The Princess and the Frog (G, 2009)
common sense media says
First African-American Disney princess is a good role model.
parents & educators say
- 68% say violence is an issue
- 50% say there are positive messages
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Princess and the Frog is Disney's first movie to feature an African-American heroine, Tiana. The New Orleans-set story is a spin on the classic fairy tale about the princess who finds true love when she kisses an enchanted amphibian, but there's more to this tale than just romance: Tiana is a resourceful, hardworking heroine who's a strong role model and is one of the first Disney heroines who doesn't have to be rescued by a man. While some have been concerned that the movie might reinforce stereotypes -- and it's true that many of the supporting characters feel shallow (and the movie's voodoo subplot is far from subtle) -- overall the film does a good job of adding diversity to Disney’s hit parade. But while the movie is kid-friendly on the whole, the villain and his shadowy spirit henchmen can be quite scary, and one important character does die, which makes it a little too intense for the youngest viewers.
Educational value:
Not applicable.
Positive role models:
Much has been made of heroine Tiana, who’s blazing a new trail by being the first African-American Disney princess. She’s a strong role model for girls -- hardworking, loyal, and resourceful -- albeit a relatably imperfect one. She sacrifices some aspects of her personal life in favor of work. Her princely counterpart starts off on shakier ground, seeking to capitalize on his good looks. But in the end he changes into someone more soulful. On the downside, many of the supporting characters aren't very well developed, and some make derisive comments that could be interpreted as being racially motivated (i.e. suggesting that someone of Tiana's background couldn't understand business).
Violence & scariness:
A scary villain (who commands very creepy shadow minions and casts voodoo spells involving the "other side") and some cartoonish battling: For example, a man clubs another with a piece of wood, and inept hunters brandish guns and clubs at each other. One throws knives at Frog Tiana. Also, the villain hurts a major character badly. The injury leads to death, which is gracefully handled -- though still pretty intense for a kid-targeted movie.
Sexy stuff:
Characters kiss when they live happily ever after. The plot turns on a princess kissing a frog. Naveen is quite the ladies' man, but it's mostly shown through very mild flirting.
Language:
Not applicable.
Consumerism:
Tiana is a Disney Princess, whose brand reaches far and wide. Expect to see Princess branding on consumer merchandise, food products, etc. as well as in books, websites, and other media.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Some adult characters hold and/or sip from wine glasses and champagne flutes at restaurants and parties.
More on The Princess and the Frog
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Review It
Based on 140 parent & educator reviews:
- 68% say violence is an issue
- 50% say there are positive messages
- 44% say there are positive role models
Most useful reviews by all members
m.v.
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
caution for 8 and younger
i personally think that this movie doesn't hardly have any quality. any three year old could pick this movie out at a library and her mom would easily check it out. later, she would be terrified by the voodoo man. they also could be very sad by the character that is important and dies. when watching this movie, a 5 year girl behind me in the audience was crying very hard!
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nylamowery
educator and parent of 8 year old
educator and parent of 8 year old
Questionable diversity
For being the first Black Disney Princess - - she spends 80% of the movie as a frog.
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sweets_JME
parent of and 2 , 6 , 9 , 11 year old
parent of and 2 , 6 , 9 , 11 year old
Scarey scenes, and voodoo emphasis, but a cute Disney movie nonetheless
I was surprised at the emphasis placed on voodoo, but it suites the area of the country focused on and reflects the culture of the cajun area. It was more than a bit scarey with the villian & the shadows and I wouldn't have let my 4 yr old watch it without me the first time if I'd known about the scarier parts. The movie was good as a whole and we enjoyed it as a family. Like always, Disney is plugging the merchandise all over and it's hard to avoid the fact that there's a new princess movie out.
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K3
adult
adult
I was so excited to take my neice & nephew to see this film. In fact, I also arranged to have a group of girls ages 5-12 (50 girls) attend from my church. After seeing this movie, I was appalled by the consistent impression of voodoo that this movie placed on the viewer.
Practically every scene of this movie had an emphasis on this practice. The Villian (often referred to as shadow) tells characters their future, uses tarot cards, and even sanctions demons which come from under the floor (black floating images) to go out and assist with the destruction of the prince. This character is oftentimes seen talking to an image of a scary mask that to us symbolized the devil. For the prince to remain a frog, the other character kept a small voodoo mask that contained the prince's blood around his neck. Without this, he would turn back into himself. With it, he appeared to be the prince.
