Parents' Guide to The Princess and the Frog

This Disney film has an old-fashioned look, in a good way. Gone are overblown CG effects; what's left is good, old-fashioned hand-drawn animation and storytelling that thrums to the beat of a big, old-fashioned heart. What's not traditional is the heroine, Tiana, who -- very refreshingly -- fends for herself and doesn't need to be rescued as much as learn. Plus, a Disney staple -- the love song -- takes a surprising turn here, telling the story of one couple while illustrating the sweetness of another.

Yet, entertaining as it is, The Princess and the Frog lacks verve. Some songs -- "Evangeline," for instance, as well as the jazz interludes --- are memorable, but many others don't make an impression. And while the film doesn't completely shy away from referencing the chasm between rich and poor -- the streetcar goes from the mansion section to a neighborhood lined with neat but tiny houses -- it treads very lightly. Those concerned about stereotypes might find a bit of justification in the voodoo storyline, which doesn't veer far from preconceived notions -- couldn't New Orleans have been portrayed without a tooth-necklace-clad letch? Villains can be much more interesting than this.