The Princess and the Frog · reception & legacy
2009 · Ron Clements
How The Princess and the Frog has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
In 2009 it was the 'disappointment' that opened against Avatar and made Disney so nervous about the word 'princess' that Rapunzel became Tangled — now it's warmly reclaimed, with Tiana beloved enough to get Splash Mountain rebuilt as Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
What's debated
The evergreen gripe: Disney finally made a Black princess, then had her spend most of the movie as a frog.
Its footprint
'Almost There' became a genuine aspirational anthem, and Keith David's Dr. Facilier — 'Friends on the Other Side' — is a fixture of every Disney-villain ranking; the film's afterlife is big enough that it replaced Splash Mountain at the Disney parks.
Where it stands
Remembered as the last great gasp of hand-drawn Disney animation, which gives it a bittersweet end-of-an-era glow on Letterboxd.
Named by the director
Influences Ron Clements has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.
- Lady and the Tramp (1955) — Clements and Musker said its city scenes shaped their New Orleans French Quarter look and its solidly drawn characters set the drafting standard.
- Bambi (1942) — The directors cited its lush painterly backgrounds as the model for the bayou scenes.