The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

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Which is your favorite PatF character?

Princess Tiana
47
27%
Prince Naveen
19
11%
Dr. Facilier
33
19%
Mama Odie
7
4%
Eudora & James (Tiana's parents)
1
1%
Charlotte La Bouff
32
18%
Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff (Charlotte's father)
1
1%
Ray (the firefly)
15
8%
Louis (the alligator)
19
11%
Other (say which)
3
2%
 
Total votes: 177

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Disney's Divinity
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Disney's Divinity »

I still love TP&TF, even if we know by now that the film could’ve been so much greater than it was if it hadn’t been meddled with and mishandled by Lasseter. Same thing happened to Brave. TP&TF still has the strong characters and quirkiness that is common to all of M&C’s films, imo. I can see how much stronger Lasseter’s influence was on Moana in comparison because that film ended up feeling much more bland and homogenized, like most of WDAS’s general output since Lasseter came in.

I see Frozen as a complete fluke on their part. The Lopezes handed them a Disney moment on a platter--something WDAS doesn't know how to deliver on their own anymore. I hope they eventually get another project at WDAS that isn't a Frozen sequel.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by thedisneyspirit »

F*** Pixar and their higher-than-thou attitude. They brought this toxic crap even before Lasseter wormed his way into the Disney studios, remember how back in the day every critic would cream themselves over any quirky Pixar product and denigrate Disney for "only doing musical romances". They acted like Pixar was so subversive.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by D82 »

Sotiris wrote:
D82 wrote:I wonder why John Musker didn't attend the event, though. He wasn't at The Little Mermaid panel from D23 either. Does he not have a good relationship with the studio anymore?
I'm not sure. It's certainly suspicious. Being absent from two panels about his films can't be a coincidence. Especially since he hasn't stopped doing events and conferences. He's doing one tomorrow!
Wow, then it can't be because he's busy with some project or something like that. We'll see, but yes, it's a bit suspicious.
Sotiris wrote: :roll:
Randy Newman discussed how he knew his songs wouldn't win any awards like the Broadway-style princess songs that he "can't stand," but he was happy to write '20s-style jazz songs that "would never win anything."
Source: http://www.theprincessblog.org/2019/09/ ... rsary.html
Are we sure he said he couldn't stand these kinds of songs? That's just a report about the event, there's no video of him saying it. Or maybe he said it jokingly. It seems a bit weird to me that he would say that, especially in front of people who have worked on films with Broadway-style songs like Ron Clements. Though, I don't know, I like his Disney and Pixar songs but I don't know him much, maybe he tends to make comments like that.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Disney's Divinity »

D82 wrote: I'm not sure. It's certainly suspicious. Being absent from two panels about his films can't be a coincidence. Especially since he hasn't stopped doing events and conferences. He's doing one tomorrow!
I wouldn’t be surprised if there was conflict with Lasseter on Moana. Lasseter overrides and drives off directors all the time. I remember hoping at the time Lasseter was ousted, and I still hope, that Musker might return to WDAS now. Maybe he and Clements can make one last film with a greater degree of creative freedom again, the kind they didn’t have on TP&TF or Moana, imo.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by D82 »

Disney's Divinity wrote:I wouldn’t be surprised if there was conflict with Lasseter on Moana. Lasseter overrides and drives off directors all the time.
Musker left Disney when Lasseter was on his leave of absence. At that time they were probably deciding who would replace Lasseter as new chief creative officer of each studio. Could he have left because he wasn't chosen to run WDAS? If it's true that he doesn't have a good relationship with the studio, that could explain it. But I'm just speculating, he doesn't seem to me the kind of person that would be resentful about something like that. It would've been so great if he and Clements had been Lasseter's successors, though. Maybe they would've even tried to bring back 2D animation. Anyway, we don't know if they were offered the job or if they would've accepted it.

