The Princess And The Frog ~ Available NOW (my review)

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As a long time fan of Disney animation and the Disney Princess movies, I was MORE than excited when I first heard of Princess Tiana and her New Orleans roots coming to screen. 

I happily accepted an opportunity to review this movie in my home as I could add it to my princess movie collection and one day watch it with my daughter. Now, I wasn't sure just what to expect but to put it simply, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

I was quickly swept into the movie and completely taken by Tiana as I learned about her childhood and the big dreams she had for her life. It almost seems as if her dreams were taken from her when she kissed a frog (who was made a frog by a spell put on him) and turned into a frog herself. Her adventure began as she and the frog Prince saught to have the spell reversed. Will Tiana learn to accept and believe in herself? 

As the story unfolds, there are many fun characters that make their way into the story. And the music? The music is rooted in the soul of New Orleans. I honestly couldn't help but boogie along. 

Like every classic story, there is a "bad guy" and he may be a bit scary for some. I chose to not allow my son to see the whole movie just yet since I know he's pretty sensitive to anything scary and gets night terrors. The bits he has seen, he has really enjoyed.

Here's a bit more information for you.

he 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. 
With extravagant musical numbers, stunningly realized settings and gorgeously rendered costumes, The Princess and the Frog serves up an experience Richard Corliss of Time calls “A start-to-finish delight.”

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 on Blu-ray is priced at $39.99SRP (US), and $44.99 (Canada) and on Blu-ray Combo Pack is priced at $44.99 SRP (US) and $51.99SRP (Canada), and the Single Disc DVD is priced at $29.99 SRP (US) and $35.99 SRP (Canada).
 About Disney’s Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + DisneyFile in a single package): To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney movies, in 2008 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc™ plus a DVD and a DisneyFile digital copy of the film in a single package.  Current WDSHE branded titles available as Combo Packs include, Bolt, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Up.  
STREET DATE:   March 16, 2010 

Pricing:     Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack: $44.99 (US), $51.99 (Canada)
    Single Disc DVD: $29.99 SRP (US); $35.99 SRP (Canada)
Feature run time:  97 minutes
Rated:  G  

**I received a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack for this review from Click Communications. Beyond the sample item, I received no compensation for this post. This is my opinion and other opinions may vary.