Teaching Moments:

The major teaching moments and moral lessons that are almost in every classic Disney animated film occur mainly when Tiana and Naveen are frogs. Some silly social critics have complained that half of Tiana and Naveen’s time on screen are as frogs. But that is baseless criticism because there would be no true growth or even romantic feelings from Tiana and Naveen if they were not frogs. I love the fact that Disney starts off the film telling upfront the traditional tale of The Frog Prince. But the fact that Naveen is technically a real Prince when he is a frog and Tiana is not truly a princess when she kisses him only complicates matters. Tiana and Naveen must learn to trust and respect each other as frogs more than they ever would as humans. Naveen has to learn from Tiana that there is more to life than just having fun and Tiana equally learns from Naveen that she needs to lighten up and enjoy life. here are many cute and funny moments. Edwards, Clements and John Musker have a steady narrative that gradually builds the romance between Tiana and Naveen until everyone watching the film would be just as happy as if they ended up as a couple of frogs in love or as a pair of humans.

The Story Behind The Story:

How we got a historic film that breaks decades of racial barriers in animation is a long story. First, you have to go back Michael Eisner’s decision in 2003 to stop making big budget hand-drawn 2-D animation films after the less than successful Brother Bear and Treasure Planet. That decision basically wiped the decks of all other animated projects that were in development. So with a blank slate Disney had no real pressure to deliver any new 2-D animated films. A few years later John Lasseter expanded his duties at Pixar and also took over running Walt Disney Animation Studios. Disney had been tinkering around with The Brother’s Grimm’s The Frog Prince story for quite awhile and was looking for Ron Clements and John Musker to take a fresh approach by making the story’s heroine Black. And Lasseter made Disney’s big multiracial casting decision even easier by wanting The Princes and the Frog set in his favorite city of New Orleans. Anika Noni Rose can vividly remember in 2005 auditioning as just a supporting role. She even had practiced a special squeaky voice for the possible role of a bug. She had no inkling that less than two years later she would be the whole focal point of the film as Tiana. By the time Anika was fully onboard as Tiana, her career was on the fast track by playing a lead role in Dreamgirls and getting chosen to play Grace Makutsi in HBO’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Sadly, Anika told me at the NACCP preview screening that she is still waiting for HBO to renew her well written dramatic series.

Disney chose the final cast for the film’s voices. And most likely the cast inspired the final drawing of their characters. Rob Edwards, who was a writer on Treasure Planet, was brought into bring more authentic flavor to the overall narrative. Oprah even chimed in about Tiana’s overall character development. Oprah wanted Prince Naveen’s familyto reunite with him at the end, so he would be a fully restored Prince when he married Tiana. Producer Peter Del Vecho said Disney even went out of its way to give periodical screenings of the film to the NACCP to make sure they were getting the right feedback. So it has been sort of a five year journey to produce the first Disney African-American Princess with lots of influential behind-the scene players to shape the finished film.