By the way, what you quoted, Disney's Divinity, was said by Sotiris, not by me. :)
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by DisneyFan09 »

Disney's Divinity wrote: but I can't believe Louis has more votes than both Naveen and Ray. :huh: I don't hate Louis like some of those people in the past who would terrorize DisneyJedi, but he's easily the weakest character in the movie, imo. Well, other than Lawrence, I guess, although I've always got a kick out of the scenes with Lawrence's voice coming from Naveen's body. :lol:
Agreed. I thought Louie was a particularly weak character. He was forgettable and annoying, but not as grating as Disney sidekicks can be at their very worst (*cough, the Gargoyles and B.E.N., cough*). The best characters in my opinion were Dr. Facilier and Naveen, since they had a lot of spark and charisma.
Mama Odie is the most disappointing character in TP&TF though, simply because I expected more. I love Jenifer Lewis, she's freaking hilarious, but there was a lot of untapped potential with Odie. I wish there had been more of a direct confrontation between her and Facilier or at least some kind of long-distance communication since Odie clearly knows about him.
Agreed. I find her comparable to the likes of Grandmother Willow and Grandma Fa, despite not being a grandmother, she served a similar stock trope. But unlike them, she wasn't as memorable or compelling as they were, despite that she had her funny moments. But even they felt contrived. Even Gramma Tala was superior.
Sotiris wrote:For me it was after Home on the Range. It really was the end of an era in many ways.
But I guess that you're not such a fan of Home on the Range, since you haven't listed it as one of your favorites?
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Warm Regards »

To be fair, I think even Disney doesn't like to acknowledge Home On The Range.

Treasure Planet and Atlantis have their own cult followings, and Brother Bear... Well, I distinctly remember a music video with "Something That I Want" from Tangled with all the Disney crew. I remember there's a part where you can see the cave painting of a man and bear, referencing Brother Bear. Imagine that, 6+ years after BB came out amongst all the Tangled happenings. I think Disney likes Brother Bear on some level.

Never saw any reminders of HOTR.

Princess and the Frog, thankfully, has the Disney Princess connection so even if Disney doesn't think it's that popular it's gonna be remembered a long time.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Farerb »

I thought Brother Bear and Home on the Range were done carelessly and without any passion. That's why I said WDFA ended with Treasure Planet.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Disney's Divinity »

farerb wrote:I thought Brother Bear and Home on the Range were done carelessly and without any passion. That's why I said WDFA ended with Treasure Planet.
I agree. I have never liked either film. The one thing I'll say is both have moderately decent soundtracks, to me anyway. "Look Through My Eyes," "On My Way," "Little Patch of Heaven," and "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again" are all good to great songs, imo. I like the two end credits songs for HOTR, too, especially Tim McGraw's. Other than that, all I can say is I always really liked the general design style in HOTR for some reason, even if the story and characters are... Eh.
Warm Regards wrote: Princess and the Frog, thankfully, has the Disney Princess connection so even if Disney doesn't think it's that popular it's gonna be remembered a long time.
Yes, I am very thankful for that, too, because it means Tiana (my favorite character from the film) will receive merchandise and attention for a long time to come, even if I'd like for other characters like Naveen, Ray, and Facilier to get attention, too. If not for Tiana being the first black princess, Disney probably would dust the film under a mat, along with the other hand-drawn films from the '00s aside from Lilo & Stitch.
DisneyFan09 wrote: Agreed. I thought Louie was a particularly weak character. He was forgettable and annoying, but not as grating as Disney sidekicks can be at their very worst (*cough, the Gargoyles and B.E.N., cough*).
I agree, they are the worst.
Agreed. I find her comparable to the likes of Grandmother Willow and Grandma Fa, despite not being a grandmother, she served a similar stock trope. But unlike them, she wasn't as memorable or compelling as they were, despite that she had her funny moments. But even they felt contrived. Even Gramma Tala was superior.
I always loved Grandmother Fa and Grandmother Willow. The latter is one of the few things I liked about Pocahontas. I actually am not as fond of Tala as the two of them, but she's better than Odie.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by DisneyJedi »

This might sound bad and I don’t know if I said it before, but....

...

Personally, I thought Randy Newman’s music was more thematically fitting for this film. Mainly because his music style screams “Jazz”. Not that I don’t believe Alan Menken could’ve pulled it off.

