PRINCESS & THE FROG
So like it's 3:45 in the afternoon here and it's already dark. Wut? Ohay there rain clouds, ilu.
REVIEW:
Saw Princess & the Frog this morning with Tig and Eric. I liked it a lot but it's definitely not a Beauty & the Beast or Aladdin. I liked the characters, particularly the villain Facillie (I loooved everything about this guy, from his design to the way he talked to the way he moved to his expressions UGH I LOVED HIS SHADOW TOO so cool!) and Naveen. The characters I thought would irritate me turned out to be very tolerable and actually likable.
Naveen made me laugh more than any other character (HE'S TOTALLY A BRO) and I appreciated Disney giving the prince a starring role rather than sort of being off the side/not as important as the princess. I always imagine Disney princes as being dull and lifeless like the one in Snow White, Pocahantas, and to a lesser extent Little Mermaid. His role felt equal to Tiana's.
As for Tiana I liked her enough and I think she's a very good example for the kids watching this movie, but ehh. It felt like her "change of heart" moment came too suddenly and wasn't as unbelievable. Naveen kinda had the same problem but less so. There was more time for transition.
As far as the songs, I liked them but they weren't very memorable (Facillie got the best one of course lol). Right now I can't remember any of the individual songs or lyrics - just the scenes they correspond to (which were all beautifully done scenes!). XD Not Little Mermaid/Lion King quality but decent.
I loved the scenery and layouts in this movie. Just awesome, but that's to be expected. WTB artbook plz.
The animation itself was great of course, however I think they did certain characters better than others. Some felt over-animated as in a lot of little jumbled/insignificant movements VS fewer and stronger/more readable movements. I think I saw this most with Tiana's mom when she's older - it felt like some of her actions were arbitrary and didn't contribute personality or mood to the character or scene. There were a few scenes/parts of scenes I'm convinced were animated in Flash (and if you see it you'll know which ones). Those parts were mostly well done (maybe not as amazing as the Kung Fu Panda opening) but every now and then "web cartoon/advertisement" crossed my mind.
Finally, the story itself was enjoyable but felt kinda weak in comparison to the length of the film. They took an idea and stretched it out more than needed. Some scenes and characters didn't seem necessary to the plot, such as the alligator Louie. Comic relief is great but when 3 out of 4 of your traveling pack of main characters = comic relief, it gets a little dumb. I guess I can understand all the comics because there's a couple of pretty dark scenes in this movie but hnnrrrr still not necessary.
OVERALL I give this one 3.7 out of 5 stars.
I think it's good enough to open some doors for traditional animation and I hope Disney feels the same way after the box office this weekend.
REVIEW:
Saw Princess & the Frog this morning with Tig and Eric. I liked it a lot but it's definitely not a Beauty & the Beast or Aladdin. I liked the characters, particularly the villain Facillie (I loooved everything about this guy, from his design to the way he talked to the way he moved to his expressions UGH I LOVED HIS SHADOW TOO so cool!) and Naveen. The characters I thought would irritate me turned out to be very tolerable and actually likable.
Naveen made me laugh more than any other character (HE'S TOTALLY A BRO) and I appreciated Disney giving the prince a starring role rather than sort of being off the side/not as important as the princess. I always imagine Disney princes as being dull and lifeless like the one in Snow White, Pocahantas, and to a lesser extent Little Mermaid. His role felt equal to Tiana's.
As for Tiana I liked her enough and I think she's a very good example for the kids watching this movie, but ehh. It felt like her "change of heart" moment came too suddenly and wasn't as unbelievable. Naveen kinda had the same problem but less so. There was more time for transition.
As far as the songs, I liked them but they weren't very memorable (Facillie got the best one of course lol). Right now I can't remember any of the individual songs or lyrics - just the scenes they correspond to (which were all beautifully done scenes!). XD Not Little Mermaid/Lion King quality but decent.
I loved the scenery and layouts in this movie. Just awesome, but that's to be expected. WTB artbook plz.
The animation itself was great of course, however I think they did certain characters better than others. Some felt over-animated as in a lot of little jumbled/insignificant movements VS fewer and stronger/more readable movements. I think I saw this most with Tiana's mom when she's older - it felt like some of her actions were arbitrary and didn't contribute personality or mood to the character or scene. There were a few scenes/parts of scenes I'm convinced were animated in Flash (and if you see it you'll know which ones). Those parts were mostly well done (maybe not as amazing as the Kung Fu Panda opening) but every now and then "web cartoon/advertisement" crossed my mind.
Finally, the story itself was enjoyable but felt kinda weak in comparison to the length of the film. They took an idea and stretched it out more than needed. Some scenes and characters didn't seem necessary to the plot, such as the alligator Louie. Comic relief is great but when 3 out of 4 of your traveling pack of main characters = comic relief, it gets a little dumb. I guess I can understand all the comics because there's a couple of pretty dark scenes in this movie but hnnrrrr still not necessary.
OVERALL I give this one 3.7 out of 5 stars.
I think it's good enough to open some doors for traditional animation and I hope Disney feels the same way after the box office this weekend.