothing ground breaking about the animation. It’s hard to compete with the computer generated animation you see in the Pixar movies.

What’s different about the movie?

As fellow GeekDad Matt Blum pointed out [Finally, Disney Catches Up to Reality with The Princess and the Frog] this movie has the first African-American princess. Tiana is a young woman from 1920s New Orleans. As you’d expect from a modern Disney princess, she is smart, resourceful and not looking for a prince to rescue her. She is a waitress and aspiring chef saving hard to buy her own restaurant. Tiana is also Disney’s first United States princess. (Pocahontas was Native American, predating the U.S.).

Any comedic sidekicks?

Two characters stand out. Louis is a trumpet playing alligator who wants to be human so he can play jazz without scaring people away. Ray is a Cajun firefly in love with an evening star, whom he calls Evangeline. They elicit most of the laughs in the movie.

How G-Rated is it?

The downfall of the villain is a little scary. (I know it’s spoiler, but would you expect any less in a Disney movie.) One of the characters dies. That left my five-year old a little sad.

Is there a good time for a bathroom break?

The movie is only 95 minutes. You can make it. But if you chug your Cherry Slurpee during the preview, there is a good break at 40 minutes after the Mama Odie musical number.