Having returned to form with their gloriously traditional The Princess and the Frog, Disney have endeavoured to combine the charm and timelessness of the studio’s staple hand-drawn animation with the wit and dynamism of more recent CG cartoons.

Used sparingly, the two styles beautifully exaggerate the different worlds inhabited by clueless Rapunzel and swashbuckling Flynn Rider, setting the scene for a razor-sharp first act as the characters are thrown together. Credited as the most expensive animated movie ever made, however, is Tangled all it pertains to be?

Blessed with enchanted hair that can glow in the dark, heal all wounds and grant eternal youth, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is held prisoner by vain baby-snatcher, Gothel  (Dona Murphy) – who has been exploiting Rapunzel’s magical locks for the past eighteen years. Unaware of her own childhood kidnapping, the unsuspecting princess has been raised to believe the ‘witch’ to be her true mother and the world beyond her window to be a dark and frightening place, unfit for her vulnerable self. Determined, nevertheless, to explore the outside world, Rapunzel escapes with thief-on-the-run Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) in order to make her dreams of freedom come true. Accompanied by her silent pet chameleon, and on the run from both of their numerous pursuers, the mismatched couple must learn to work as a team if they are ever to let true love conquer all.

Let it first be said that Tangled is a visual treat, beautifully marrying traditional Disney with the fluidity achievable through expertly rendered CGI. Combined with an unobtrusive use of 3D, Tangled takes place in a wonderfully immersive and compelling environment, full of handsome and charismatic characters, interacting with a wit and verve many live-action action-comedies would be jealous of.

A gender-divide bridging mix of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, Tangled complements its trademark love story with just enough action and humour to disguise the ornate romance at play so that boys can enjoy without fear of cooties or what have you, abetted by a cunning name-change from Rapunzel to the more gender-neutral Tangled. Disney’s verve for show-stealing supporting players is similarly intact, a ruthless but ultimately loyal horse and trusty chameleon filling out the cast and Happy Meals alike.

Although spectacular, however, Tangled does suffer under the promise of its ambitious enterprise. While undoubtedly a Disney movie keen to reap the best of both worlds, Tangled never quite delivers on either its central romance or its action aspirations. Opening with a self-aware voice over that suggests we’re firmly in The Emperor’s New Groove territory (no bad thing), the characters take so long to establish themselves that their initial interactions do not seem to justify the ‘true love’ that we are supposed to invest in come the third act. Similarly, the central villain, overgenerously titled a witch, struggles to bring Maleficent-esque menace to what is essentially an overprotective mother. Should this movie find itself adapted for the stage a la The Lion King, Gothel will need a considerable shot off “boo-hiss” to appeal to experienced audiences. The second act, which in Disneyland is usually home to the obstacle which love must overcome, is dealt with too swiftly, each character deprived of their stand-out moment – to be immortalised on lunchboxes forever.

The soundtrack too seems somewhat half-baked, Tanged contains no truly show-stopping musical numbers. One of the elements that worked best in The Princess and the Frog, it is a shame that songs which are performed so competently fail to make a lasting impression. Although it is debatable whether Disney ever actually lost its mojo, Tangled never quite reaches greatness, leaving its great characters with little to do but play with their hair.

That is not to say, however, that Tangled is not enjoyable. It is, hugely so. It is impossible to predict whether this Rapunzel will prove such a birthday party mainstay as Belle or Cinderella, something that is entirely at the movie’s target audience’s liberty to decide. Igniting the U.S. box office over Thanksgiving and giving Harry Potter a run for his horcuxes at the box office, Tangled is certainly proving popular with the masses. However, as the most expensive animated production of all time, Tangled is living happily ever after before it ever really has a chance to begin. Due for release in the U.K. this January, Tangled may just escape unflattering comparisons to last years’ mighty Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon.

Ultimately, Tangled is an immensely entertaining addition to the Disney pantheon, making full use of the third dimension to deliver a fun-filled adventure filled with vivacious characters and thrilling set pieces. Letting their hair down after The Princess and the Frog, Disney have come through with another solid tale that transcends its amalgam of different animation techniques.

****~ (4/5)

The Princess and the Frog was a breath of fresh air when we saw it released back in February this year. It’s now come out on Blu Ray and DVD and I’m pleased to report the magic transfers seamlessly onto your home TV screens.

