The Princess and the Frog (Disney 2009)

[_Natalie_x]

I LOVE this film!!  saw it three times in the cinemas and trying to see it again some morning if its on..
i just love the fact its a classic princess movie.. but its so new so the humour is up to date and as a 17 year old I think I enjoyed it more than most of the younger children in the theatre !
I bought the soundtrack before the film came out.. and after reading a review that said that the songs were unmemorable.. i completely disagree.. I can listen to the cd over and over and love every song !
The only think I would say is that there isn't exactly a 'Princess song' like Sleeping Beauty-once upon a dream, Cinderella- so this is love, Aladdin - a whole new world..etc..
she has 'Almost there' but its more about her working hard rather than falling in love..which i guess is nice and modern however I think a nice duet between Naveen and Tiana would have completed the movie.
I loved all the other disney film references and oooh i cant wait until my DVD comes because I want to watch it again and again :D:D:D

Well done disney !

[luke85]

My DVD's been dispatched!! I'm very excited

I totally agree with you Natalie, I love EVERY song on the soundtrack!

[_Natalie_x]

Ooooh lucky you ! I got mine from hmv so I'll get a free PATF keychain yesssssss!! Hehe, what's your favourite song from the album ? I think mine is down in new Orleans finale because I love how upbeat it is and it reminds me of the happy ending . 'tiana's palace'  ahhhh DDD xx

[Javey74]

Ooooh lucky you ! I got mine from hmv so I'll get a free PATF keychain yesssssss!! Hehe, what's your favourite song from the album ? I think mine is down in new Orleans finale because I love how upbeat it is and it reminds me of the happy ending . 'tiana's palace'  ahhhh DDD xx

My favourite from the album, for the very same reason..      Spooky that..   :shock:

[luke85]

and mine! also "Almost There"

[Aveen2008]

I finally seen The Princess and the Frog today ... better late than never lol! I watched it with a friend who is a big Disney fan too.

We both liked the film but both said we couldn't imagine it being a classic like beauty and the beast or anything, however maybe that is just because we are now viewing these films first time as adults. We also found it hard to imagine Tiana fitting into the classic princesses esp as she pretty much spends 90% of the film as a frog lol.
We both really enjoyed the music, even if it was hard to understand the words at times lol!

The one thing we found really wrong with the film was how creepy and frightening this movie must seem to a young child watching (the villians parts)! I know if I had of seen this as a young child it would have really scared me. We were both surprised just how scarey Disney made the bad characters. Obviously as adults its not scarey but to a young mind it would be.

OF course the part of the film involving Ray(mond) near the end had us both crying our eyes out!! so much so that we could hardly take in the rest of the film!! sooooo upsetting but done brilliantly too!

Out of 10 I would probably give it a 7 or 8 which is pretty good I think!  

[CafeFantasia]

I've watched the Princess and the Frog three additional times now, since my first review. And you know what, it's totally grown on me. I think with a musical, the more familiar with the songs you are, the more you enjoy it and appreciate it. The first time you see a musical, the songs are a little too alien and too unpredictable.

So, the Princess and the Frog, great film. I love it. It beats Pixar films in a number of ways: it has original songs, it has a very fast pace, it has very artistic backgrounds, and it has a great villain.

Now I just wish Disney would re-do Splash Mountain with a Princess and the Frog theme, instead of Song of the South. It's a perfect match.

[15MagicalYears]

I totally agree! I think Splash Mountain with a P&TF theme would be stunning! And a unique attraction to DLP.

[Anthony]

Now I just wish Disney would re-do Splash Mountain with a Princess and the Frog theme, instead of Song of the South. It's a perfect match.

Hey that's not a bad idea! Especially for Disneyland where I believe it's practically on top of the Haunted Mansion/New Orleans Square. Although there'd be a fan backlash about erasing Song of the South, surely.

[CafeFantasia]

@Anthony

Yes, over at Disneyland in California, both the Haunted Mansion and PIrates of the Caribbean are located in New Orleans Square. And like you said, Splash Mountain is located right next door to the Haunted Mansion. So if they gave Splash Mountain a Princess and the Frog retheme over there, it'd all tie together quite nicely.

But what I really meant was, Disney building a NEW Splash Mountain with a Princess and the Frog theme, such as in Disneyland Paris. It's no secret that Disney aren't exactly happy with the movie Song of the South; just try buying it on DVD. It could be a factor preventing them from building any future Splash Mountain rides. So why not take out the troublesome Song of the South theme and replace it with the Princess and the Frog?

The Princess and the Frog is SO compatible with the concept and overall theme of Splash Mountain. It's a perfect fit. They could even keep the name. It's not as if it's called Song of the South Mountain, or Brer Rabbit Mountain.

Another reason to bring it to Paris is because of New Orleans' French heritage and French Creole architecture. The dialogue in the ride could be 50/50 English and French, and it would sound so natural.

Some people would tell you that the Princess and the Frog wasn't a big enough success to warrant building a major attraction based on it. However, if you go by reviews, the Princess and the Frog got 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Cars, on the other hand, only got 74%. And exactly HOW much money are Disney spending building an entire Cars Land over at Disney California Adventure? They're investing a lot of money and confidence in a Pixar movie that, if you go by reviews, was worse than a purely Disney one.

Really, this movie seems like a great opportunity to finally bring Splash Mountain to Disneyland Paris.

[mattboywonder]

@Anthony

Yes, over at Disneyland in California, both the Haunted Mansion and PIrates of the Caribbean are located in New Orleans Square. And like you said, Splash Mountain is located right next door to the Haunted Mansion. So if they gave Splash Mountain a Princess and the Frog retheme over there, it'd all tie together quite nicely.

