見出し画像

The Princess and the Frog

        Can you kiss a frog? The Princess and the Frog is one of the Disney films which was unveiled in 2009, and the plot of this movie is about the hard-working girl who kissed a frog and changed her whole life. This film is truly fantastic and innovative because it restored the traditional hand-drawn Disney movie, created the first black Disney princess, and had an important message.

        First, Disney movies have tended to be created by computer graphics recently although they have a long tradition of hand-drawn movies. However, The Princess and the Frog was created as a hand-drawn one like Snow White or The Little Mermaid to preserve these traditions. One of the reasons why the movie directors decided to create this movie in the traditional way is that they wanted to show it is possible to return to the “old” way. This movie proved that there is not always one way between the traditional way and the modern way. This film succeeded to preserve the Disney tradition; however, there are many difficulties to revive the old way. In the DVD commentary, the directors explained that they had to call back the animators who already quit Disney because of the change from hand drawing to computer graphics. They also said that the animators did not even know what kind of paper they needed for drawing. However, creators overcame these hardships, and they achieved the revival of hand-drawn Disney animation. Finally, this movie won many awards and nominations including the 37th Annie Awards or 2011 Grammy Awards.

        Second, this movie is exceedingly innovative in many ways. The heroine, Tiana, is one of the Disney princesses; nevertheless, she has a lot of different features from traditional Disney princesses. For example, she believes that hard work is the only way to make her dream come true. Traditional Disney princesses like Snow White also had dreams, but they did not make any effort to make their dreams become real. It is clear that Tiana is the first Disney princess who has practicable belief. It is also clear that this characteristic of her “supports the ‘dreams come true when you work hard’ theme of Disney optimism” (Lester 302).

        Another difference is their goals. Although a lot of Disney princesses dreamed of a charming prince and a happy marriage, Tiana’s dream is to start her own restaurant. This change seems to reflect modern Americans’ point of view. Recently, they tend to “want strong characters that have goals and can overcome their own obstacles” (Allyson 18). This aspiration of Tiana is also Disney’s gender-blind approach. It is certain that “the Disney renaissance have consistently attempted to present more enlightened views of gender” (Booker 172).

        Also, Tiana is the first Disney princess who has black skin because she is an African-American lady. It is true that most of the Disney princesses were white girls; nonetheless, Disney tried to be unprejudiced. It is obvious that the American moral climate has altered in the last eight decades. These differences also show Disney princesses and their movie plots have changed as time passes. This alternation seems that "a modern heroine, even a Disney princess, must learn to work hard and save her money if she wants to catch her man and dream job” (Lingerfelt 135).

        Third, the main theme and the message of the movie are exceedingly impressive. The core of The Princess and the Frog is “the difference between what you want and what you need.” In the plot, Tiana met Prince Naveen who was changed into a frog because of the spell from the evil voodoo priest. He had the completely different values from Tiana’s values. Practical hard-working Tiana had two jobs to earn money for her restaurant, and she did not have any time to have fun. On the other hand, spoiled Prince Naveen loves having fun, but he has never done anything by himself. Tiana believed her way of life was right, but Naveen believed his way of life was correct and ideal. However, they fell in love and realized both of their ways of life were wrong and understood love was what they needed for their life. It is clear that this dissimilarity between what you want and what you need is meaningful to understand. This movie teaches people that it is not a good idea to do what people want to do always.

        In conclusion, The Princess and the Frog is significant in many ways. This film renovated hand-drawn Disney movie, created the unique Disney princess who has dark skin, and gave an important message through the plot. This amazing plot will make audiences cry and give them a chance to consider what they need for their lives.

この記事が気に入ったらサポートをしてみませんか?