'The Princess and The Frog'

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Ever see a fat Princess? How about a plain princess? Disney talks a whole talk about beauty being on the inside but you've never seen them do a fat ugly princess with a heart of gold. Why, because it wouldn't sell.

Fiona from SHREK springs to mind. I know it's not Disney. But still.

[sailerm]

Ever see a fat Princess?

As already mentioned, Fiona in Shrek, which of course isn't Disney. Also that she is played by the whitest skinniest Cuban-American actress anyone has ever seen this side of Xuxa.

[Queentitania19]

Since this was all about what Disney has or hasn't done it's irrelevant what anyone else has done. Shrek's entire purpose was to mock classic fairy tales in general and Disney in particular. I love Shrek dearly but let's not pretend that Princess Fiona merchandise is as lucrative as any of the Disney Princess lines. Even the not really princesses Mulan and Pocahontas sell more in a year than Fiona ever did. Shrek as a movie franchise did wildly well and Shrek and even Donkey merchandise does very well but not really Fiona.

[sailerm]

I never seen any Fiona merchandise

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

Originally Posted by sailerm

I never seen any Fiona merchandise

WAIT... So those little girls I saw at Disneyland... were just... ugly?

[Angie_Duke]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaAdventurer

WAIT... So those little girls I saw at Disneyland... were just... ugly?

They were beautiful on the inside.

[ALIASd]

Any production information on the film, 'The Princess and the Frog' contributed to this thread would be greatly appreciated.

[Queentitania19]

Sorry Aliasd, You know how these tangents get. If you have any info on the actual movie I for one would love to hear it.

[ALIASd]

The first few pages of this thread contain quite a bit of information.

Also Co-Director John Musker confirmed to me on 5/21 that at some point pre-opening that the Disney team would be traveling to New Orleans for a screening and special event.

Also see:

Her Prince Has Come. Critics, Too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/fa...%20frog&st=cse

[Queentitania19]

Thanks a bundle Alias. Not only did that article give me the fairly sketchy plot outline but it also made my point about this being a ticking bomb in Disney's pocket. Only time will tell if it goes tick tick boom or fizzles out.

[ALIASd]

Originally Posted by ALIASd

1/28/09

Disney animation exhibit to open in New Orleans

Disney animation exhibit to open in New Orleans - USATODAY.com

November 15, 2009 - March 14, 2010

Dreams Come True

Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio

(organized by NOMA) (EWF Galleries)


Dreams Come True showcases original artwork from legendary Disney animated films, including Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, and will feature a children's section celebrating Disney's connections with jazz music and the Crescent City. The artworks, on loan from the Walt Disney Studio Animation Research Library, will be accompanied by film clips to demonstrate how individual sketches and paintings lead to a finished celluloid masterpiece. Organized by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library and the New Orleans Museum of Art, this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, which cannot be seen anywhere else, is set to coincide with the premier of Disney's upcoming animated feature, The Princess and the Frog, set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age.

"We are delighted to present this magical exhibition in New Orleans," said NOMA director E. John Bullard. "Children will love seeing their favorite Disney characters in a museum setting and adults will be taken by the technical skill and emotional depth reflected in these works. It was Disney animators who really led the way in the 20th century toward establishing animation as a serious art form."

Visitors to the exhibition will encounter themed rooms showcasing artwork related to specific animated features. Arranged chronologically by year of release, the rooms will feature, in order: Silly Symphonies, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Princess and the Frog. Film clips will accompany the artwork to demonstrate how individual sketches and paintings lead to a finished celluloid masterpiece. An adjacent Education Area will highlight Disney's long association with music and also will serve as a mini library for animation research and storytelling programs.

About The Princess and the Frog
Walt Disney Animation Studios presents The Princess and The Frog, an animated comedy set against the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin comes a modern twist on a classic tale.

When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia comes to town a deal with a shady voodoo doctor goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana, takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

An unforgettable tale filled with music, humor and heart where two frogs—along with the help of a 200-year-old voodoo priestess, a love-sick Cajun firefly, and a trumpet—playing alligator—discover that what they want isn't as important as what they need.

The Princess and The Frog will feature Disney's first African American princess, Tiana, who lives in New Orleans during the Jazz Age. Other characters include Louis, a trumpet-playing alligator, and Ray, a love-sick Cajun firefly. The Princess and The Frog marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements with music by Oscar¨-winning composer Randy Newman (Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story).
NOMA | Dreams Come True

[ALIASd]

Save the Date:
Friday, November 13, 2009



The 44th Odyssey Ball

NOMA | Special Events

[Hartwell]

Originally Posted by sailerm

First, why should skin color even matter?