The movie was the first to be hand drawn since 2004 and it was new Creative Director of Disney, John Lasseter who decided to bring the hand -drawn animation back to the studio where it all began with the genius that was, Walt Disney. The Princess and the Frog is a retelling of the fairy tale created by Grimm brothers back in the 19th Century. It feature a voice cast which includes Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana, Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen and Keith David as the films bad-guy, Dr. Facilier. John Musker and Ron Clements are the men directing the movie and they do such a fantastic job at finding the New Orleans atmosphere from which the movie is set. Using music and capturing the essence of the city that is famous for jazz, they manage to pull off yet another Disney classic that has all the elements that we’re used to Disney of old. Clever animation, an awesome soundtrack and sing-a-long songs, wonderful characters and a bad guy that will scare you just enough to make you dislike him!

If you’ve not seen The Princess and the Frog, I urge you to buy or rent it. If you have kids, this is the perfect movie to put on and sit down together and watch on a Saturday afternoon. If you’d like to read our full review of the movie, click here to view Jon’s review from the theatrical release.

The Princess and the Frog is available to buy now.

Since I’d seen the movie already, I was keen to see what Disney has added to their list of special features and the list is long:

• Audio Commentary: Commentary by John Musker and Ron Clements (Co-Writers and Directors) and Peter Del Vecho (Producer)

• Deleted Scenes

Introduction to Deleted Scenes by John Musker and Ron Clements.

• Advice From Mama
• Alternate Louis Introduction
• Stop And Smell The Roses
• Naveen Confides In Ray

• Games & Activities

What Do You See: Princess Portraits: Mama Odie welcomes us to the bayou, where Ray’s firefly family has just outlined a picture of Tiana.  Mama Odie proposes a game to test the viewers’ knowledge of princesses.  Ray’s firefly family will arrange themselves to create a picture of one of the princesses.  If the viewer correctly identifies which princess is seen in the formation they make, they are rewarded with a brief – hip, and slightly irreverent – re-telling of that princess’ story, which plays as a montage on the surface of the water.

• Music & More: “Never Knew I Needed” Music Video by Ne-Yo/ Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-ray™ Is Suite!

• Backstage Disney

• Magic in the Bayou: The Making of The Princess & The Frog: A freewheeling, documentary-style ramble through the making of Disney’s newest animated film. This piece will capture both the spirit and the story of how THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG emerged from a vague concept in the minds of Musker and Clements, to become a splashy, lavish animated film set in the enchanting, mythical world of New Orleans and the surrounding bayous.

The 37th annual Annie awards were held last night with Pixar’s Up taking the prize for the Best Animated feature, adding weight to the expectation that it will walk away with the Oscar for Best Animated Feature when the awards are handed out on March the 7th.

The International Animated Film Society also honoured Up’s director Pete Docter with the award for Directing in a Feature Production, while Disney’s triumphant return to hand-drawn animation, The Princess and the Frog, walked away with Animated Effects, Character Animation and Voice Acting for Jen Cody’s ebullient craziness as the spoiled Charlotte.

My own favorite of last year, Henry Selick’s sublime adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, took home both Character and Production Design and Bruno Coulais’ wonderfully haunting score was honoured with Music in a Feature Production. Coraline excelled in each of these areas and Henry Selick’s design for the film captured perfectly the strange world of Coraline Jones and the marvelous and sinister Other world.

Each of these films have a wealth of talent behind them, and while I thought Up petered out before the end, whereas Coraline for my money held the story far better, making for a more satisfying conclusion overall, the awards underline the great work being done in the field of animation.

TheWrap have the full list of awards here.

At the end of last year, Disney were kind enough to give us a massive sneak peak into one of their latest movies, The Princess and the Frog which doesn’t get released in the UK until 5th February (TODAY!). We at HeyUGuys loved the movie and you can see our review here but before you do, you might like to check out the personal message that John Lasseter recorded for us and a handful of other bloggers that were at the screening. Both the jaws on Jon and my mouth dropped when it began and I thought it was too good not to share with you all.

So, for your viewing pleasure, he’s a personal message from John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Disney Studios. He talks about The Princess and the Frog, touches on how it was made, how it will make you feel and we’re pleased to report all he says is true…. but you knew it would be, the man is a legend! Thanks to Disney for sending this through and letting use it.

When you watched the below, check out our exclusive interviews with Supervising Animator Andreas Deja , Directors John Musker and Ron Clements and leading lady Anika Noni Rose.

Here’s the third and final exclusive interview that we gave for The Princess and the Frog which is out in UK cinemas today! Part one with Andreas Deja can be found here and part 2 with Directors, John Musker and Ron Clements here.

The movie is the first hand drawn animation for 10 odd years from Disney Animation Studios and it was so nice to see the medioum brought back after such a long break. You can read our review here but suffice to say, you won’t be disappointed.

