While it’s refreshing to see Disney live up to their new rule of only making animated/family movies, it would have been great if the plot were as simple as the illustration. In a comfortable throw-back to hand-drawn “Beauty and the Beast” or “Lady and the Tramp” or as far back as “Bambi,” comes the story of Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) who grows up in her father’s southern diner with dreams of one day owning her own restaurant called “Tiana’s Place.” That part of the story is simple enough for a small child ‘to get.’ And the idea of Disney’s first African-American heroine is special. But when Tiana grows up to be the Beyonce of the Bayou, and her father passes, on she’s left with little more than his “good luck” gumbo pot, some mortgage brokers, and an evil Voodoo man anxious to destroy her dream of peach pie and Beignets. This is where it gets complicated and the subplot (which often disappears) is over the top. Enter the Frog Prince vs the fake Prince, and the other would-be Princess all seemingly after fame and money. It’s a simple message of looks-don’t-matter but it’s delivered in a very roundabout/concocted way. The Southern inspired dance numbers are original and entertaining, and even Oprah voicing “Eudora” is fun, but in the end, a simpler message of “you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Prince”, gets lost in alot of New Orleans muck. Nevertheless, safe film to plop the kids at while you Christmas shop at the mall. Two tiaras