Second, what about Raven Simone? Ashanti in Muppet Wizard of Oz?, Whoopi Goldberg in Lion King.... or Cinderella? Disney has long been on the forefront of having varied casting (Uncle Remus anyone?!)

Story, music, and good performances will create a classic more than what a character looks like, or how much melanin an actor has.

Ya you are absolutely right. The inner personality is more important than the outlook. Whatever is your skin color black or white, but if you have some guts , confidence and caliber to do something special then you can conquer the World.

[ALIASd]

At last night's 'Walt Stanchfield - Drawn to Life' event in Burbank
'Walt Stanchfield - Drawn To Life' with Don Hahn event 6/10

veteran WDAS animator Andreas Deja announced that he'd completed work on 'The Princess and the Frog.' Deja is the supervising animator of "Mama Odie" voiced by actress Jennifer Lewis and her seeing-eye snake. He also said that there is about three weeks of work more on the film scheduled.

Deja told the story of first hearing about the character rundown for the film. He said that they'd been gathered by co-directors Musker and Clements to hear their colorful descriptions of each character to glean which animator would be best suited to each character.

First "okay, beautiful, young princess girl Tiana, scary villian who does bad voodoo and then tiny, little woman who is blind so she uses a snake as a seeing eye dog - my hand shot up!" He loved the idea of doing something completely different than anything he'd done before, as an artist he'd felt it was absolutely necessary to continue to stretch. Don Hahn had prefaced these remarks by reminding the audience and Deja that the artist had been somewhat "typecast" with being the bad guy having created Scar from 'The Lion King', Gaston in 'Beauty and the Beast' and Jafar from 'Aladdin'. Deja said was exactly why he'd turned down the offer to do Hades and opted to do the title character for 'Hercules', also the reason for his animating Lilo in 'Lilo & Stitch.' Deja said that "after doing all these bad guys he had to also be able to animate a little Hawaiian girl. Why not? That's why I didn't go with doing this new bad guy but with something very different than I'd already done."

After the event I asked Deja if there had been specific directives about the characters themselves that he'd found necessary to change from an artistic standpoint. He said that there had been a few, among them was that the character's snake was to have been a milk snake. He told me that their color didn't work so he changed it. Creating his own variation on it freed up the character's color palette and its relation to the other characters.

[Retrocool]

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

I'd rather Disney make good movies than PC garbage to pander to some vocal minority who can be bothered to appreciate a good movie when they see it.

Ah, yes, the inevitable "Disney's doing a favor making a movie for those ungrateful Negroes" argument.

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

Why does Disney HAVE to have "LEAD" characters of a particular race if the story doesn't call for it?

Red herring question. Nobody's saying Disney MUST have non-European lead characters. Just that it would be nice to see.

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

Mulan takes place in China so it has a Chinese lead, Cinderella in Europe has a European lead. This movies are popular not because of their main character's skin colour but because of the quality for their story.

Yeah, you're not really getting the point, are ya?

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

Also, smart ***, I know "America" didn't exsit when Hunchback took place, but that doens't change the fact that Esmerelda is black has has a very 90s contemparoary American voice and personality.

Really? Voiced by Demi Moore? Please, explain to me how Demi Moore is African American. I'm eager to hear this one.

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

Aladdin is Arab for sure, but he's as white ghost for the whole movie (and his voice is done by an actor from Full House too because that show was SO not white).

I have no idea what this comment is saying.

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

Disney will make a movie because it feels it will make money by having some sort fo mass appeal. Persepolis is not that kind of subject matter that would fit with the "Disney" name.

One can dream, and one can shoot down the dreams of others. I see you've taken the latter approach.

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

That does not mean Disney, like Pixar of late cannot handle mature themes, but really, there's a limit.

And exactly WHERE is that limit?

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

A good story can come from any number of sources (even out of someone's own imagination like Lilo and Stitch) and should be chosen for it's storytelling oppotunities over it's potential to please minorities.

I see. So, THAT'S the reason that this film was put into production? Merely "to please minorities"? Odd reasoning, I must say.

Originally Posted by Angie_Duke

But really, Retrocool it sounds like you just want to bitch and stir up trouble wherever you see fit and not really judge a film based on it's merits of acting, storytelling, music etc. Which is guess is fine, but adding feul to this nonsense fire surrounding this film will likely not affect it's box office returns which will speak far more (and louder) than your rantings ever will.

I see. And because I question something you've decided will be good and wonderful, I'm a bad guy, right? I'm eeeeevil, and mean, and a poopy-head, right?

Oh, and according to your parting shot, MONEY IS ALL THAT MATTERS IN THIS WORLD. NOTHING MATTERS MORE THAN MONEY. Right?