The Princess and the Frog

In 1920s New Orleans, an African-American waitress (voice by Anika Noni Rose) and a visiting prince (Bruno Campos) are turned into frogs by a voodoo sorcerer, and must trek through the bayous to break the spell. Disney’s return to ink-and-paint animation (and its first picture with a black “princess” to stand beside Cinderella, Snow White and the rest) faced early criticism from political correctness kibitzers; the result radiates eagerness not to offend as much as visual imagination. Written by Rob Edwards and directors Ron Clements and John Musker (supposedly inspired by E.D. Baker’s young people’s novel The Frog Princess, but really not), it’s fluffy and enjoyable, with an infectious Randy Newman song score and sumptuous animation to compensate for a bland story that goes on longer than it should.