For us, it was ridiculous how strong this content was throughout this movie for children. My 4 year old niece told me that she was scared that the shadow man would take her blood. My 5 year old was scared by the dark images and the music that moved throughout the scene.
As devout Christians, I honestly felt that these scenes were very demonic and was saddened by the film due to this. I am not overly sensitive and can take my share of witches, spells, and potions, but this film pushed it way too close to the edge for me and my family. If you teach your children that voodoo, witchcraft, etc. are demonic forces and linked to Satan, then this is NOT the movie for them.
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SafeMom
parent of and 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 year old
parent of and 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 year old
Voodoo is not entertainment.
I hate that voodoo is treated so lightly in this film, especially by the "good" guys. My kids won't be going near it-- at ANY age.
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youllbeinmyheart
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
Adorable with realistic life lessons.
I absolutely adored this movie. First off, the new princess isn't already privileged, which makes the person watching it feel closer to her as a character. People may be weary of the villian, but if you think about it, it's a good way to keep kids out of future troublemaking. Think about how many palmreaders and tarrot card places there are. Wouldn't you Want your child to think of that as bad and evil even if it was just because of Dr. Facilier? It sends the right message, in my opinion. Another thing that caught my attention in a good way was that the prince wasn't perfect. In pretty much all the other disney princess movies, the prince is made to be handsome, strong, intellegent, and kind- perfect. Prince Naveen isn't and I think that makes it easier for children to believe in fantasy and that they really can follow their dreams, because it's alot more realistic than the usual princess story. The issue of there being a few kisses and a glass of wine in somone's hand, are quite frankly so little that I doubt anyone under the age of 8 would notice or care. They probably see more of it in reality than they will in this movie. Lastly, it's set in New Orleans, with fantastic music, amazing voice acting, and absolutely gorgeous HAND-DRAWN animation. I'm proud of disney for going back to the traditional animation. This is how a movie truly should be made. I'm 15, and I have seen this movie over 15 times. I'm not tired of seeing it, and I doubt I ever will be. Disney has done it again.
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moviefan22
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
Not as great as "Up", but a step up from "Astro Boy"
I know it isn't fair to compare this movie to Pixar and the company who made Astro Boy, but I'm just comparing them because their animated. To start off my review, I'll say it definitely should of been rated PG because of a scary villain, and some discrimination. The violence level is obviously very low, and so is the language. I have to admit, this movie was disappointing, but it had it's moments. It was nice to see a classic story turn into an animated Disney franchise. I enjoyed the plot, and the ending was very cute. What made this stand out from other movie was the happy ending part. Of course, it did have a happy ending, but the problem was still there 10 minutes before the movie ended. Watch this movie with your kids and enjoy it; it's a special treat for the whole family!
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t7as0e3bf
adult
adult
Don't like magic? Don't watch ANY Disney films.
For those who complained about the voodoo or "witchcraft", haven't you ever seen a Disney movie? There is always a sorcerer, witch or someone who does magic....it's funny that it is offensive to you now.
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kawilder
parent of 4 and 7 year old
parent of 4 and 7 year old
Very good, non-traditional princess (or not) story!
I took 2 6 year old girls to this movie. They loved it. Great characters, great music, unique spin on the (if formulaic) story. Loved the fact that the heroine represented some of the diversity these girls see every day.
The voodoo master was a little scary, but not so much that they wanted to leave. I do think it would be too much for younger children, though.
All in all, a very good film.
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KJoyce
parent of 5 and 7 year old
parent of 5 and 7 year old
Iffy for younger or more sensitive viewers
My husband and I took our 4 and 6 year old daughters to see this. The voodoo theme through out the movie was too intense for them at times but what disturbed me more was that one of the characters dies in the movie. I just didn't think it was something necessary to the plot of the story and one of my girls was almost in tears over it. If your children are sensitive, this movie may not be for them.
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Gaga4GaGa
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
PG.
This is the most scary Disney movie to date. I hate the whole "voodoo" theme that you describe as "secondary". It is pretty much the main theme. There's some blood, scary and violent images, a lot more sex than you said, and I'm disappointed. This movie should have been rated PG. That's all I'll say about that. To the parents reading my review:please consider the consequences of showing this to your child. I agree that Tiana is a good role model, but all the terrible things in this film overshadow that.
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Zer zer
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
good
I've seen it and it was great,but most people won't approve the witchcraft and magic shown in the flim.
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dancing girl
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
Family movie
I loved the movie! The bad guy in the movie might be scary to younger kids. But a good family movie.
