# The Princess and the Frog
**The Princess and the Frog** is a 2009 American animated musical film from [Walt Disney Animation Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-animation-studios), directed by [John Musker](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-musker) and [Ron Clements](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-clements), about Tiana, a young African American waitress in 1920s New Orleans who is transformed into a frog by a kiss meant to break a prince's enchantment.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/) It was the first Disney animated feature to center an African American heroine, and it marked the studio's return to hand-drawn 2D animation after five years of producing only 3D computer-animated films.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-22-la-ca-princess22-2009nov22-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 25, 2009 in New York and Burbank (a 2½-week exclusive engagement at the Disney Studio theater); nationwide December 11, 2009[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/) |
| Format | Hand-drawn 2D animated musical, 97 minutes, rated G[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/) |
| Directors | Ron Clements and John Musker, the team behind *[The Little Mermaid](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-little-mermaid-1989-film)* and *Aladdin*[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/) • [4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog/5008524.article) |
| Sources | Loosely based on the Brothers Grimm's "The Frog Prince" and E.D. Baker's 2002 novel *The Frog Princess*; the working title was *The Frog Princess*[4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog/5008524.article) • [1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/) |
| Music | Songs and score by Randy Newman, a New Orleans native, drawing on the city's jazz sound[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/) • [4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog/5008524.article) |
| Critical score | 86% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, ranked #11 among Disney Princess films[5](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/disney-princess-movies/) |
| Milestone | Disney's first animated feature with an African American heroine, Tiana, voiced by Anika Noni Rose[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
The film is set in New Orleans during the 1920s, in locations including the [French Quarter](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-quarter) and the Garden District, and its magic comes entirely from voodoo.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-22-la-ca-princess22-2009nov22-story.html) • [6](https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/pecl/article/download/1144/1119/3630) Tiana, a bright and resourceful nineteen-year-old, dreams of opening her own restaurant, a goal she inherited from her father James, who taught her that good food brings people together and that hard work makes anything possible.[7](https://movies.disney.com/the-princess-and-the-frog)
Prince Naveen of the fictional country of Maldonia, cut off by his parents for his irresponsible ways, is transformed into a frog by the villain Dr. Facilier, a charismatic voodoo practitioner who lures "marks" into bargains that leave them worse off than before.[7](https://movies.disney.com/the-princess-and-the-frog) Naveen, mistaking the costumed Tiana for a princess at a carnival ball, asks her to kiss him and break the spell; because she is not actually a princess, the kiss transforms her into a frog as well.[6](https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/pecl/article/download/1144/1119/3630) The pair venture into the Louisiana bayou to find Mama Odie, a two-hundred-year-old blind fairy godmother figure who can undo the enchantment, accompanied by the trumpet-playing alligator Louis and the Cajun firefly Ray.[6](https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/pecl/article/download/1144/1119/3630) • [7](https://movies.disney.com/the-princess-and-the-frog)
Tiana spends the majority of the film as a frog, a point that drew criticism from some viewers who felt the marketing of Disney's first Black princess delivered less on-screen Black representation than expected.[8](https://americanstudies.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk7196/files/media/documents/MK_Thesis.pdf)
