Review: The Princess and the Frog - 3.5/5 Stars

In a decade where CGI has dominated all animated forms of entertainment and a year where 3D has exploded into prime time, Walt Disney Studios steps back, reaches into its old bag of tricks and pulls out its first hand-drawn feature in five years. The decision might feel like a ploy to boost Disney merchandising with a new princess, but Disney has made plenty movies that achieve that end only they don't have half heart and soul poured into them that "The Princess and the Frog" does. Dedicated to moral-focused storytelling and creating lovable characters, Disney has rediscovered a touch of its former magic and delivered an age- appropriate children's film -- it's best effort of this kind since 1998's "Mulan" and maybe even "The Lion King."

Complete with musical numbers, this is Disney's old formula executed to a T. Princesses, wishing upon stars, a journey with new friends being made along the way, danger, transformation, talking animal sidekicks -- there's no question Disney wanted desperately to recreate the feeling of its classics. Set in Jazz Age New Orleans, Tiana is a dedicated young woman with a knack for cooking who aspires to open up her own restaurant one day and do the memory of her father proud. She knows all about the value of hard work when it comes to achieving one's dreams. Already, here is Disney making it clear that it wants to teach children a valuable lesson above all else.

The sacrifice made for that is adult-level humor. Whereas Disney threw in numerous jokes back in mid-'90s that flew over kids' heads, there's maybe only a handful of those chuckles in "Frog." Make no mistake, this one is for kids. Disney nostalgists will enjoy it too -- but the focus is kids. Lots of run-of-the-mill physical humor and talking animals acting silly: most of the time you'll laugh because it's cute and sweet.

The plot is okay. The foreign Prince Naveen comes to New Orleans and he has a run in with a hoodoo-voodoo witch doctor, the sinister Dr. Facilier (ala James Bond villain Baron Samedi in "Live and Let Die"), who in a spooky, smoky flash-bang big-band music number promises him wealth (prices can get cut off by their parents you know) and also his mutton-chopped assistant princely fame. Planning to use them as pawns of his own devise, he turns Naveen into a frog and the assistant into Naveen.

The frog Naveen finds Tiana and promises that if she kisses him, he'll make her restaurant dream come true. When she agrees, she ends up a frog too. Together, they journey through the Louisiana Bayou in hopes to find Mama Odie, who will have the power to turn them human again. Along the way they meet a cuddly trumpet-playing crocodile named Louis (after Mr. Armstrong, naturally) and a goofy Cajun firefly named Ray. Its when Louis and the frog Tiana and Naveen sing about what they'll do when they become human ("When We're Human") as they float down the river that suddenly you feel that old fuzzy Disney musical feeling and "Princess and the Frog" becomes a success.

Randy Newman's tunes are catchy and fun, representing a range of Southern music from jazz ("When We're Human) to banjo-plucking folk ("Gonna Take You There") to the film's best song, Mama Odie's moral-delivering number asking us all to "Dig A Little Deeper" in full gospel fashion. The last one aside, they're not all that memorable, however, most likely because they never give in to full theatricality. There just feels like a little reservation in making "Frog" an all-out musical jamboree on Newman's part as well as longtime Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker. For many adult Disney-lovers, it might be the difference between a "cute" and a "great" Disney film.

Certainly, however, even if just in brief moments, Disney has tapped into the magic of old with this heart-warming story preaching that our personal dreams and desires don't mean nearly as much if they lose sight of love and family. It even manages to be pleasantly less predictable than one would expect in the end and it also avoids some past warranted Disney criticisms with regards to racism and stereotyping gender roles. Kids will love it (one girl in the theater was even dancing in the aisle ... out of plain sight of course) and parents will feel good about taking them to see it. A definite success for Disney.

