Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Enter Princess Tiana's world of talking frogs, singing alligators and lovesick fireflies as she embarks on an incredible journey through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. Spurred on by a little bit of courage and a great big dream, these new friends come to realize what's truly important in life...love, family and friendship.

I find it surprising that Disney moved away from traditional hand drawn animation. I don’t think that had anything to do with the plummeting ticket sales they were seeing near the end; that was due to the plummeting quality of the stories. CG animation is only as good as the story behind it as well. We’ve seen plenty of stinkers in both camps. This is not only a return to hand drawn animation for Disney, it is a return to the more musical and classic storytelling that made them so popular in the first place. It has a more timeless quality to it and the attention to detail is stupendous. While I wouldn’t rate the storyline up there with the all time classics, it is a definite step in the right direction to return to the once magnificent Disney features.

Disney astounds once again with this gorgeous HD transfer. The lush detail and beautiful backgrounds make for a sumptuous visual affair that has plenty of dimension. Colors leap off the screen in some sequences and I loved the darker moments with their rich contrast. Some of the hand drawn stuff doesn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped compared to the incredible backdrops, but the kids won’t even notice. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is also spectacular and the musical numbers really liven the mix up with great low end response. The mix has a very spatial quality with full use of the surround and side soundstage. The voice work blends perfectly with the characters and the film’s score has a great lingering quality.

This release comes in two flavors with one adding a standard DVD copy of the film to the package. You also get a ton of behind the scenes features that talk about the return of hand drawn animation to Disney, making the film and the newest Disney “princess”. Some deleted scenes, music videos, trailers and galleries are also included. The DVD features an audio commentary by the directors along with a game. There is also a digital copy for your portable devices.

While not the home run I was hoping for, this is still a big step in the right direction for Disney’s return to their more beloved productions. The Blu-ray looks fantastic making this an easy recommendation for the little ones in your household.