But what I really meant was, Disney building a NEW Splash Mountain with a Princess and the Frog theme, such as in Disneyland Paris. It's no secret that Disney aren't exactly happy with the movie Song of the South; just try buying it on DVD. It could be a factor preventing them from building any future Splash Mountain rides. So why not take out the troublesome Song of the South theme and replace it with the Princess and the Frog?

The Princess and the Frog is SO compatible with the concept and overall theme of Splash Mountain. It's a perfect fit. They could even keep the name. It's not as if it's called Song of the South Mountain, or Brer Rabbit Mountain.

Another reason to bring it to Paris is because of New Orleans' French heritage and French Creole architecture. The dialogue in the ride could be 50/50 English and French, and it would sound so natural.

Some people would tell you that the Princess and the Frog wasn't a big enough success to warrant building a major attraction based on it. However, if you go by reviews, the Princess and the Frog got 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Cars, on the other hand, only got 74%. And exactly HOW much money are Disney spending building an entire Cars Land over at Disney California Adventure? They're investing a lot of money and confidence in a Pixar movie that, if you go by reviews, was worse than a purely Disney one.

Really, this movie seems like a great opportunity to finally bring Splash Mountain to Disneyland Paris.

All good points but.....Paris will never get an outdoor water ride because the weather isn't good enough (not even a jungle cruse) and as for 'Cars', well its been a merchandising dream making mega bucks with all the toys and clothes.  It's great to see Tiana strutting her stuff in Showtime Spectacular though and I agree the song from the movie makes a great toe tapping end to the show

[Anthony]

Really, this movie seems like a great opportunity to finally bring Splash Mountain to Disneyland Paris.

Can a New Orleans bayou really fit inside Paris' Frontierland though? I don't know, as much as I like the idea, it might be a bit of a leap from Cottonwood Creek Ranch/Pueblo Trading Post to this 1920s era Southern Disney princess unless it was done carefully.

"Gonna take you there" would make an awesome soundtrack though, one to rival it's a small world! And you could have some wonderfully artistic and wild scenes with Dr Facilier and transforming frogs... lots of special effects. Lots of fireflies.

[CafeFantasia]

There's so much to say :-)

@MattBoyWonder

The weather isn't good enough in Paris for an outdoor water ride? But what about Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo is supposed to have a similar climate, and they've got Splash Mountain. Also, an outdoor water ride doesn't need to get you wet. It can be designed to run "dry", but have controllable splashes added via water jets.

Good point about Cars. I wonder how much money Disney makes from Cars merchandise vs Princess and the Frog merchandise?

@Anthony

Can a New Orleans Square fit in Disneyland Paris' Frontierland? If the west end of Frontierland was turned into New Orleans Square, making Frontierland smaller, then the answer is yes. As I said in a previous post, the Cowboy Cookout Barbecue could be turned into Tiana's Place. Both buildings have a similar shape.

"Gonna Take You There" would be a great song for a Princess and the Frog ride. "Down In New Orleans" and "When We're Human" would work great too. Splash Mountain is built around 4 songs. There's plenty of material in the Princess and the Frog to replace Splash Mountain's songs with.

If the exact same layout of Splash Mountain was used, then the entire Laughing Place section could be replaced with a Dr Facilier "Friends On The Other Side" scene, leading up to the final lift hill. That whole scene could be totally lit with black light and be very surreal and artistic, like you said.

And the last scene of the ride, the final visual you see just before you get out of your log, would have to be the night sky with two stars in it :-)

[CafeFantasia]

Btw, if you like the style of music in The Princess and the Frog, then you might want to check out the album "Songs I Heard" by Harry Connick, Jr. He did some covers of some songs from Mary Poppins, in a New Orleans Jazz style:

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/superc ... =171480686

A Spoonful of Sugar
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/a-spoo ... =171481347

[CafeFantasia]

Once again, I just want to remind people that what I'm discussing here is bringing Splash Mountain to Disneyland Paris with a Princess and the Frog theme; NOT retheming Splash Mountain in either Disneyland or Walt Disney World.

Anyway, you know the part in Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World where you're travelling along to the song "Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place". The characters are asking, "where is this secret laughing place Brer Rabbit's talking about?". Then you go into a black hole and down a bunny-hop drop into a blacklit scene with a beehive. That bit?

Well, the Princess and the Frog equivalent of that could go something like this. You're travelling along to the song "Gonna Take You There" with the very appropriate lyrics "we're gonna take ya down". There could be fibre optic fireflies overhead, twinkling and leading the way. Then Louis the alligator says something like, "I know a shortcut". Just at the last moment as you enter the black hole, Ray can be heard saying "first rule of the bayou, never take direction from a gatoooooooor."

Then you go down the bunny-hop drop, and pop up in a spooky blacklit parlour where you first meet Dr. Facilier. He says something (don't know what). The small drop after that short scene then takes you into the "Friends on the Other Side" scene, which replaces the flooded "Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place" scene with the jumping fountains, frogs, turtles and gophers.

Another thing. Just before you come back into the load/unload area on Splash Mountain, there are three quotes painted on the wall: "It's the truth. it's actual...", "Everything is Satisfactual" and "It's a Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Day". Well these could be replaced by some quotes from the Princess and the Frog. Here are some ideas:

"Make a wish and hold on tight. There's magic in the air tonight"
"You wanna do some livin' before you die. Do it down in New Orleans"
"Rich people, old people, all got dreams. Dreams do come true in New Orleans"
"Life is short. When you're done, you're done. We're on this earth, to have some fun"
"What you give is what you get. My daddy said that and I'll never forget"
"When you find out who you are, you'll find out what you need"