I was lucky enough to meet Anika Noni Rose, a real life Disney Princess who plays Tiana in the movie. I ask her how she prepared for the role, how she reacted when she found out she got the part and what it was like to work for the Mouse House and where she draws her inspiration from.

Part One of the interviews with Andreas Deja (Supervising Animator for Mama Odie) can be found here and part two with directors, John Musker and Ron Clements can be found here.

Yesterday we brought you part one of our exclusive interviews with cast and crew from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog in the form of an interview with Supervising Animator, Andreas Deja . Today we have the second installment and have an interview with both directors of the new movie, John Musker and Ron Clements.

Both guys were lovely to chat to and told me how The Princess and the Frog had come into being, how 2d animation has changed to sit in the 21st Century and how influential John Lassester was in the whole process of bringing their vision to reality.

Tomorrow at 13:15 GMT, we have an exclusive interview with leading lady, Anika Noni Rose so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for that one. You can keep track of all our coverage of this magical movie here.

The Princess and the Frog is released tomorrow, 5th December in cinemas all over the place. 

Over the next three days at exactly 13:15 GMT we have a real treat for our lovely readers in the form of three exclusive video interviews with the supervising animator, the Directors and leading lady herself, Anika Noni Rose from Disney’s latest movie, The Princess and the Frog.

Part one of our interviews is with leading animator, Andreas Deja who was the supervising animator for Mama Odie in the movie. During the interview I find out what his role is on a day to day basis, how they come up with a characters look and how he felt returning back to hand drawn animation after such a long time away from the paper and pen.

You’ll also notice that Andreas has a pad on his lap. During the interview he started drawing his latest, Mama Odie on the pad and we were lucky enough to capture the entire event on camera. I’ve edited it so that you can see both his interview and the drawing that he’s doing while I continue to ask him questions. And who ever said men can’t multi-task?!

The Princess and the Frog is out this Friday in all cinemas and we know you’ll love it. You can check out our review here or for even more info on the movie, you can watch the press conference in full here.

Disney’s latest movie is a beautiful work of art with a magical touch and a soul stirring soundtrack that made me realise how much I’d missed hand drawn animation in this brave new world of CG.

It was John Lasseter who refilled the inkwells and restocked the paint pots of Disney’s traditional hand drawn animation studios after their doors closed following the completion of 2004′s Home on the Range, and it was a bold move from a man who introduced the screening personally via a pre-recorded message. You’ll know the man and his works, and you should also know that he has an overwhelming passion for what he does: celebrating wonderful stories, beautifully told.

The Princess and the Frog is a film that combines the very best of Disney’s talented storytellers, and you can practically feel the love that was poured into each frame of this film. I’m not sure whether it was the physical act of animating by hand, and certainly I’m not going to place this above the CG classics of Pixar, but there is a timeless quality to this film in the fairy tale narrative and the magical invention that the writers and animators place throughout that makes this film truly special.

I’ve become tired of lazy animated features that rely on celebrity voice-overs and anachronistic pop culture twists to engage the audience. No-one can spin a yarn like Disney, and this film is redolent of old-style Disney, who are capable of creating a funny, boisterous and thrilling romance that calls back to early classics such as Lady and the Tramp as well as the more recent Aladdin.

The story is borrowed and adapted from E.D. Baker’s The Frog Princess and the scene is set in the glowing gloaming of New Orleans, and the town is alive with music and song. The central relationships are quickly built as we are introduced to Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) and Charlotte as children and their friendship straddles the poverty line with Charlotte’s wealthy ‘Big’ Daddy (John Goodman, perfect as usual) and Tiana’s humble family with big dreams. Charlotte wants to marry a Prince, Tiana wants to open a restaurant. It’s simple and as the years fly by in the opening credits we see that even as young adults Tiana and Charlotte haven’t changed all that much.

Enter Prince Naveen, a fiery, loquacious lothario who steps off the boat eager for an adventure and falls foul of a voodoo curse courtesy of Dr. Facilier and is transformed into a frog. Circumstance conspires and Tiana kisses the frog and, contrary to popular legend is herself transformed into a frog. So begins their quest to return to human form and, along the way, perhaps fall in love. This is a Disney film after all, and I won’t go into the details of what happens, suffice to say that even though you know where the film is going the fluidity and zest of the script results in a perfectly paced fantasy adventure; following the Disney formula has never been so much fun.

