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[Anthony]

I'd say that in the UK it's because they wait until the next suitable half term, because when schools are open they miss out on daytime box office, but there's really no excuse for not releasing it, say, this weekend. They're missing out on massive Christmas merchandise sales and come Boxing Day people will be so bored they'd lap up a good new film, one that's not Avatar...

What makes it worse is that they're constantly sending me emails to "win a private screening" whilst we hear how everyone else is enjoying it. ANY screening would be nice, thanks! Anyway, I entered, so if I win there are 49 tickets with magicforum members' names on them.

Those lucky enough to see it... is it a real classic? Will it sit on the shelf with Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid?

[Stitch2814]

for us in the UK we get sherlock homles on boxing day so they might not want this to clash with that films release but I agree they are silly not to release the film everywhere at once, as it seems weird germany has, we dont..neither do the netherlands so why only select EU countries???

Just like UP over again, as you got it on dvd by the time it came out here in the cinema lol disney need to sort out there release scedule as no way am I waiting an extra 3 months for toy story 3

[luke85]

Those lucky enough to see it... is it a real classic? Will it sit on the shelf with Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid?

Yes. I was so impressed by it, I hope others will be too

[Imagineer Scott]

Instant classic. It will be on TLM, TLK, BatB, Aladdin levels

[Stitch2814]

I know I shouldnt do but I am so going to have to watch this film online, no way am I waitiing till febuary to see it (will see it then as well) if people are saying its on the Lion King and other of fave disney film list then I will watch it where ever I can.

[Stitch2814]

edited to remove my comment to stop any offence.

[luke85]

And I LOVED Louis got to get a pin of him hahaha and Ray

Totally agree, Louis was my favourite!

[Anthony]

ok I just watched this film online

Blimey, you don't waste any time. But let me put up a big sign reading "magicforum does not endorse this!".

To be honest I'd prefer if you didn't admit such things on here, thanks.

[experiment627]

Those lucky enough to see it... is it a real classic? Will it sit on the shelf with Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid?

No.

While being a beautiful film, "Princess and the Frog" does not reach the level of these "2nd Golden Age Classics". (Which is tough, to be fair.)

I guess the problem for me was that there was too much good in the movie: there are some great musical numbers in the movie. But there are so many of them. You are almost bombarded by them. In the end, it is hard to keep them apart from one another. (Personally, as great as Randy Newman's songs are, I would have cut out one or two of them...)

Same goes for the characters: there are so many great characters in the movie. But in the end, there are TOO many great characters in the movie and they hardly get enough screen time...

But that's just my point of view. I thoroughly enjoyed "Frog" - but it is not Disney's next classic...

[Stitch2814]

ok I just watched this film online

Blimey, you don't waste any time. But let me put up a big sign reading "magicforum does not endorse this!".

To be honest I'd prefer if you didn't admit such things on here, thanks.

edited to stop offence being caused.

[dagobert]

"The Princess and the Frog" is a great movie, but like experiment627 already said, the movie doesn't reach the level of "Beauty and the Beast", "The Little Mermaid" or "Lion King", but in my opinion it was the best Disney animation movie since "The Lion King". Some will disagree, but I liked "Frog" better than "Mulan" or "Pocahontas". I think the characters are great, the music is also great and the animation is really well done. The movie is a great start for reintroducing hand drawn animation and I really hope that it will be a success.

I can't wait until the DVD is released.

[Stitch2814]

I admit now that I think about it, it is an amazing film that revitalised what disney are good at, and the songs where good but not as good as say the Lion King or other such films as I dont find myself singing lyrics like I did with those films lol

It still is an amzing film regardless of if it is a new disney classic or not but I guess that will be determined by how popular the film is as even some new films are in the classic range like Home on the Range which aint a classic

[Anthony]

Ok my bad and sorry if any offense have been taken. Im not the only one does it though, and Im not ashamed of doing so  /

Great, make it worse... It's just bizarre to talk about illegally downloading Disney films on a Disney fan forum, surely I can't be alone in thinking that. :roll:

[Stitch2814]

I edited my posts to remove the comments I made to stop any offence being taken, and any unneccessary comments being made towards myself, as I feel like im being judgement and condemned for watching it but dont like it then thats your own problem not mine, sorry but thats just how it is.

[pussinboots]

Those lucky enough to see it... is it a real classic? Will it sit on the shelf with Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid?

Unfortunately, it is that very pressure to sit on that shelf that makes the film somewhat less than it could have been. It's like they all got together and made an enormous list of MUSTS:
- have princess.
- have first black princess. Do not invoke wrath of interest groups.*
- have villain just as good as Ursula, Scar, Cruella, etc.
- have scene equal to "A Whole New World."
- have scene equal to "Kiss the Girl."
- have song equal to "When You Wish Upon a Star."
- have music that will sell as pop songs and work for fireworks shows.
- involve no less than 1000 hidden references.

...And on, and on and on. Such pressure! With so many boxes to check, the film barely got a minute to just be good. "Less than the sum of its parts" would be a good way to describe it.

BUT, it's still a great movie! The animation is superb and skillful, so good that it will instantly remind the world that hand-drawn animation is still something worth doing. (Thank God, no, thank Eric Goldberg!) The voice work is sublime. (Lottie!) The characters are for the most part well-rounded, and interesting. And above all, in the end, you're enjoying yourself in a way you haven't since Tarzan!

The problem is just that when you try to be equal to your predecessors, try so very very hard to, you don't push the envelope, and you tend to get something slightly artificial. In ten years, we will still think of Beauty and the Beast as that Disney film that shook us to the core, that film that showed us something more sublime than we'd ever seen in our lives. And Disney will still be trying to match that film and not Princess and the Frog.

(I was just watching The Great Mouse Detective again. I'd forgotten how good it is, and after Princess and the Frog, it's a reminder of a time when movies were born out of ideas rather than ambitions. The Great Mouse Detective certainly didn't have a list to check off — it proudly lacks a shiny panoramic opening scene, it lacks in-the-know bits, it even lacks a romantic subplot. The only way in which it hearkens back to the classics is that it tries to be excellent on all fronts, and succeeds.)

But in these dark ages of hand-drawn animation, who's complaining? This is more than we could have hoped for. But now that the scary part's over, let's hope that its success persuades Disney to keep the creative juices flowing.

So, conclusion: Is it a worthy effort? Certainly! But I hope it's the beginning of another renaissance and not the pinnacle of it.

NOTE: The jury's still out on Randy Newman. His music is appropriate for the film (it's very N'awlins), but you get a sense that everyone at Disney was hoping for Menken-type material. Alan Menken's music makes you want to jump on a garbage pail, close your eyes and swing your arms, because damn it, you want to be part of that world/have adventure in the great wide somewhere/go the distance/go out there! Randy Newman's music makes you want to bob your head a little. So you get these huge scenes full of dancing flamingos, but set to lounge music. Hmmm.

*This was handled with taste and rose above all that controversy, it must be said. The film was not about anyone's color, thankfully it was too busy having a plot.