And I don’t think the music or “executive meddling” wrecked this movie’s chances of being a Frozen-level juggernaut. If anything, it was the fact they released it a week before James Cameron’s preachy Dances With Wolves in Space movie, Avatar. Doesn’t help that a week after, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, was released, causing poor Tiana and her friends to be all but swept under the rug. :roll:
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by estefan »

I agree with you, DisneyJedi. I thought Randy Newman was an appropriate fit for "The Princess and the Frog" and I'm a fan of all of the songs he wrote for the movie. Then again, I also like his Pixar compositions and his non-film songs. He's one of my favourite songwriters and he's also proven himself to be an exceptionally talented composer (The Natural, Pleasantville and A Bug's Life are all marvelous scores that truly enhance their respective movies).

I still think very highly of "The Princess and the Frog." I think Tiana is an excellent protagonist, Dr. Facilier is a terrific villain and Ray and Louis make for entertaining and funny sidekicks. I also love the way the movie plays with fairy tale loopholes, which I've noticed seems to be one of the more divisive elements of the film. The movie remains my favourite Disney animated film of the current era.

I tend to disagree with the general consensus on this board that the current era of Walt Disney Animation is an underwhelming one. I've been impressed by all of the films they've released since The Princess and the Frog. Big Hero 6 is probably my least favourite of the bunch, but I even find that to be a very good film. I do think the whole "mystery villain" trope has run its course (although it was justified in Zootopia, that being a mystery) and it would be neat to see a classic-style villain again. But it's also not something I've felt has truly harmed the movies, either.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

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Disney's Divinity wrote:
DisneyFan09 wrote: Agreed. I thought Louie was a particularly weak character. He was forgettable and annoying, but not as grating as Disney sidekicks can be at their very worst (*cough, the Gargoyles and B.E.N., cough*). I agree, they are the worst.
Agreed. I find her comparable to the likes of Grandmother Willow and Grandma Fa, despite not being a grandmother, she served a similar stock trope. But unlike them, she wasn't as memorable or compelling as they were, despite that she had her funny moments. But even they felt contrived. Even Gramma Tala was superior. I always loved Grandmother Fa and Grandmother Willow. The latter is one of the few things I liked about Pocahontas. I actually am not as fond of Tala as the two of them, but she's better than Odie.
Couldn't said it better myself! Grandmother Willow is basically one of the best characters in the movie, besides Meeko.
Warm Regards wrote:To be fair, I think even Disney doesn't like to acknowledge Home On The Range.
Most likely. I'm one of the minorities who actually liked Home on The Range. No, I don't think it's the greatest animated offering ever made, but I've always enjoyed it for what it was and didn't thought it deserved as much flack. It's breezy, fun and enjoyable, despite some silly jokes and crude comedy.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by blackcauldron85 »

TP+tF is one of my absolute favorite movies. As an Alan Menken fan, I remember being disappointed when they announced Randy Newman was doing the music, but I think a lot of us at the time were worried that he'd be singing the songs, which we don't want in a classic DAC! The soundtrack is right up there, for me, with the best of the Disney soundtracks. The score lacks compared to a Menken score, IMO, but the songs are great and I feel fit the film.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Disney's Divinity »

The soundtrack’s serviceable. The awesome vocal performances from ANR and Keith David disguise the weakness of it overall. “Down in New Orleans” is the only real standout for me. Conversely, the two Ray songs are the only real stinkers, although “Dig a Little Deeper” is… Eh. I like “Never Knew I Needed” more than the other end credits songs from the Lasseter Era, except for Julia Michaels’ “In This Place.” I assume Ne-Yo wrote it and not Newman. Tiana and Naveen should’ve had a duet with lyrics along the lines of "Never Knew I Needed."

I would’ve loved Menken or the Lopezes on this film. Miranda would’ve been better than Newman, too, imo.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Sotiris »

Rose said when she first saw the design of Princess Tiana for "The Princess and the Frog" in a video, she was taken aback to see so much of herself in the Disney princess.

"It was the first time that I saw Tiana animated and in color and I had no idea that Tiana was going to look as much like me as she did and I was mindblown," said Rose. "I had no words."

Rose said that since the movie's release in 2009, she has had people coming up to her and reaching out about how Princess Tiana has positively affected their lives.

