The Princess and the Frog
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This article or section contains information about one or more scheduled or expected films. The content will change as the film's release approaches and more information becomes available. |
| The Princess and the Frog | |
|---|---|
 The first promotional still released from The Princess and the Frog. |
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| Directed by | Ron Clements John Musker |
| Produced by | Peter Del Vecho |
| Written by | Ron Clements John Musker Rob Edwards |
| Starring | Anika Noni Rose Keith David Jenifer Lewis John Goodman |
| Music by | Randy Newman |
| Editing by | Jeff Draheim |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 25, 2009[1] |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Princess and the Frog is an upcoming animated musical feature film currently being produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and based upon the classic fairy tale "The Frog Princess". It will be the first traditionally animated (2-D) feature film in Disney's animated features canon since 2004's Home on the Range. When finished, it will take its place as the 48th animated film by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is being directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, with songs and score composed by Randy Newman and starring the voice talents of Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, John Goodman, Jenifer Lewis, Angela Bassett and Peter Bartlett. Dreamgirls star Anika Noni Rose is providing the voice for the lead character, Tiana.
The film, which began production under the working title The Frog Princess, will be an American fairy tale musical set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age, and Tiana will be the first African American Disney Princess.[2]
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[edit] History
Disney had once announced that Home on the Range would be the studio's last 2-D entry to their animated features canon, but after the company's acquisition of Pixar in early 2006, it was reported that Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, new leaders of the animation department, were interested in going back to 2-D. [3] Ron Clements and John Musker, directors of successful 2D Disney films Aladdin and The Little Mermaid will be writing and directing. [4] About a month later, at the Comic-Con, Disney animator Eric Goldberg confirmed the news and also mentioned that Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken would be in charge of the music. [5] [6]
The film promises to return to the Broadway-style musical in the style of the successful Disney films like Walt's classics and the musical renaissance of the late-1980s and the early 1990s. [7] Wickham also reported that John Lasseter had personally asked Ron Clements and John Musker to direct and write the film, and had let them choose what form of animation (hand-drawn or CGI) they wanted the film to be in. As of June 2006, no artistic staff had been hired for visual development or storyboarding yet, but the script was expected to be finished by Autumn 2006. New and updated software will be used in the digital processing of the film, as the old CAPS system from Disney is now outdated. [8]
On November 13, 2006, it was revealed that Randy Newman, who was responsible for the music of many Pixar films, would be in charge of the music in the film instead of Alan Menken and his new lyricist Glenn Slater. This change was due to John Lasseter not wanting the public to feel Disney being repetitive, as Menken was also working on another Disney fairy tale film, Enchanted.
On December 1, 2006, a detailed casting call was announced for the film at the Manhattan Theatre Source forum. [9] The casting call states the film as being an American fairy tale musical set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age, and provides a detailed list of the film's major characters, including the leading character, who at that point was to be called Maddy. Disney later officially confirmed this.[10]
In February 2007, it was reported that Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose were top contenders for the voice of the film's title character, and that Alicia Keys directly contacted Disney's studio chief Dick Cook, telling him that she wanted the role very much. [11] It was later revealed that Tyra Banks was considered for the role as well.[12]
During the Walt Disney Company's annual shareholder meeting in March 2007, Randy Newman and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band performed a song from the film called "Down in New Orleans", while slides of pre-production art from the film played on a screen.[10]
On April 19, 2007, it was confirmed that Anika Noni Rose would be voicing Tiana.[13]
On July 5, 2007, it was reported that Keith David would be doing the voice of Dr. Facilier, the villain of the film.[14]
[edit] Controversy
The Heroine of the movie, who is the first African-American Disney Princess, caused some controversy when she was given the perceived stereotypically lower-class black name "Maddy" and was made a chambermaid, an occupation some felt not in keeping with the image of a Disney Princess. These character choices were interpreted by some as racist, and Disney acted swiftly in response.[citation needed]
On April 20, 2007, E! reported that the title of the film could possibly be changed from The Frog Princess to The Princess and the Frog, and that the lead character Maddy may be getting a name change as well. [15]
On May 4, 2007, USA Today published an article regarding the film in which they referred to it under the aforementioned title, The Princess and the Frog, and referred to the lead character as "Tiana" rather than Maddy, supporting the earlier reported name change possibilities.[16]
On May 8, 2007, BET and other online sites reported that Disney spokeswoman Heidi Trotta stated that some of the original release information was incorrect, and confirmed the USA Today names "Princess Tiana" and The Princess and the Frog to be correct. Tiana will no longer be a "chamber maid." Trotta stated "Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney’s rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity."[17]
[edit] Cast of characters
This is a list of the film's currently revealed major characters. Most of the information comes from the original casting call sheet.[9] Some information has changed since then and as the film is still in development, will likely continue to change.