I loved the songs, the spirit of New Orleans captured perfectly and every sparkling tune manages to rise above the morally didactic standard. In particular the bayou sequences are charming and the characters they introduce (a jazz loving gator named Louis and a lovesick firefly named Ray) are instantly lovable companions to the amphibious couple of Tiana and her Prince. Overcoming obstacles and escaping dangers the merry gang bond and discover their heart’s desires with great dialogue and proper old school slapstick. This is like a greatest hits of Disney and it manages to be refreshing and familiar without being derivative – no mean feat, and a testament to Lasseter’s faith in his hand picked writers and directors John Musker and Ron Clements.

The perils are real and the shadowy voodoo monsters are genuinely scary, perhaps a little too much for younger children, but in my experience this is a good thing and kids love to be as scared as thrilled during the course of the film. Every actor does a great job, by sheer coincidence I watched Dreamgirls the night before I saw this film and Anika Noni Rose shines just as brightly here, able to convey a pitch perfect performance as Disney’s latest addition to their Princess stable. Bruno Campos as the Prince and Keith David as the sinister Shadow Man are excellent and embody the black and white of their respective characters with just the right hint of shades of grey.

The animation I’ve touched upon but I wanted to reiterate the magnificent work done by Disney’s animators. Watching Snow White gives a good indication of the care and expertise of Disney’s earliest feature animators and the standard of work has survived the decades in-between. The animation has a grace rarely seen on the big screen and in the era, when we are deluged by animated features, it is a rare thing to be sat amazed at the quality of work on screen.

Disney have created a film that is as impressive in its execution and inventiveness as it is in its charm. There are moments in this film, such as the chorus of fireflies and the final chase through the graveyard that will sweep you up, and while the film’s plot won’t surprise anyone it is the wonderful combination of craftsmanship and showmanship on the part of Disney that has created a stunning work, to be enjoyed time and again.

Disney’s The Princess and the Frog is out in the US on the 11th of December, UK readers will have to wait until the 5th of February to catch this gem.

Last week has been a busy but great one for HeyUGuys. One of the things that kept us busy was the the press conference for Disney’s new movie, The Princess and the Frog which is the first hand-drawn animation for just over 20 years. The last completely hand-drawn animation was The Little Mermaid back in 1989. Man, I can’t believe it’s that old!

Directors John Musker & Ron Clements, the latest Disney Princess Anika Noni Rose, Supervising Animator for Mama Odie, Andreas Deja and Producer Peter Del Vecho were all in London town looking forward to seeing the movie hit cinemas across the country this Friday (5th February).

During the interview, the directors talk about the story and how The Princess and the Frog came into being, Anika talks about how she moulded her character into the Tiana and the now know and love and Andreas Deja talks about how 2d animation has been enhanced and what we can look forward to seeing from Disney in the future.

You can check out the full press conference in it’s entirety below. The Princess and the frog is released this Friday, 5th February and you can read our review here and all our coverage of the movie here including exclusive interviews with the directors, Anika Noni Rose and Andreas Deja here.

I’m fresh out of the Princess and the Frog press juncket where I got to interview the leading lady, Anika Noni Rose, Directors Jon Musker and Ron Clements and Supervising Animator, Andreas Deja. The footage from those interviews should be ready to go early next week but in the mean time, check out this wonderful evening that was held in London last night.

Disney put on a special screening of the movie where celebrities including Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana), John Musker (Director), Ron Clements (Director),
William Tempest (fashion designer), Amanda Holden, Stacey Solomon (X Factor), Sinitta, Gail Porter,  Rt Hon. Paul Boateng, Donal MacIntyre were able to bring along thier kids and really experience the Disney magic in it’s full flow! At the event, Anika sang and was accompanies, rather randomly on piano by my friend Craig! It’s a small world!

We’ve also got a load of photos from the event which you can check out below the embedded video. Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks for our coverage from the Princess and the Frog which will be vast! The movie is released in cinemas February 5th.

A brand new poster for Disney’s The Princess and the Frog has been released by Empire Online. The poster is similar to those we’ve seen before but let’s face it, they’re all beautiful crafted like the movie itself.

HeyUGuys were able to see the movie a couple of weeks ago and our review is now up here. This is the first hand-drawn animation for over 10 years and it’s good to see that Disney are still making them like they used to!

Click the image above to enlarge. The Princess and the Frog is out 5th February and we know you’re going to love it!

Disney Movies UK have sent us some awesome new images for their latest 2d animation, The Princess and the Frog.This is the first time that Disney has released a 2d hand drawn movie for over ten years.

The movie isn’t out in the UK until February but HeyUGuys managed to get a very advanced screening this week (Jon’s review here) and they’ve now been kind enough to send us some new images from the movie which is set to capture the hearts and minds of all.

Check out the lovely new images below and click them to enlarge.

Synopsis: Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (ANIKA NONI ROSE), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman.