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DokBrowne [ 7.5 ]
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Not a stone-cold classic or even a watershed return-to-form the way "Little Mermaid" was after their last hiatus-slash-creative meltdown, but nice and comfortingly cute, heartwarming, spirited, and sumptuously animated. New Orleans is an inspired setting, the animation suits it terrifically, the music is plenty melodic (if not altogether memorable, again like the best Disney cartoons for which we still instinctively yearn), and it's a fun experience that will no doubt be enhanced with your children in attendance.
Still, there are a few points of contention that can't be ignored - telling the bulk of the story with two plain, flatly drawn frogs feel like a cheat, like a Saturday morning cartoon set against backgrounds of rich, top-of-the-line artwork. And see if any of these subplots and ideas ring a bell:
- following your dreams
- mistaken identity
- prince and princesses
- wisecracking animal sidekicks
- idolized deceased father figure
- royalty seeing how the other half lives and learning a lesson from said lower class about humility and delighting in the small things
There's plenty more echoes of every other famous Disney movie depending on how well you remember them. Not to be a jerk, but I imagine they just grabbed a main ingredient frome ach one of the most successful '90s Disney films in order to create this. An actual brainstorming session, and maybe from outsiders, might have led to a new concept or two instead of this calculated compendium of Disney-brand highlights. Nothing wrong with the big musical numbers, underdog protagonists, anthropomorphic oddballs, and inspirational messages - Pixar themselves could be broken down into formula, too - but be more sly about it, more inventive in other avenues to give the product a freshly baked flavor. Such is a major key to Pixar's ongoing victory. The redundancy is just too transparent here in spots, making the wait for inevitable plot points, jokes, and special moments extra tiresome. Nonetheless, it boasts enough of the studio's vintage magic to earn its place in the pantheon (much more so than "Home on the Range", "Treasure Planet", "Brother Bear", etc.). Hopefully this isn't their last hand-drawn try before another long absence. Even if it works primarily as a nostalgia piece - "remember the type of movies Disney used to be ubiquitous for?" - it's still well-done and a certain kind of treat for said old-school Disney fans or animation buffs regardless.
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jeff_v [ 7.0 ]
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Disney goes back to its core competency with good results. A little rough sledding at first, and the Randy Newman songs are all too Randy Newmanish, but this is the first animated pic Disney's made in quite some time that will become part of kids' regular rotation.
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| Weighted Rating | : 6.3 |
| No. Ratings | : 5 | |
| No. Reviews | : 3 | |
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