*** Official THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Abby_B]

Thought I'd revive this thread since the movie is now out in limited release....Anyone have a chance to see it yet? I've been hearing some pretty good things about it in the reviews I've read (it's currently 83% Fresh on RT) - mainly that Disney hasn't really lost its touch, at least in terms of the animated musical I'm really excited to see it open wide next week. But anyone who has seen it, what did you think??

 

[Edwin-S]

Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near the limited release locations (NY and LA). It looks like a typical stamped out, formulaic, Disney Princess musical; however, I'll still go to see it since it has been too long since a well animated 2D feature has been theatrically released. IMO, properly done CGI features look great, but the expressiveness of pencil drawn characters still can't be matched. Looking at the trailers for this one, the biggest thing that mars it is it looks like extensive CGI backgrounds were used. If they are going to claim a return to "hand-drawn" animation then they should make sure it really is hand drawn: that includes backgrounds.

 

[Johnny Angell]

It says a lot about Lassiter that he's in charge of hand-drawn 2D animation. He's not just a cgi artist, he's an animation artist.

That video on the link mentions doing rough and clean up animation on paper. Is the final animation being hand painted on cells? They could be hand painting on a computer. I hope they've gone all the way back to cells. And I'm a huge Pixar cgi fan.

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Johnny Angell

It says a lot about Lassiter that he's in charge of hand-drawn 2D animation. He's not just a cgi artist, he's an animation artist.

That video on the link mentions doing rough and clean up animation on paper. Is the final animation being hand painted on cells? They could be hand painting on a computer. I hope they've gone all the way back to cells. And I'm a huge Pixar cgi fan.

I thought they didn't use paper anymore? That they have gone to drawing on tablets only? Anyway, if that's not the case, the drawings would still be scanned into the computer. No cells are being used anymore.

 

[Edwin-S]

I'm pretty sure there are no cels used for this film. I don't think cel animation has been used in years for feature animation.

 

[SilverWook]

They have been doing ink and paint digitally since Beauty and the Beast.

This has not stopped Disney from selling overpriced limited edition replica "cels" though.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Originally Posted by SilverWook /forum/thread/287716/the-princess-and-the-frog#post_3634860

When I was a kid, I saw cells being sold in Mainstreet in Disneyland. I had one, it wasn't from a notable film, I think a Donald Duck short. There was an alligator in the cell with Donald. Of course, I don't have that anymore. That link showed a video and you saw the animators drawing on paper and flipping back and forth between pages to proof them.

 

[SilverWook]

Yep, my next door neighbor in the 80's had a couple Lady and the Tramp cels they bought there in the '60's. They were still in the original frames with the stamp of the "Disney art corner."

Real production cels were considered mostly clutter taking up space in the vaults back then, and being sold off as cheap souvenirs.

 

[Leo Kerr]

except for a whole lot of 'em that were "washed" and re-used in later features. I think if you had some from Snow White you might be able to make a small fortune off of them..

Leo

 

[SilverWook]

I've read they did do that during the war when raw materials were in short supply. I don't know if it's any more true than the story of animators taking slides down a hall lined with Dumbo cels after the movie was done!

Snow White cels were actually sold to the public shortly after the film came out. More than a few are still around.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "The Princess and the Frog". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "The Princess and the Frog" should be posted to the [COLOR= #44708c]Official Review Thread[/COLOR].

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "The Princess and the Frog". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "The Princess and the Frog" should be posted to the [COLOR= #44708c]Official Review Thread[/COLOR].

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Hanson]

It's interesting to me that Lassiter was in charge of this movie since part of the original mission of Pixar was to create animated features that were not Broadway musicals, a format that was contrary to what he wanted to accomplish with animation. As a result of his smashing success, he's now in charge of the exact thing that he disdained.

BTW, anyone else notice the gaping plot hole towards the end of the moive?

When Tiana kisses Naveen, she turns into a frog because "she wasn't a real princess". Now, regardless of whether or not Charlotte being temporarily designated the Princess of Mardis Gras makes her a "true princess" (and only incidentally since it was actually her father being named King of Mardi Gras), she kisses Naveen too late and the spell is not broken. But then, why didn't Charlotte turn into a frog like Tiana? Charlotte wasn't a princess either.
BTW, what the hell ethnicity is Naveen?

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Hanson Yoo

It's interesting to me that Lassiter was in charge of this movie since part of the original mission of Pixar was to create animated features that were not Broadway musicals, a format that was contrary to what he wanted to accomplish with animation. As a result of his smashing success, he's now in charge of the exact thing that he disdained.

That's because too many people think Disney movies have to include songs. Most fans want it, so the board of directors give it to them. The problem is, most people also don't want the Disney movies to become formulaic, so there's really no real solution. I personally am getting a bit tired of always the Disney princesses and the necessity to make it a musical. It's like all they can do, and I know that's not the case. But I guess it's necessary to make a return to 2D animation, do something you've proven to be good at. I just hope that they will do something different with Rapunzel, although Alan Menken is writing the songs, so I doubt it.

 

[Hanson]

I think people are so in love with the idea of hand drawn animation that they're willing to put up with the shop worn plots, cloned characters, and mediocre songs found in The Princess and the Frog. I keep reading that hand drawn animation "is back", which makes me think, "do people think Ponyo is CGI?" Ponyo shows that hand drawn animation needn't be a musical, and you don't have to tread that well worn path to create an animated film. Yes, it's easier to market a "Disney musical" and a "Disney Princess". But isn't that just a matter of Disney conceding that the film is just an exercise in marketing? Because to me, that's really all I got from it.