The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog is an Walt Disney Pictures animated musical film which opened in New York City and Los Angeles on November 25, 2009 in a limited run, and had its' full national release on December 11, 2009. The film marks Disney's return to the traditional 2-D animation style, and is the 48th animated film in the Disney classic animated canon, directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, with the songs and score composed by Oscar winner Randy Newman. Prior to The Princess and the Frog's opening, the last traditionally animated film produced and distributed by Disney was 2004's Home on the Range.

The film is an American fairy tale set in 1920's New Orleans during the peak of the Jazz Age, and will star Disney's first princess of African descent.

Cast

 * Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, a 19-year-old waitress and aspiring chef who dreams of owning her own restaurant one day. She is the heroine of the film. Elizabeth Dampier voices Tiana as a child.


 * Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, a 20 year old, gregarious, smooth-talking, and fun-loving prince who comes to the French Quarter for the jazz scene and with whom Tiana and Charlotte both fall in love. Due to being new in the city, he is persuaded by the shady Dr. Facilier into taking a tour of his office, which results in a curse transforming him into a frog. He was originally named "Harry."


 * Jennifer Cody as Charlotte La Bouff, an 18-year-old spoiled southern débutante, diva, and Tiana's best friend. Breanna Brooks voices Charlotte as a child.


 * Keith David as Doctor Facilier, the main villain of the film. He was originally named "Doctor Duvalier" and was a voodoo magician and fortune teller. In a recently updated script, he is both a palm reader and a voodoo practitioner who tricks Naveen into making a deal with him that turns the prince into a frog (he ironically asks Naveen if the "green" [which Naveen thought was money] was what he wanted). Keith David describes Doctor Facilier as "A schemer, a conjurer and a sorcerer of sorts." His character design vaguely resembles that of Oscar Proud of The Proud Family, which was coincidentally supervising animator Bruce W. Smith's early work.


 * Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie, a 197-year-old blind voodoo priestess who serves as the film's Fairy Godmother.


 * Jim Cummings as Ray, a lovesick Cajun firefly who knows Mama Odie and offers to help the frogs get to her. He is in love with the Evening Star he named "Evangeline" and thinks it's another firefly.


 * Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis, a jazz-singing alligator who is comical, manic, high-strung and plays the trumpet. His dream is to become human so he can join a jazz band.
 * Jim Cummmings as JuJu, the guide-snake.


 * Peter Bartlett as Lawrence, Prince Naveen's pompous and jaded valet who is clearly annoyed with the carefree prince's antics. He eventually becomes an ally to Dr. Facilier and is transformed into a Naveen look-a-like (while the real Naveen has been turned into a frog). He will serve as a secondary villain in the film.


 * John Goodman as Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff, a wealthy and friendly Southern sugar mill owner and father of Charlotte La Bouff.


 * Oprah Winfrey as Eudora, Tiana's sensible mother.  An old seamstress that worries Tiana over works herself. She just wants Tiana to find love and give her grankids.


 * Terrence Howard as James, Tiana's hardworking father. A loving, serious man that died during WW1. Tiana loved her father very much and often quotes him.


 * Don Hall as Darnell, a frog hunter.

Trivia

 * Doctor Facilier's downfall has notable parallels to how Willie Lopez and Carl Brunen's fate in the film "Ghost" starring the late Patrick Swayzee, especially with shadows dragging him away.