3.5/5 Stars

"The Princess and the Frog"

Directed by: Ron Clements and John Musker

Written by: Ron Clements and John Musker (story and screenplay), Greg Erb and Jason Oremland (story), Rob Edwards (screenplay)

Starring: (voices) Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman

New on DVD: Up - 4.5/5 Stars

After tackling rats with chef skills and voiceless robots on journeys of self-discovery, leave it to Pixar to make the star of its latest film an elderly man and continue to defy Hollywood's long-held belief that animated films have to zero in on children and concepts that can be marketed into hats and toys and backpacks. Heck, in "Up" even animals talking are explained rather than simply taken for granted. But what sets it apart from other Pixar gems is that it's the animation studio's most inclusive for-the-whole family adventure to date.

It's no surprise to anyone anymore that Pixar leads field the in terms of computer-generated animation and while "Up" continues this tradition, that's not its specialty. "WALL*E" is still more of a spectacle and innovator. "Up" is Pixar's proof that they can combine beautiful, heart-filled storytelling with laughs for every age group and adventure and action to boot and *still* make a killing at the box office.

On premise, most analysts wouldn't predict a film about 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen ballooning his house to South America to honor a promise to his late wife to be even close to a box office success in the genre of animated family films, but attach the name Pixar and anything is possible. Dogs with collars that turn their thoughts in words and the dynamic between a young boy scout named Russell who accidentally was on Fredricksen's porch when the house took off and an old man prove to be more than enough for great comedy and entertainment.

Sure, the plot itself once they get to South America leaves something to be desired, and the feasibility of an old man who can't walk down his stairs being able to hold onto a dangling rope with a boy, a dog and a large bird on the other end will fail to suspend many adults' disbelief, but there is never a moment devoid of something clever or meaningful in the entire film. The fresh and humorous concept proves quite forgiving as does the touching motivation in the story of Carl doing this for his dead wife. The montage through their years together is incredibly powerful for happening so early in the film. Pete Docter and Bob Peterson do an excellent job, though obviously Pixar's constant success must be credited to John Lasseter.

Next to "WALL*E" whose innovation, imagination and genius themes might never be repeated in animated film, "Up" is Pixar's best to date. There is honestly something for everyone: the elderly will relate to Carl's struggles with aging, loss and unfulfillment; children will find plenty of physical humor to enjoy between the hysterical dogs and Russell's slight lack of smarts; and the ages in between will find the story touching and the concepts and their execution nothing short of genius. And for once, Disney is even politically correct/inclusive in the diversity of characters.

4.5/5 Stars

"Up" (2009)

Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Written by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Thomas McCarthy

Starring: (voices) Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson

Archive Review: Coraline (2009) - 4/5 Stars

It seems like Pixar is the only company producing outside-the-box animated adventures these days, but don't discredit "Coraline," Laika Entertainment's second stop-motion feature after Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride." Based on the Neil Gaiman book, "Coraline" is one of the more creative stories and executions of family entertainment to have come out in awhile and almost unquestionably one of the best stop-motion films ever made.

Although "Coraline" is certainly not for kids under 7 years old who are easily susceptible to nightmares, that doesn't change the quality of craftsmanship. Director Henry Selick, easily one of the best stop-motion directors next to Nick Park of the "Wallace & Gromit" series and maybe the more creative and daring between the two, brings a creepy surrealism and an abstract design to a story that begs for it.

"Coraline" is about a girl of the same name who moves into a new house with her apathetic parents that don't seem interested in her needs at all. She finds a small door in her new house that leads to an alternate reality with seemingly perfect parents -- only they have button eyes. But things aren't as rosy as they seem and Coraline soon finds herself in trouble.

Immediately, "Coraline" charms you with the creative imagining of its world. I'm unfamiliar with the book, but I believe it's without pictures, making Selick and his creative team's vision a true accomplishment. Not unlike Selick's work in "The Nightmare before Christmas," the figures have abstract shapes and exaggerated bodies whether it's Coraline's dad's slightly long neck or the neighbor Mr. Bobinsky's tiny appendages but ball-shaped midsection. Even the slight tilt in Coraline's head adds something to her character that peaks your curiosity in a way that a more traditional CGI animation might not necessarily do.

