It’s been a strong year for animation. Up is the first animated film up for the Best Picture Award at the Oscars since 1994, and Disney has capitalised on this by producing a film that does what Pixar has always been able to do: combine animation with genuine class.
Of course, Disney doesn’t seem so good at doing that in 3D (Bolt was no Wall-E), so, like the fools who made Coke Zero a reality, they went back to the good stuff after trying a weakened version – the good stuff in this case being 2D. The visuals of The Princess are fantastic. Disney’s great animations have always taken place in beautiful locations, but so often mystical and magical that a trip through their eyes to 1920s New Orleans is a refreshing and genuine pleasure. Refreshing too, was the spin on the story: its heroine, Tiana, is not a princess, nor does she have any desire to be. Take that, bloody Cinderella! Tiana just wants to own a restaurant. She don’t need no man. But then along comes a prince, obviously, and in all fairness, they have her fall in love with him as a frog first, but it is no less predictable. Bruno Campos and Anika Noni Rose let the film down a little with decent but not spectacular performances, upstaged by Jennifer Cody as Tiana’s mock-princess friend, Charlotte, and Jennifer Lewis, playing the delightful Mama Odie.
What really sparkles about The Princess is not necessarily its visuals, its musical offerings (which stand out from previous Disney films, perhaps to their own detriment) or even Disney’s gosh/shock/wow-factor for making a film with an Afro-American at its heart (Oprah or no Oprah). It’s the sight of Disney characters, drawn in the same lovable style as ever, and the touching class of the story told, which reminds you of all the greats Disney has given us: these are things that The Princess does royally.