Disney’s Princess and Frog are a bit too sophisticated

A movie for adults under the guise of being for kids

| Jan 21, 2010

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Scene from The Princess and the Frog: The stereotypes are flying, and some odd messages for kids.
“The Princess and the Frog” is the latest animated film from the Walt Disney Studios, and it received a lot of publicity for having the appearance of the first Disney African-American princess.

Well, not exactly.

That may be true at the end of the movie, but what is probably more noteworthy is that at the beginning of the movie there is the appearance of one of the main characters who is an African-American prince.

hotshots-logoAnd although the story is inspired by a fairy tale and contains many bits of fantasy, it is not a fairy tale, but takes place in the reality-based early 1900s down in New Orleans.

The story contains stereotypes right and left, and it panders to children up and down, and then you realize that the stereotypes were all mostly created by old Disney movies to begin with. In fact, this movie even steals from old movies.

When it opens, we see two young children, Tiana and Charlotte, who love to be told the story of “The Frog Prince.” Tiana is black, Charlotte is white, and through the magic of movie editing they become grown up, and the story becomes nothing more than “Cinderella” turned upside down, inside out, and inverted.

In addition, it contains messages that adults might consider suspect to be taught to children, such as you can get what you want just by wishing for it.

One character says to another, “The real power in this world ain’t magic. It’s money.”

And then you realize that this movie isn’t for kids. It is for adults under the guise of being for kids. That fact is made obvious by all the drinking that is shown, and I don’t mean milk and juice.

To its credit, however, the movie redeems itself about the money bit and even the bit about wishing for what you want.

However, forget about any moral of “Love conquers all.” The moral of this movie that makes you wonder if Disney even tries anymore is “Magic conquers all.”

And as further proof that this movie isn’t really for kids, the children in the theater at the showing that I attended all got bored during it and started running all around the auditorium.

“The Princess and the Frog” is too sophisticated for its own good, which makes it perfect for adults.

I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”

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