| Name | Description | Actor/Actress |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Tiana1 | The 19-year-old heroine. | Anika Noni Rose |
| Charlotte La Bouff | An 18-year-old spoiled, southern debutante and diva. | Jennifer Cody |
| Dr. Facilier2 | A Voodoo magician/fortune teller. The villain of the movie. | Keith David |
| Mama Odie | A 200-year-old Voodoo priestess/fairy Godmother. | Jenifer Lewis |
| Ray | A lovesick Cajun firefly. | Jim Cummings |
| Lewis | A 20-40 year old Jazz singer alligator. Comic, manic, high-strung. Has a trumpet. | |
| Prince Levine3 | A gregarious, fun-loving Prince who comes to the French Quarter for the Jazz scene, in his early twenties. A young Cary Grant type. | Bruno Campos |
| Lawrence | Prince Levine's pompous valet. | Peter Bartlett |
| Big Daddy La Bouff | Wealthy, Southern plantation landowner and father of Charlotte La Bouff. | John Goodman |
| Eudora | Tiana's mother. In her fifties. Used to be Charlotte's nurse maid. | Angela Bassett |
| George | The La Bouff family's cook. | |
| Little Arila 4 | Tiana's little sister. She's little, but very smart. |
- Originally named "Maddy" on the casting call sheet and listed as a chambermaid. Both details have been confirmed as having changed in development.
- The villain's name was originally "Dr. Duvalier" and was going to be a black Voodoo magician/fortune teller. In a recently updated script, he is both a palm reader and a Voodoo practitioner.
- The prince's original name "Harry" has been replaced by "Naveen" in a revised script. Now, the name has changed again, now to Levine, possibly the definitive name.
- Maybe cut out of the current script.
[edit] Crew
| Crew Position | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Musker and Ron Clements |
| Executive Producer | John Lasseter |
| Produced by | Peter Del Vecho |
| Associate Producer | Craig Sost |
| Written by | Ron Clements, John Musker and Rob Edwards |
| Music by | Randy Newman |
| Head of story | Don Hall |
| Story crew | Paul Briggs , Randy Cartwright, Tom Ellery, Kevin Gollaher, Bruce Morris, Wilbert Plijnaar, Toby Shelton, Josie Trinidad |
| Art Director | Ian Gooding |
| Production Designer | James Finch |
| Production Manager | Monica Lago-Kaytis |
| Production Supervisor | |
| Production Department Manager, Publicity | Shanda Williamson |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ CanMag.Com. Walt Disney Pictures Offers 10 Releases by 2012. Retrieved on April 8, 2008.
- ^ Disney to release 'Frog Princess'. Variety (2007-03-08). Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ Disney Goes Traditional For "Princess". Dark Horizons (2006-07-27). Retrieved on 2006-07-29.
- ^ Rhett Wickham: It's Baaack!. LaughingPlace.com (2006-06-23). Retrieved on 2006-06-23.
- ^ Comic-Con Sees Stars, 2D Officially Back at Disney. AWN Headline News (2006-07-23). Retrieved on 2006-07-29.
- ^ Big News for Walt Disney Feature Animation at Comic-Con. The Disney Blog (2006-07-23). Retrieved on 2006-07-29.
- ^ Hand-Drawn Animation Returning to Disney. The Internet Movie Database (2006-07-27). Retrieved on 2006-07-29.
- ^ It's Baaack!. LaughingPlace.com (2006-06-23). Retrieved on 2006-08-10.
- ^ a b Frog Princess Casting Call. Animated-News.com (2006-12-01). Retrieved on 2006-12-04.
- ^ Alicia Keys into Next Movie Role. E! Planet Gossip Blog (2007-02-05). Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ Princess Anika and the Frog. E! Online (2007-04-20). Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
- ^ Disney Crowns Its Frog Princess. E! Online (2007-04-19). Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ David hops aboard 'Frog'. The Hollywood Reporter (2007-07-5). Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ E Online's Planet Gossip article
- ^ USAToday article mentioning name change
- ^ Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing - 11 May 2007
[edit] External links
- The Princess And The Frog at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- The Princess and the Frog at the Internet Movie Database
