Tiana's the belle of the ball

Few movies have been greeted with as much anticipation, and outright apprehension, than The Princess and the Frog, Disney's first animated movie to feature an African American princess. You can exhale now: The Princess and the Frog is a triumph on every one of the myriad levels it has been asked to succeed on.

Anika Noni Rose gives mellifluous spoken and musical voice to Tiana, who works as a waitress in 1920s New Orleans and dreams of opening her own restaurant. When the handsome Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) arrives in town, at first it looks like he'll be married off to Charlotte (Jennifer Cody), a spoiled Southern belle whose family employed Tiana's seamstress mother. But when the villainous voodoo doctor Facilier (Keith David) intervenes, everyone's plans go awry, with both Tiana and Prince Naveen winding up as frogs lost in the Louisiana bayou.

With a lilting, catchy score written by the venerable Randy Newman and hand-drawn animation that evokes the most cherished Disney classics, The Princess and the Frog effortlessly takes its place in one of cinema's most-revered canons, managing to be groundbreaking and utterly familiar at the same time. Most important, Tiana turns out to be not just pretty but competent and self-sufficient, embodying the principle that wishing upon a star might help you express your dreams, but hard work, character and perseverance make them come true.

Don't Miss it

The Princess and the Frog will be screened on Monday at 5pm at Mall of the Emirates.