Disney the Princess and the Frog Riverboat Jazz

December 21, 2021 Post a Comment

The Princess and the Frog(2009) was the last traditionally animated film that Walt Disney Animation Studios released, hoping to recapture the magic of the Broadway-musical inspired fantasy films of its Renaissance period in the '90s. The film was based on the children's storyThe Frog Princessby E.D. Baker and the fairytaleThe Frog Prince,but given a slightly modern twist that the company hoped would make it a "princess movie for people who don't like princess movies.".

Like with all the material that Disney borrows from, it was altered significantly to suit the new storyline. The source material involved a princess kissing a frog and being turned into one herself, but the most salient changes updated the circumstances surrounding the curse as well as its setting.

10 IT WAS ORIGINALLY BASED ON A GRIMM FAIRY TALE

The Frog Princess novel was originally based on a Brothers Grimm fairytale calledThe Frog Prince.In that story, a princess loses a golden ball down a well, and the Frog Prince retrieves it for her under the proviso that she will take him with her to the palace and be his friend.

She abandons him, but he follows her to the palace anyway, and her father shames her into keeping her promise. She nevertheless becomes so irritated by the frog she throws it against a wall, an action she instantly regrets. It's her grief that breaks the curse and returns the frog to his princely form, not the kiss from either the novel or the Disney film.

9 TIANA SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN A PRINCESS

InThe Frog Princess,the character based on Tiana is called Emma, and she's already the princess of Greater Greenward. She lives in a palace with her mother Queen Chartreuse, and has an aunt named Grassina, the current Green Witch of the realm.

In the Disney film, Tiana is a waitress who aspires to one day open up her own restaurant with a menu full of recipes from her deceased father. She only becomes a princess after marrying Prince Naveen at the conclusion of the film when they're both made human again.

8 THE PRINCESS WAS MUCH MORE UNLIKABLE

In bothThe Frog PrinceandThe Frog Princess,the princess character is made to be unlikable. In the former, it's due to her spoiled and selfish temperament, and in the latter, it's because of her braying laugh that everyone compares to a donkey.

Tiana, by contrast, is a good friend, has a positive can-do attitude, and performs even the most soul-sucking task in food service with a smile on her face. The only unlikable characteristic she has is being a workaholic.

7 THE PRINCESS WAS ENGAGED TO SOMEONE ELSE

InThe Frog Princess,Princess Emma is betrothed to Prince Jorge, a stuck up fellow royal who hails from the neighboring kingdom of East Aradia and antagonizes her mercilessly. She runs to the swamps to escape him and encounters Prince Eadric from Upper Montevista.

In the Disney film, Tiana has no other suitors, but her friend Charlotte "Lottie" La Bouff is the "princess" of New Orleans and aspires to marry a prince. What would have been Tiana's narrative fromThe Frog Princesswas divided, with some plot points given to Lottie.

6 THE SETTING WAS CHANGED TO NEW ORLEANS IN THE '20s

The setting for bothThe Frog Princessand its inspirationThe Frog Princeis a fantasy realm in an indeterminable time period, but given the descriptions of court and the fact that there are dragons present, it's believed to be medieval.

New Orleans in the 1920s is the new setting forThe Princess and the Frog,with an emphasis on the robust sound of jazz music and African American culture at the time. There aren't any dragons - only a giant talking crocodile.

5 THE FAIRY GODMOTHER

The Frog Princesshas a "fairy godmother" character of sorts in the form of Mudine, a kindly witch who turns out to be Princess Emma's aunt Grassina. She helps Emma and Prince Eadric break the spell that turned them both into frogs.

Mama Odie takes the place of Mudine/Grassina in the Disney film, and is portrayed as a 197 year old voodoo priestess. She occupies the more traditional "fairy godmother" role typical of most Disney films and isn't related to Tiana.

4 THE PRINCESS WORE A BRACELET TO PROTECT HERSELF FROM WITCHCRAFT

InThe Frog Princess,there's a particular ornament that Princess Emma's aunt Grassina gives her to ward off tampering from witches and evil spirits. She wore a bracelet capable of reversing witch's curses, but an otter steals it, and when Prince Eadric kissed her as a frog, it caused her to be turned into a frog too.

Tiana wears no such bracelet in the film, and therefore can't use the special bracelet to transform herself back into a human. Instead, she must get the antidote from the Shadow Man, and she and Prince Naveen must drink it by midnight.

3 THE VILLAIN WASN'T A VOODOO WITCH DOCTOR

The villain of The Frog Princesswas an aspiring witch called Vannabe, who usurped the Witch Mudine and took over her house, her pets, and all of her potions. She believes the two frogs - Princess Emma and Prince Eadric- can be used in a potion to make her eternally beautiful.

In the Disney film, the villain is the Shadow Man, a voodoo witch doctor who is after Lottie's inheritance and the vast wealth of her father, known as the King of New Orleans. He turns Prince Naveen into a frog to get him out of the way, putting a stooge in his place.

2 RAY WAS ORIGINALLY A SNAKE NAMED FANG

InThe Frog Princess,one of Princess Emma's helpers is a snake named Fang, who was rescued from Mudine's house when he was imprisoned by Vannabe. He offered to escort Emma back to her castle after he's freed, and his lover is known as Clarise.

Fang is changed to the Cajun firefly Ray in the Disney film, who offered to lead Prince Naveen and Tiana to Mama Odie's house to help break their curse. He's in love with "Evangeline," the name he's given to the moon.

1 THE LESSON IS ABOUT LEARNING TO APPRECIATE DIFFERENCES

Part of Princess Emma's adventure with Prince Eadric is in defiance of the expectations that come with her royal title. When she decides to marry him over her betrothed Prince Jorge, the lesson is one of acceptance.

Disney decided that the lesson should be altered somewhat from the traditional concept of overcoming judgment of appearances (The Frog Prince)or accepting the different life choices of others (The Frog Princess).Tiana learns to stop overworking herself and appreciate life's bounty, and Prince Naveen learns the reward of hard work.

NEXT: The Little Mermaid: 10 Biggest Changes Disney Made To The Original Fairy Tale

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About The Author

Kayleena Pierce-Bohen (1267 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she's particularly proud of. When she isn't writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she's working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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