The Princess and the Frog

Post by **Meg** » November 16th, 2006, 5:12 pm

Uli -

Many fans of the traditional Disney Animated Musical features rejoiced at the news that Disney is finally getting into 2D Animation again with "The Frog Princess".
One of the many reasons for the excitement for people like me was that the key filmmaking team behind this project was gonnna be the same as "The Little Mermaid" which bought about the last "Golden Age" of Animation.
It just seemed right and poetic, if u will...That once again the Directing team of Ron Clements & John Musker along with the amazing composer, Alan Menken would bring about this re-birth of the Classic Disney Musical. Cause these storytellers and Alan's music played a very important part in the success of all those disney musicals Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty & The Beast etc.

However, the news just broke this week that the new Animation head honcho and disney, John Lasseter (of Pixar), has decided to replace Alan Menken with Randy Newman and give him his Musical debut Randy Newman is no stranger to Pixar, he has been a staple composer for most of their movies and specially all of John's movies (Both the Toy Storys,Bug's Life, Cars).

This sent many Alan Menken fans into a fit of anger (including myself) with people already predicting Frog Princess to be doomed and the saying how John L. is gonna turn Disney into Pixar 2!

But on further discussion with a friend in Animation (who was equally disappointed with the switch),it led to him doing some investigations.
Which in turn led to quite an interesting discovery which might explain this move.

It SEEMS, The Frog Princess could be Disney's first African American princess, in a New Orleans-ish setting with a Jazz soundtrack and not a very theatrical soundtrack!
And that might explain the preference of Randy Newman over Alan Menken.
I can honestly say, IF this is a fact...am actually excited by this decision and its about time Disney shook things up in this direction!

Coupled by the fact that Alan Menken is swamped with so many projects for Disney already , with bringing Little Mermaid and Sister Act On Broadway , writing songs and scoring the 2d/Live Action hybrid "Enchanted" etc etc..it just might just be the best thing to have happened!

Am happy again...for now!

Post by **Uli** » November 16th, 2006, 5:28 pm

Thanks, Meg!

Post by **Meg** » November 16th, 2006, 7:00 pm

Hey Uli, where's your av from? I like it.

Post by **droosan** » November 16th, 2006, 9:39 pm

And here I thought the 'Frog Princess' would be french ..

*runs*

Post by **ShyViolet** » November 17th, 2006, 2:54 am

The jazz/New Orleans thing reminds me a lot of "My Peoples."

Post by **Uli** » November 17th, 2006, 4:30 am

Post by **Ben** » November 17th, 2006, 6:44 am

I am confused.

I understood TFP to be taking its Russian roots literally. Sounds like someone has either gotten themselves mixed up with My Peoples, or that someone at Disney just won't let this slant die off!

And, by the way, "Randy Newman's musical DEBUT"???

Well, I guess Ragtime (1981), Three Amigos! (1986) and Disney's own James And The Giant Peach (1996) as well as the musical Faust and all the songs he wrote for Pixar and his own albums, of course, don't count??

He is so much more than JUST a film score composer!

Post by **Josh** » November 17th, 2006, 11:17 am

Newman also wrote the songs for Cats Don't Dance.

Post by **Uli** » November 17th, 2006, 12:55 pm

Post by **Daniel** » November 17th, 2006, 2:12 pm

When I was a little kitten, I had a dream. My name in lights! Danny the song and dance cat....

I Love Cats Don't Dance! espicially the main characters name *faints*

Post by **ShyViolet** » November 17th, 2006, 6:04 pm

I understood TFP to be taking its Russian roots literally. Sounds like someone has either gotten themselves mixed up with My Peoples, or that someone at Disney just won't let this slant die off!

I think their ideas are good but I was hoping that this would be a more "traditional" return to the fairy tale genre.

And I STILL think Menken would be much better.

Post by **Ben** » November 19th, 2006, 8:42 am

I forgot Cat's Don't Dance, Mick. Thanks.

Post by **Josh** » November 19th, 2006, 3:53 pm

You're welcome.

Post by **Kinoo** » November 30th, 2006, 5:12 pm

Did you see this: the casting call for Frog Princess detailing the characters.

FROG PRINCESS . Animated Feature Film SAG
Directors: John Musker, Ron Clements Composer: Randy Newman
Casting Director: Jen Rudin Pearson Casting Assistant: Phoebe Rosenberg
Interview Dates: In New York November 13-17 Shoot/Start Date: January 2007
SUBMIT HARDCOPY WITH COVER LETTER. NO FAXES OR PHONE CALLS.
JEN RUDIN PEARSON WALT DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION
500 SOUTH BUENA VISTA STREET BURBANK, CA 91521-4970
ATTN: THE FROG PRINCESS
"The Frog Princess" is an animated American fairy tale musical, set in New Orleans, in the 1920's Jazz Age. SINGING ROLES:
[MADDY] A 19-year-old African American chambermaid. Bright, resourceful, ambitious, intense. A little too grown-up for her age. Dialect: Mild southern colloquial.
[CHARLOTTE] 18 years old. A spoiled, southern debutante. A diva. Comic "steel magnolia". Bossy but insecure. Dialect: Southern belle.
[DR. DUVALIER] A 30-40 year old Voodoo magician/fortune teller. African American. Charming, charismatic, smooth and a sinister bad guy. Theatrical and grandiose. Dialect: Elegant, possibly New Orleans Creole.
[MAMA ODIE] An elderly, 200 year old Voodoo priestess/fairy god-mother. African American. Broad, comic, eccentric. Benevolent, wise and all knowing. A mixture of Moms Mabley & Yoda. Dialect: Southern colloquial.
[RAY] A 25-35 year old lovesick Cajun firefly. Warm, friendly, laid back and easygoing. Comically obtuse. Missing front tooth, has a lisp and occasionally speaks in Cajun French. LOOKING FOR AUTHENTIC CAJUN ACTORS.
[LOUIS] A 20-40 year old Jazz singer alligator. Comic, manic, high strung. Can be African American or white. Has extraordinary jazz singing voice since he, in effect, "sold his soul" to get it. Dialect: New Orleans hipster.
NON-SINGING ROLES:
[PRINCE HARRY] A gregarious, fun-loving European Prince, in his early twenties. A young Cary Grant. Charming, witty but irresponsible and immature. Loves jazz. Dialect: British upper-class.
[LAWRENCE] Harry's pompous roly poly valet. In his forties. Stiff, snobbish and sarcastic. Secretly envious and resentful of Harry. Dialect: Overly affected British upper crust.
[BIG DADDY LA BOUFF] Wealthy, Southern plantation landowner. Doting father of Charlotte La Bouff. A "good ol' boy." Warm, affable, courtly, imposing and powerful. Dialect: Thick southern drawl.
[EUDORA] Maddy's mother. In her fifties. Eudora used to be Charlotte's nurse maid. Warm, homespun and nurturing. Overly fretful.
[GEORGE] The cook for the La Bouff family. African American 50s-60s. Curmudgeonly.
[YOUNG MADDY] Six years old, African American.
[YOUNG CHARLOTTE] Six years old.

found here: http://manhatttheatresource.forumcircle ... 083fbfd463

Post by **Meg** » November 30th, 2006, 7:47 pm

WEEE! So the rumors about it being set in New Orleans are true...AGH, this sounds so cool!

I hope that's real.