The beauty of the story is that Coraline learns a very fine lesson in reality versus idealism, that reality can be deceiving in both good and bad ways and that our parents, even if they're not always the nicest and best and giving us what we like, are the best thing we've got as a child. It's a perfect fit for stop-motion -- the subtle (and not so subtle) distortions between reality and alternate but ultimately fictitious reality -- and Selick really uses that to his and ultimately our advantage.

4/5 Stars

"Coraline" (2009)

Directed by: Henry Selick

Written by: Henry Selick, Neil Gaiman (book)

Starring: (voices) Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher

Review: Ponyo - 3.5/5 Stars

Hayao Miyazaki has captured the imagination of audiences young and old across the globe, and his most recent cinematic work of art is "Ponyo," a children's fairytale borrowing on story elements from The Little Mermaid. Of course like other Miyazaki classics such as "Spirited Away" and his last film, "Howl's Moving Castle," "Ponyo" is full of a creativity that can only be truly appreciated by adults, but this it is distinctly more a children's story than those recent efforts. It's a magical story best described as beautiful and lovable, aiming for charm instead of conflict.

"Ponyo" is the story of a bug-eyed childish-looking fish of the same name, the daughter of an undersea sorcerer, who longs to escape the sea and become a little girl. When she does, she quickly befriends a young boy named Sosuke. In the process she gains a strong magic and unknowingly throws the world out of balance between land and sea, and a giant storm drowns most of the cliff-top town where Sosuke lives with his mother, and it threatens to end the world.

Like "Howl's Moving Castle," Walt Disney picked up "Ponyo" for an American release and dubbed it over with an impressive selection of Western voices, even choosing homegrown products in the youngest siblings of Disney band the Jonas Brothers (Frankie Jonas) and Miley Cyrus (younger sister Noah) to voice Sosuke and Ponyo, respectively. Also voicing characters are Liam Neeson (Fujimoto, Ponyo's father), Tina Fey (Lisa, Sosuke's mother), Matt Damon (Sosuke's father), Cate Blanchett (Ponyo's sea goddess mother) and a trio of hilarious elderly women are played by Betty White, Cloris Leachman and Lily Tomlin. The effort is definitely there to make this film appeal to American audiences and Disney is getting close.

But voices are of little significance in a Miyazaki film, which is all about visual creativity. A fan of transformations and animating liquid and fluid motion, creating a fairytale taking place partly underwater must've been a joy for Miyazaki to work with and maybe even his entire motivation for choosing this story. Among the highlights are droplets of water that Fujimoto sends after Ponyo that move like living waves, as well as a variety of other magnificent sea creatures and breathtaking storm scenes make "Ponyo" as awing as any other Miyazaki film.

As a children's story, however, "Ponyo" concentrates its efforts on being adorable. The discovery of true friendship and love between Sosuke and Ponyo is heart-warming, even if Noah Cyrus shouting childishly when Ponyo excitedly embraces human life can get a bit annoying. But as delightful as many of the imaginative elements and loving relationships are, there's very little antagonism or danger. Past Miyazaki films have clear villains, but the conflict in "Ponyo" actually shrinks as the story goes along. Sosuke believes he's lost his mother at one point and in the background is the idea of the world going out of whack and that humans should be ashamed of polluting the sea, but "Ponyo" is mostly tension free. Most glaringly, its climax is uneventful despite how overall likable all the characters are.

"Ponyo" will surely satisfy Miyazaki's fans in every way with its imagination, and newcomers will still be smitten by his simple yet visually ambitious storytelling, but this is distinctly more of a children's movie, best for families and others who love fantasy regardless of its form or target audience. It's not quite what you'd expect from Miyazaki considering his recent work, but it's sure to be remembered as another of his beloved stories.

3.5/5 Stars

"Ponyo" 

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Written by: Hayao Miyazaki

Starring: (voices) Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus, Liam Neeson, Tina Fey

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