"People have waited so long for Princess Tiana. I had a man come up to me on the street in New York the year it came out and he was like, 'I'm so happy because...' and then he burst into tears," said Rose of fan reactions to Tiana. "It was the first time he was able to buy his daughter a princess doll that looked like her," Rose added. "People have been waiting. I've been waiting."
Source: https://www.insider.com/princess-tiana- ... en-2019-10
There currently isn’t a live-action version of “The Princess and the Frog” in the works and she used the opportunity at the panel to encourage fans to ask the studio for a sequel.

“For ‘The Princess and the Frog,’ what I’m most interested in, because it’s also what the fans are most interested in, is a part two,” said Rose to a lot of applause. “I get a lot of emails, I get tweets, I get all kinds of messages – ‘We want a part two. We want to see where this family went? How did the restaurant turn out? What happened?’” said Rose, prompting a lot of people to audibly say, ‘Yeah,’ in response in the crowd. “That would be really exciting for me,” she added.

Rose said in the decade since the film's release in 2009, she often gets inquiries about another film in mail and on Twitter. She wants fans to know she's not the right person who people should be reaching out to about a sequel.

"I am not in charge. I'd like to be, but I am not," Rose said to a lot of laughter. "So what I tell you, when you want to see a 'Part 2' of 'Princess and the Frog,' send your 'at' to Disney, to Disney Animation, send them a physical letter, make your petitions, because they don't know what you want unless you tell them. I know what you want, but I am not in charge."
Source: https://www.insider.com/anika-noni-rose ... -2-2019-10
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Disney's Divinity »

I would love a sequel, but Disney killed hand-drawn animation at their studio a long time ago. A TV series would be nice, like with Tangled and BH6, but I won't hold my breath. :roll: Is Moana not going to get a sequel or TV series either?

Mulan not getting one back in the day is annoying in retrospect now, too, although it definitely had the success and the internal universe that would've supported one. Of course Pocahontas wouldn't have got one, but one can't help but wonder what the reasoning is behind the recurring decision to do nothing with the films they made that featured "the first _____ princess." Moana made around the same as Tangled, didn't it? And with the mythology involved, a TV series would be pretty easy to create.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Sotiris »

Disney's Divinity wrote:Is Moana not going to get a sequel or TV series either?
Disney hasn't announced anything yet. I do believe a Moana TV series will eventually come out because the movie was successful but not enough for a theatrical sequel and Disney loves doing shows based on pre-existing IP. Not to mention, the world and the mythology is very rich and there are a lot of stories and characters they can explore.
Disney's Divinity wrote:Mulan not getting one back in the day is annoying in retrospect now, too, although it definitely had the success and the internal universe that would've supported one.
A pilot was actually made in 2004 called "Mulan and the Treasures of Qin" with Ming-Na returning to voice her but for some reason the series didn't move forward. A real shame, if you ask me. I wonder why they cancelled it. Maybe they thought it wouldn't appeal to boys. Disney should release it, even if it's in a rough animatic form, as a bonus feature in the next Blu-ray release of Mulan/Mulan II.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Disney's Divinity »

Sotiris wrote: Disney hasn't announced anything yet. I do believe a Moana TV series will eventually come out because the movie was successful but not enough for a theatrical sequel and Disney loves doing shows based on pre-existing IP. Not to mention, the world and the mythology is very rich and there are a lot of stories and characters they can explore.
I hope so, too. I'm scared about how the animation will turn out... Hopefully very little like BH6's show--which is a shame because the hand-drawn images you see in the credits of BH6 had a nicer look to them than either the movie itself or the TV series.
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Sotiris »

Disney needs to release that song as well as the original version of "Almost There".
Q: What's the best cover of one of your songs?

Randy Newman: The best thing I ever heard was not a cover but I wrote a song for Princess and the Frog and there was a song in it called "Maddie's Song", that was her name at the time, and Alicia Keys sang it which she was sort of trying out for the part. And that's the best I've heard.
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/ ... er-1243362
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Re: The Princess and the Frog Discussion - Part III

Post by Disney Duster »

We need to hear that!
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