1%-5% of your purchase will help support the PTC.

Parents Television Council Reviews	Share |
PTC reviews aim to provide you with advanced information about an entertainment offering so that you can be the final arbiter of what you and  your family see.
Get new reviews sent to your inbox!

Set in 1920’s New Orleans, this movie based on the classic fairy tale of The Frog Prince – but with a twist. Tiana is a hard-working African-American girl, devoted to her dream of opening her own restaurant, while Prince Naveen is a lazy playboy who only wants to have fun. When Naveen gets mixed up with the evil voodoo doctor Facilier, he is transformed into a frog. To return to human form, he must convince Tiana to kiss him – but when she does, things don’t happen quite the way the fairy tale says… 

As is typical of Disney, there is little problematic content in the film. Several kisses are exchanged, and at one point Tiara’s friend briefly adjusts her bosom in her dress. The talking firefly Ray uses the word “butt” frequently, saying, “Don’t make me light up my butt!” and similar things. Violence is limited to comedy slapstick. Some of this becomes a bit intense at times, with a trio of Cajun hunters walloping one another with sticks and shooting at the talking crocodile Louis; but this is really no more serious than the Elmer Fudd scenes in the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. The sinister Facilier has an extended sequence in which he sings about voodoo and summons monsters made of shadows; eventually, the same monsters drag him away. 

The Princess and the Frog contains many positive messages which go far beyond those typical of children’s cartoons. The film subtly shows the difference in living conditions between wealthy whites and African-Americans in the 1920s, without being preachy or heavy-handed. While Tiana’s friend Charlotte wastes her life literally “wishing upon a star” and daydreaming about meeting a prince, Tiana recognizes that wishing is not enough – one must work hard to achieve one’s dreams, a message which causes the lazy Naveen to respect her deeply. Eventually, Naveen vows to abandon his playboy ways and show his love for Tiana by working hard himself, while Tiana learns how to have fun from Naveen; and the wise, good voodoo queen Mama Odie tells them both (and the audience) that what a person wants is not the same as what they need – and that only discovering the latter will make a person truly happy.  

Inspired by the 1920’s New Orleans setting, The Princess and the Frog is packed with delightful jazz-flavored musical numbers in which the characters sing about their situation, in the tradition of past Disney classics like The Jungle Book. And in an era when 3-D computer-generated imagery dominates children’s movies, The Princess and the Frog’s stunning visuals celebrate Disney’s return to the magnificently lush hand-drawn animation which made the studio famous.

As a worthy addition to Disney’s other classic musical films, the Parents Television Council is thrilled to award The Princess and the Frog with the PTC Seal of Approval^TM. The PTC recommends this film for all viewers over age five.

Family Movie Reviews

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org

Have you seen this movie? Comment on this review, Click here!