Randy Newman's songs are a little too blandly Randy Newman-ish and the story is uneven, but there are some great characters, some even better jokes, a general sense of good humour and that entrancing, eye-ravishing old-school animation.
With this delightful romantic comedy (produced by CGI expert John Lassiter of Pixar fame), the Disney Studio returns to the traditional, hand-drawn animation style of Walt's classic period.
Randy Newman provides the score, which, if short of memorable tunes, is rich in authenticity, with a mixture of local flavoured ragtime, zydeco and jazz.
The backgrounds are beautifully drawn. There are sunny days in the French Quarter, spooky nights among live oaks hung with Spanish moss, and a rousing denouement at the Mardi Gras.
Most of The Princess and the Frog looks more like one of Disney's straight-to-DVD sequels than like their animated classics, and the few big, fun musical set-pieces are brought down by second-rate songwriting.
Houston Chronicle
December 11, 2009
It's nice to know that the studio behind Cinderella can still cast a spell in two dimensions.
The sweet finale ensures that the whole thing ends on a positive note, admittedly, but it's simply not enough to compensate for The Princess and the Frog's otherwise lackluster, overly familiar sensibilities.
