The Princess and the Frog ***

A Disney Princess film in hand drawn animation again... FINALLY! There's just something about these that really capture your heart. All children should grow up with Disney; they are the best of the best when it comes to story telling. But it is a shame the latest of them has lost its edge a little.

Based in New Orleans, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) plays the heroine of the film who's ambition it is to run her own restaurant. But of course, she finds herself in a little pickle when she kisses a frog to turn him into a prince... Except she becomes a frog too. A good twist to the well known story, but it just doesn't have that magical feeling you get from Sleeping Beauty or Snow White.

The actual character of Tiana is quite charming and easy to enjoy. Plus she's a good role model for girls to relate to. Its just a shame the elegance you once got from these princesses has totally disappeared. It's almost as if Disney have tried to create a modern day version of what a princess should be. But where's the fun in that?! We want magic and glitter! The Prince Charming figure has also been forgotten, and we're left with quite a lovable rather than marry-able character of Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos). In terms of the bad character, he's actually very good. Dr. Facilier (Keith David) does bring that creepy element to the film, and it looks very inspired by Tim Burton in terms of the colour and objects used to surround him. Plus the little co-stars Louis and Ray seem to hold that childish type humour the kids all love. But it's got no characters really that are going to be memorable in the future. It's just another story being told.

This goes for the songs too! Where's the catchy number that everyone comes out of the cinema singing? It is full of music, and some which is great because a lot is really soulful jazz, but we've got no Wish Upon A Star equivalent. That was one of the most disappointing features. But in the end, it's full of character from the little songs which seem to be slotted in as and where so it's not all bad.

Disney have made a beautiful film in terms of the animation. The characters are gorgeous to look at, the colours are so popping it hurts, and it's not in 3D which makes it that even more appealing to watch! It's used no gimmicks and really stuck to the original use of classical hand drawn films. That's the most pulling factor of the film in my opinion.

So overall, little girls will love it because it's a fairy tale full of songs and bright colours. But for anyone who's grown up with Disney and have their favourite film already, this won't feature on the list.