BLU-RAY REVIEW – The Princess And The Frog

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

• Own it on on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD on March 16, 2010
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• ASIN: B0034JKZ3G
• Blu-ray Combo Pack is priced at $44.99 SRP (US) and $51.99 SRP (Canada), and the Single Disc DVD is priced at $29.99 SRP (US) and $35.99 SRP (Canada).

Synopsis
Magic, music and romance are waiting around every corner of the legendary Big Easy as Disney’s newest princess sets out on an exciting adventure through a magical new world. Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) is a beautiful and hardworking young woman determined to fulfil her father’s dream of owning an elegant New Orleans supper club. When Naveen (Bruno Campos), a handsome prince arrives in town looking for romance, the evil Dr. Facilier (Keith David) hatches a nefarious plot and turns Naveen into a frog. A kiss from Tiana should return him to his true form, but in a hilarious twist on the classic story, she is instead transformed into a frog herself! The pair must travel into the heart of the mysterious Louisiana bayou with only a trumpet-playing alligator and a love-struck firefly as guides to find the priestess who can reverse the curse in order to find their “happily ever after.” The Princess and the Frog transports audiences to glorious, glamorous New Orleans as Tiana, the first African American Disney princess meets her frog prince and gives him the fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical, magical bayous of Louisiana. The Princess and the Frog’s colorful cast of one-of-a-kind new characters joyfully raises the roof, with voice performances from stars including Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose (Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, 2004,“Caroline, or Change”), Keith David (Crash), Jenifer Lewis (“Strong Medicine”), Jim Cummings (“Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”), Michael- Leon Wooley (Ghost Town), Bruno Campos (“Nip/Tuck”), Peter Bartlett (The Producers), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Jennifer Cody (Broadway’s “Shrek: The Musical”), Oprah Winfrey and John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.).
Bonus Features
The single disc DVD comes with these exciting bonus features:

• Deleted Scenes
• Audio Commentary by John Musker and Ron Clements (co-writers and directors) and Peter Del Vecho (producer)
• “Never Knew I Needed”- Music video by Ne-Yo

Games and Activities

• What Do You See: Princess Portraits — A bayou-style quiz tests viewers’ knowledge of all of
  Disney’s beautiful princesses. Ray’s firefly family creates twinkling portraits of each princess and if
  the player correctly identifies her, they can enjoy a tongue-cheek mini re-telling of that character’s
  story.

The Blu-ray Combo Pack edition comes with additional bonus features, including:

• Backstage Disney

Magic In The Bayou: The Making of A Princess — Co-writers and directors John Musker and Ron
Clements take a freewheeling, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Disney’s newest animated
film as it grows from an initial concept to a lavish animated film set in the enchanting world of New
Orleans and the surrounding bayous.

• The Return To Hand Drawn Animation
• The Disney Legacy
• Disney’s Newest Princess
• The Princess and the Animator
• Conjuring The Villain
• A Return To The Animated Musical
• Bringing Life to Animation with an introduction by John Musker and Ron Clements.
• Deleted Scenes introduced by the filmmakers
• Art Galleries — A collection of storyboard art traces the visual development of The Princess and the Frog’s rich gallery of characters and settings.

We really enjoyed The Princess And The Frog. I honestly didn’t expect to love the movie but found that I did. I was ready to watch it again the second day.  They did a great job with the characters. The colors and music were perfect. The message behind the story is that you can dream big but that there is no secret magic to make your dreams come true – only hard work can do that. The bonus features for this movie were outstanding. I really enjoyed seeing the deleted scenes and the piece on how animation is done. I recommend this movie highly.
Here’s a clip called Princess Kiss Montage.
The product(s) featured in this review was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.