Walt Disney Pictures
In cinemas nationwide on Friday

When I was in the eighth grade, my friends and I walked from our school to the nearest cinema to see “The Lion King.”  It was probably not the movie event of the summer, but it was pretty terrific.  They all were – “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Mulan” – all those magical Disney musicals.  But there has been a drought for far too long, and now Disney has returned to the movie musical business, which is s great thing. Sure some may argue that movies like “The Emperor’s New Groove” count, but I’m telling you, they don’t.  The last real contribution would have been 1999’s “Tarzan.”  And here we are.

“The Princess and the Frog” puts a new spin on the old tale.  Moving the story to New Orleans and making the princess become a frog herself, we are thrust into story about two little frogs trying to become human once again.  Standing in their way is (of course) a great adventure which takes them through a grand ball, a bayou, a riverboat and encounters with all sorts of creatures – a lightning bug and a friendly crocodile among them.

The grand obstacle at work here is the magic which keeps these two pretty people in froggy bodies.  Voodoo is certainly an interesting concept, and one deeply immersed in the city of New Orleans.  But I’m not sure if it’s one the smaller viewers are going to understand completely (not to say that I even understand it).  The dark magic can certainly be scary, but it also seems like Disney is playing it somewhat safe for their first foray back into the kiddie movie musical business.  Of course, I could just be a whole lot older and the death of Mufasa is still with me, who knows…  In any event, “The Princess and the Frog” is light and fun and exactly what you’d expect from Disney, which is definitely a good thing for all those kids and families out there in the big, bad world.