Taking a spin with the beautiful Tiana through Louisiana reminds me of the stories that made me sing and dance as a child. Whether it's Mowgli from The Jungle Book or Basil of The Great Mouse Detective, heroes abound in the cartoon world that Walt Disney has dominated for years. And the "old-fashioned" The Princess and The Frog feature is enough to take you on a wild adventure, while recognizing that there are elements here which dance on the wild side.

The story itself follows two young women, the poor Tiana and the rich Charlotte, as they progress quickly to a "coming-of-age." They both encounter the visiting dignitary Prince Naveen who is seeking out a sugar mama to take care of him, now that his parents have cut him off from the bottomless wealth he'd lived with up until that point. He's foolish enough to make a deal with the film's devil, the voodoo doc, Dr. Facilier. Of course, you've probably guessed that he becomes the frog in question, but here in a reversal, Tiana ends up turned into a frog, too.

The two must embark on a journey to reverse Facilier's magic, joined by Louis the jazzy alligator and Ray the Cajun firefly. They're forced to stay one step ahead of Facilier, exploring their futures and determining what it will mean for them to explore their dreams and recognizing when their dreams die. It's classic Disney, as individuals find true love, lose it, and chase after it again, and people find that our worth isn't solely determined by what's on the outside.

I know that some folks will be bothered by the "magic" of Facilier, and the demons which haunt around him. But is Malificent (of Sleeping Beauty) any less scary or dangerous? Is the wickedness of Ursala (of The Little Mermaid) or Cruella De Ville (of 101 Dalmatians) any more troublesome? Of course, the "final battle" scene is seriously scary for some of the younger crowd, and the death of a key character may take some explaining, but the overall thrust of the movie is quite pleasing as love, courage, friendship, etc. are brought to the forefront.

The adventure is exciting, the characters are charming (even Facilier is pretty smooth), the animation is sweet, and the music is worth a listen. Disney cartoons are often funny and clever, and The Princess and the Frog is no exception. One has to wonder if twenty or thirty years from now, we won't be comparing the contemporary cartoons to this one. That would make it pretty timeless.

My edition of the movie included a Blu-ray version with plenty of special features (including a discussion of the hand-drawn technique the movie returns to), a regular DVD version, and a digital copy available for download so that it's easily transportable. Options are also available in single DVD and single Blu-ray versions.