## Production
Musker and Clements returned to Disney animation seven years after their previous film, *Treasure Planet* (2002).[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-22-la-ca-princess22-2009nov22-story.html) The project's history ran through both studios: Pixar had explored *The Frog Princess* as a possible CG film, first set in Chicago in the 1930s, before [John Lasseter](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-lasseter), who loves New Orleans, suggested that setting; after Lasseter took control of Disney's animation unit he green-lit the film as a hand-drawn feature.[9](https://www.slashfilm.com/505783/interview-the-princess-and-the-frog-directors-jon-musker-and-ron-clements/) • [10](https://time.com/4609386/best-animated-films/) The directors changed the title from *The Frog Princess*, the name of Baker's children's book, to *The Princess and the Frog* during development.[11](https://animatedviews.com/2010/the-princess-and-the-frog-directors-john-musker-and-ron-clements-take-us-to-the-other-side-of-animation/)
The filmmakers researched the region directly, exploring the bayou and visiting the New Orleans Audubon Zoo, where indigenous alligators inspired Louis and spoon-billed birds influenced the birds in Mama Odie's gospel number "Dig a Little Deeper."[12](https://www.cgw.com/Press-Center/Web-Exclusives/2009/Walt-Disney-Animation-Studios-Serves-Up-Hand-dra.aspx) The Orlando-based studio Premise Entertainment also partnered with Disney to provide a significant contribution to the film's animation.[13](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/mind-your-business-partnering-princess-and-frog)
## Music
[Randy Newman](https://www.edgepedia.org/randy-newman), a New Orleans native, composed the score and seven new songs that tap into the New Orleans jazz sound, and he also voices the minor character Cousin Randy.[4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog/5008524.article) • [1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/) The southern setting gives the fairy tale a musical identity distinct from the European-flavored scores of earlier Disney princess films, and the bayou sequences have been described as a reminder of the aesthetic power of hand-drawn animation.[4](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog/5008524.article) Dr. Facilier's villain song "Friends on the Other Side" is among the film's best-known numbers.[7](https://movies.disney.com/the-princess-and-the-frog)
## Reception
The film holds an 86% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus reads: "The warmth of traditional Disney animation makes this occasionally lightweight fairy-tale update a lively and captivating confection for the holidays."[5](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/disney-princess-movies/) Reviewers highlighted the return to traditional animation and storytelling; Common Sense Media described "good, old-fashioned hand-drawn animation and storytelling that thrums to the beat of a big, old-fashioned heart," while noting that some supporting characters feel shallow and that the voodoo subplot is far from subtle.[2](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog) The Decent Films review called it "the first real classic Disney of the 21st century" and the first Disney film since *The Lion King* to feel like a real heir to the studio's classic tradition, while placing it below *Lilo & Stitch* and *The Emperor's New Groove*.[14](https://decentfilms.com/reviews/princessandthefrog) The film carries a G rating, and reviewers flagged the scary, occult-themed imagery around Dr. Facilier as the main content concern for young children.[14](https://decentfilms.com/reviews/princessandthefrog) • [15](https://parentpreviews.com/%20movie-reviews/princess-and-the-frog/)
## Representation and legacy
Tiana's characterization drew sustained scholarly attention. A content-coding study of Disney films released 2009 to 2016 grouped *The Princess and the Frog* with *Tangled*, *Brave*, *Frozen*, and *Moana* as part of a shift toward more androgynous prince and princess characters, and an earlier analysis in *Sex Roles* noted that the princess is portrayed as independent and assertive, and that the film concludes with an interracial marriage.[16](https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/publications/the-rise-of-the-androgynous-princess-examining-representations-of/) • [17](https://moodle.cornellcollege.edu/pluginfile.php/117494/mod_resource/content/2/England%20et%20all%20disney%20princesses.pdf) A Time analysis of dialogue found that, like *Frozen*, the film has male characters speaking more than female ones, even though Tiana works to own her own business in a world controlled by men.[18](https://time.com/4196181/disney-princesses-talking-time/)
The film's success is credited with rejuvenating the marketing potential of the [Disney Princess](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-princess) line, which released four "revival" princess films in the five years from 2009 to 2014.[19](https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/d3fc3517-97e9-43af-941e-21ffc47784a4/content) Time's history of the Disney musical notes that not until the return of the princess musical with *The Princess and the Frog*, *Tangled*, and *Frozen* did moviegoers re-warm to leaving a theater humming.[20](https://time.com/3589558/little-mermaid-disney-animation-renaissance/)
The character's afterlife extended into the theme parks. Disney rethemed the [Splash Mountain](https://www.edgepedia.org/splash-mountain) rides at [Walt Disney World](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-world) and [Disneyland](https://www.edgepedia.org/disneyland), based on the film many viewed as racist, *Song of the South*, into **Tiana's Bayou Adventure**, an attraction updating Tiana's storyline that opened at Disney World in 2024 with the new song "Special Spice," written by New Orleans native PJ Morton and performed by Anika Noni Rose.[21](https://apnews.com/article/e22e9169433365fcb77a51da507a2739) • [22](https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/06/28/tianas-bayou-adventure-ride-opens-disney-world-merch-food) Commentators noted that by refurbishing Splash Mountain into Tiana's ride rather than dismantling it, Disney linked *Song of the South* and *The Princess and the Frog* in the park's history.[21](https://apnews.com/article/e22e9169433365fcb77a51da507a2739)
## References
1. [Princess and the Frog, The (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/princess-and-the-frog-the-film/)
2. [The Princess and the Frog, Common Sense Media review](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog)
3. [Q & A with 'Princess and the Frog' animators, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-22-la-ca-princess22-2009nov22-story.html)
4. [The Princess And The Frog, Screen review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-princess-and-the-frog/5008524.article)
5. [Disney Princess Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/disney-princess-movies/)
6. ["Dreams do come true in New Orleans": American fairy tales, Post-Katrina New Orleans, and Disney's The Princess and the Frog (2009), Papers: Explorations into Children's Literature](https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/pecl/article/download/1144/1119/3630)
7. [The Princess and the Frog, Disney Movies](https://movies.disney.com/the-princess-and-the-frog)
8. [AMS Project thesis, American Studies, UC Davis](https://americanstudies.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk7196/files/media/documents/MK_Thesis.pdf)
9. [Interview: The Princess And The Frog Directors Jon Musker And Ron Clements, /Film](https://www.slashfilm.com/505783/interview-the-princess-and-the-frog-directors-jon-musker-and-ron-clements/)
10. [The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films, Time](https://time.com/4609386/best-animated-films/)
11. [The Princess And The Frog's Directors John Musker and Ron Clements take us to "the other side" of animation, Animated Views](https://animatedviews.com/2010/the-princess-and-the-frog-directors-john-musker-and-ron-clements-take-us-to-the-other-side-of-animation/)
12. [Walt Disney Animation Studios Serves Up Hand-drawn Animation in The Princess and the Frog, Computer Graphics World](https://www.cgw.com/Press-Center/Web-Exclusives/2009/Walt-Disney-Animation-Studios-Serves-Up-Hand-dra.aspx)
13. [Mind Your Business: Partnering on 'Princess and the Frog', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/mind-your-business-partnering-princess-and-frog)
14. [The Princess and the Frog (2009), Decent Films](https://decentfilms.com/reviews/princessandthefrog)
15. [The Princess and the Frog, Parent Previews](https://parentpreviews.com/%20movie-reviews/princess-and-the-frog/)
16. [The rise of the androgynous princess, University of Birmingham](https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/publications/the-rise-of-the-androgynous-princess-examining-representations-of/)
17. [England et al., Sex Roles (2011) 64:555–567](https://moodle.cornellcollege.edu/pluginfile.php/117494/mod_resource/content/2/England%20et%20all%20disney%20princesses.pdf)
18. [The Point of a Disney Princess Isn't Her Talking Time, Time](https://time.com/4196181/disney-princesses-talking-time/)
19. [Masters thesis, Middle Tennessee State University](https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/d3fc3517-97e9-43af-941e-21ffc47784a4/content)
20. [How The Little Mermaid Cued the Disney Animation Renaissance, Time](https://time.com/3589558/little-mermaid-disney-animation-renaissance/)
21. [Attraction starring Disney's first Black princess replaces ride based on film many viewed as racist, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e22e9169433365fcb77a51da507a2739)
22. [Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride opens at Disney World, Axios](https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/06/28/tianas-bayou-adventure-ride-opens-disney-world-merch-food)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films based on folklore and religion*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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