The Princess and the Frog

I finally got around to watching The Princess and the Frog a few days ago. Considering how excited I was about the Disney return to hand-drawn animation when the movie was released last fall, I'm pretty shocked at myself that I waited till the DVD release. To this day, I'd rank films like Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmations, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin (just to name a few) as some of my all-time favorite films. There's a warmth and a vibrancy to that manner of storytelling that for my money just can't be beat.

That said, there's a lot I liked abotu The Princess and the Frog, and then there's a lot that left me rather underwhelmed. Let's start with that I liked. First of all, the look of the movie is just spectacular. Everything from the color palette to the detail with which the animation team brings 1920s New Orleans to life is a veritable feast for the eyes. I really appreciated the out-of-the-box thinking that brought the fairy tale of the princess kissing a frog to life in a "real world" setting like New Orleans. The relatively modern setting and the multi-cultural cast really set this movie apart in a great way. Also, seeing as I'm a long-standing fan of "warped" fairy tale retellings, anything to change a traditional story up and bring a new life or perspective to it, I will also say it was nice to see "tweaks" the script team brought to the traditional story, setting being just a part of the puzzle.

The songs are probably my biggest disappointment with the film. There's no denying Randy Newman's musical abilities, but personally they're just not my cup of tea. And I feel like his style of music has really been done to death when it comes to Disney/Pixar films. Everything just screams "sameness" to me. There wasn't a single song that really proved memorable, nothing that ranked up there with the likes of "Part of Your World," "A Whole New World," or the "Circle of Life." Also, the voo-doo villain just didn't work for me. I can't quite put my finger on - maybe it's the marriage of baddie voo-doo spirits operating in the relatively modern setting? Or just the voo-doo in general? Still mulling that over, obviously. The threat facing Tiana and Naveen just didn't flow as well as I would've liked with the way the rest of the story was set up, I guess. Speaking of Prince Naveen, it was a little annoying to have such a reality-based setting and then into that you plunk down a prince from some fictitious land? Oh well, c'est la vie.

The vocal talent is just terrific here. Anika Noni Rose does a fantastic job as Tiana - I think she's got a gorgeous voice. And one point in favor of the songs (*grin*), the melodies really do fit the setting well. Also, when Naveen is introduced I was sure I wouldn't like him - he's just so silly. But his character arc ended up being pretty well done, all things considered.

I think my expectations for The Princess and the Frog were unrealistically high, an equal mix of expectation and nostalgia. Because I don't think it's quite "as good" as "classic" animated Disney efforts, I ended up being rather ambivalent about it all, but upon reflection I'll end by saying this was definitely a step in the right direction for this type of film. No one can make animated magic happen quite like Disney - and I'm really looking forward to seeing their next animated film this fall, Tangled (the movie formerly known as Rapunzel, haha!!). It also helps that Zachary Levi, a.k.a. CHUCK (!!) is lending his voice to the film.

Leap Year

I went to see Leap Year with my friend Leah this afternoon, and I absolutely loved it. It doesn't break any new ground as far as romantic comedies go, but sometimes you need a touch of the familiar, right? :)

I knew I had to see this movie when I saw the trailer and recognized Matthew Goode (isn't he ADORABLE?!). Goode doesn't have an incredibly long filmography (yet), but he's appeared in several noticable roles, including Chasing Liberty, Match Point, and Watchmen. However, since so much of my blogging focuses on British film, I've got to point out the more interesting credits (to me, anyway) - Marple: A Murder is Announced, My Family and Other Animals, and Brideshead Revisited, the latter of which is a pretty abysmal film, can't even recommend it unless you just want to listen to Matthew talk. :) Goode's portrayal of Declan in this movie leaves me determined to seek out my own handsome, surly, angst-ridden Irish pub owner. Seriously, how hard can that be? ;-)

As far as Amy Adams goes, this kind of role is tailor-made for her - a bit moreso than her turn in Julie & Julia IMO. She ended up getting on my ever-loving last nerve by the end of J&J, but here she's straight up completely believable and likable as Anna, the frazzled, desperate to be engaged apartment "stager." She's got the perfect life, the perfect boyfriend (Jeremy, played by Adam Scott), and you just know it's all going to fall apart because Jeremy has this freakishly perfect, Kennedy-esque hair, and mad dedication to his work that spells disaster in rom-com relationships. Since the next step in making the perfect life involves marriage, Anna decides to follow Jeremy to his cardiology convention in Dublin (how convenient & random) and propose on February 29th, since that's some sort of Irish leap year tradition. Of course her plane is diverted, and she happens to show up in Declan's pub, and since he has money trouble of course he's going to take the job of seeing Anna to Dublin.

Adams and Goode are so stinking cute together, and the scenery is gorgeous. I wanted to be in this movie in the worst way. The little road trip they take, complete with disaster after disaster, reminded me just a bit of the Clark Gable/Claudette Colbert classic, It Happened One Night. The whole pacing and tone of the movie does have a rather old-fashioned, throwback feel to it. It keeps a snappy pace, and does an excellent job showcasing the Irish scenery. Everything is so wonderfully green, and has such a fantastic, fairy-tale feel to it, I loved every second. Randy Edelman also did a nice job with the score by incorporating some great little Irish-flavored flourishes into the instrumental cues. All of the songs used in the movie are great as well - you can read the list here.

Leap Year is a really, really cute film. Loved Adams and Goode's on-screen chemistry, loved every second Goode was on-screen, loved the scenery and music, and LOVED the end of the movie. Such a great payoff!! :) It's a fun little movie, definitely worth checking out if your in the mood for some Irish-themed escapism.