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mikalulu
parent
parent
Not for young children.
I liked the movie, but am very happy that I watched it without my 4 year old. She would have been terrified. I can safely say that I will not allow her to watch this until she is 8 (which, by the way is when I will let her watch Snow White)
Some points that I did not like: First: the prince is a schlep, does nothing, isn't worth her wasting her time on ... he should have ended up with the spoiled girl. Second: there is far too much scary and violent stuff, like the shadows chasing them (did we really need to see them that much) and his deal making with those "from the other side" (skeleton face, big scary masks, explosions, chase scenes, etc.) ... also, wouldn't the scene with the frog hunters been equally funny if they hadn't beaten each other over hte head one hundred times? They could have easily just ran in to each other, tripped over things, etc. there was no need for the gratuitous violence. Third: why did they have to drink? Fourth: why did he have to step on the firefly so calously (looking down at it, almost enjoying it)? And why the overly dramatic death?
Just because it is animated it does not justify a G rating. If this movie had not been animated it would have easily been rated R.
I think PG or PG-13 would have certainly been more appropriate.
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Sinfoniarc
parent
parent
Great Movie With An Evil Villain
Finally after 7 years since Brother Bear, Disney returns to the drawing board (pun intended) with a classic hand-drawn animation. The Princess and The Frog has some good messages to it. For example, Tiana is the first Disney princess to make it on her own without needing a man, illustrating to young girls that they don't need a man to be successful...just some hard work. She's also Disney's first African-American princess who wins the guy at the end of the movie as opposed to her Caucasian best friend, breaking down some racial barriers.
The ONLY problem I have with this movie is the Shadow Man character. He's a pretty dark guy who's into Hoodoo (not to be confused with the pagan religion of Voodoo) magic. But the saving grace in having a villain like this is that it illustrates that magic does not reign over religion. Some of the concepts of the movie (like Hoodoo) will be over young children's heads, but Christian parents can use this opportunity to educate their children further as to why Jesus is the way and not magic.
Having said all of that, the film is great, especially if you're watching it on Blu-Ray with surround sound.
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lodia
adult
adult
Frog Princess, took my breathe away
BEWARE PARENTS! The voodoo theme was absolutely too overpowering, So many children in the theatre was scared half-way through the movie and several parents were considering leaving. The demon spirits from the darkside, peeling down from the walled masks who quickly went on search for the two frogs created paralyzing fear in the children. The shadow man was an evil character, who needed more of the prince frog's blood in a vial which was strung around the neck of the imposter prince, in order to give the imposter prince more time to enchant and pursue the marriage to young Charlotte, the hieress to a fortune. The evil shadow man was going to kill Charlotte's father with a pin pierced through the heart of a tiny doll made in the image of the rich business owner. The river journey through the bayou was terrifying for the children, however Ray (light bug) did a tremendous job in lightening up the thick and heavy drama at this point in the movie. Another light and humorous episode was the bayou trappers trying to catch the frogs. The voodoo theme was too overpowering, and I would suggest that parents be prepared to answer a lot of questions that I am certain parents were NOT prepared to discuss at this tender age with their young children. I anticipated a very light hearted, entertaining, high-morally based movie through and through....which this is not. It broadly depicts selfishness, greediness, death to those who stand in our way to wealth, deception....values that we certainly do not want to model for our impressionable young children. Parents will need to work hard to underscore positive values, and will be put to task to erase the balant negative character traits presented.
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mcconnell.ma
parent of 3 and 5 year old
parent of 3 and 5 year old
Am not going to buy
I couldn't believe the amount of voodoo incorporated into the movie. I wish we hadn't taken our daughters to see it at the theater and we are not buying it. Any good that could have come from the example of Tiana's hard work was over shadowed by the scariness of the witch doctor. Seriously.
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jpalin
adult
adult
Tiana is wonderful role model who knows she will not be rescued by a prince. She knows she has to work for her dreams, and yet, in the end, to get them, she can't sacrafice love. I also loved seeing New Orleans spotlighted this way. The voodoo/shadow scenes were a bit scary, but no more so than other Disney bad guy scenes. The music and animation were wonderful. I love the return to the Disney movies I love - Little Mermaid, Lion King, etc.
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TheExTrEmEpRiN ...
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
For 4 year olds and up kinda scary for 3 years and down.
I like this movie. A first African American princess. WOW! First An African America president, Now a black princess. This is a amazing! This movie teaches you to never give up on your hopes and dreams.
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