I was part of the lucky generation of moviegoers that were privy to some of the biggest Disney hits. One of the first movies I remember seeing in the theater was The Little Mermaid, and from that point on I was hooked on Disney movies. Even at 22 years old, I’m still a sucker for anything Disney. Thus, I was really excited about the release of Disney’s newest film, The Princess and the Frog.

There was a lot about The Princess and the Frog that had me enthused about the movie’s release. First off, I’ve always been–and probably always will be–a much bigger fan of the classic 2D style of animation than the CGI animation with which Hollywood has decided to bombard us in recent years.

Don’t get me wrong, I think CGI animation can have an awesome cinematic effect, and since the release of Toy Story in 1995, CGI technology has seen significant development. However, with CGI animation there’s sometimes the feeling of sensory overload, that there’s just too much going on. Or, maybe, it’s just the nostalgia and reminiscence of some of my favorite movies that makes me prefer 2D animation to CGI.

Regardless of the reason why I prefer 2D animation, the fact that I do is part of the reason I was interested in The Princess and the Frog. With the release of 2004′s Home on the Range, Walt Disney Animation Studios announced that all future films would be done with CGI animation. Thus, I was both surprised and excited when I discovered that The Princess and the Frog would be a return to 2D animation.

Another aspect of The Princess and the Frog that piqued my interest in the film was the triumphant return of the Disney Princess. Disney started their animated tradition with the story of the princess despised by her stepmother with 1937′s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This set a standard for the role of the princess–or at least a central female character–for all subsequent animated Disney films.

Even before Disney made the turn toward CGI, that character started disappearing. In fact, the last Disney princess was Mulan, back in 1998, and technically she was a warrior, not a princess. Having grown up with the characters of Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, and Pocahontas as the stars of my generation’s Disney movies, and having had early exposure to Aurora/Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White, it was a tragedy to see Disney moving away from the princesses.

With The Princess and the Frog, it seems like Disney is trying to make a return to the type of story that helped the studio’s animated flicks as beloved as they are. 2007′s Enchanted seemed like the first effort towards that return, but going back to 2D animation seems like a final push towards that.

The biggest thing that has always kept me attached to Disney films, though, is the soundtracks. Music makes a huge difference in the overall tone and effect of a movie, and Disney has always had great success tying musical scores to their films. Aladdin, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid all earned the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and numerous Disney songs have been nominated for and won Grammys and the Academy Award for Best Song.

Honestly, I would wager that if I were to throw out the name of a Disney movie right now, the first thing that would spring to mind wouldn’t be the plot or even a character from the movie–more than likely, a song from the film would pop into your head. Part of what has defined Disney animated films are the songs that accompany them. They’re the type of songs that, no matter who you’re with, if you turn them on the majority of people will not only know the songs, but start singing along to them.

That is what I’ve always loved most about Disney films–their musicality. Consequently, when I found out that The Princess and the Frog was to go back to the days when Disney soundtracks actually featured the characters singing, rather than having the music simply set the tone.

I actually had the soundtrack for The Princess and the Frog before seeing the movie, and have been listening to it fairly regularly in order to give my best possible analysis.

I’m a little conflicted about The Princess and the Frog‘s soundtrack. I really enjoy the songs, but overall the soundtrack just doesn’t feel like a Disney soundtrack. Allow me to clarify.

Taken on its own, the soundtrack is a lot of fun. The movie takes place in New Orleans, and the songs have a definite Cajun and jazz vibe to them. For the most part, the songs are very upbeat, but the slower songs add a nice balance to the mix. One of my personal favorites from the soundtrack is Ma Belle Evangeline, which can be classified as the ballad of the bunch. It’s much more mellow than the rest of the soundtrack, yet has a very sweet, romantic silliness to it.

Disney always does well finding vocalists for films, and The Princess and the Frog is no exception. Every vocalist on the album sounds like they would have fit in perfectly in the jazz age in which the movie takes place. They sing with soul, sass, and spunk, and an overall vocal quality that’s very pleasant on the ears.

Just as well done as the vocal tracks are the instrumental tracks. The score was written and performed by Randy Newman, so going into it you can expect it’s going to be pretty good, and listening to it doesn’t disappoint. The instrumentals are beautiful, and go back and forth nicely between upbeat, jazzy, and whimsical.

What’s interesting about the score is the style of it. Randy Newman has a very distinct style, and his music can generally be picked out as his fairly easily. His score for The Princess and the Frog, however, doesn’t quite stick to his usual style, and I actually think that works well for the score.

Now, as I said, taken on its own the soundtrack is very good. However, when put in the context of being a Disney soundtrack, The Princess and the Frog doesn’t quite fill the bill.

The songs are fun and catchy, but they lack the sing-along quality that is usually associated with Disney songs. It’s difficult to understand the words to some of the lyrics, and the overall style of the songs doesn’t really give much in the way of engaging the listener.

Instead, listening to The Princess and the Frog is a pretty passive experience. Rather than being drawn into the songs and wanting to belt them out at the top of your lungs, there’s a bit of a distance between the songs and the listener. They’re enjoyable to listen to and dance along with a little, but they just don’t have the same all-encompassing vibe that most Disney songs possess. The songs can be listened to, and that’s about it.

I would definitely recommend checking out The Princess and the Frog soundtrack, just don’t expect it to fit the usual mold of a Disney soundtrack. Do expect, though, to hear some good music that will have you boogie-ing in your seat.

Overall rating of this soundtrack? I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I must say I knew almost nothing of this film going into the screening so I wasn’t expecting much from it. Boy was a pleasantly surprised as I sat in a brand spanking new theater with comfy leather seats and three other critics. I must say I love my job!

Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame, brings us a world of real people, real life, real laughter and real pain all in a 90 minute film. Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden brings the worlds of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan closer to home, closer to the viewer. All of this accomplished by a simple American in pursuit of the world’s most wanted man.

The documentary is full of wiseass commentary, funny, yet real questions, and real answers. All to be expected after we saw Morgan in his first big at bat with Super Size Me. But what was not expected was the realness he brings to the viewers this time around. The views from real people living in these hard times in far away countries was really brought home well. It was an in your face look at what Islam is and why Bin Laden really isn’t the issue, “He is just one person”.

Following Morgan through his self defense training, how to deal with snipers, chemical bombs, grenades and more, got us going on the journey to find Osama. From getting 15 plus shots to dieing multiple times while being trained, Spurlock brings us closer to the world we live in but are not aware of.

Morgan Spurlock of “Super Size Me” fame brings us a new glimpse of what life really is like in waring countries. All the while trying to find the most sought after man in the world.

I was into this movie from the start of the film with a Mortal Combat type simulation of Morgan vs Bin Laden in a video game to introduce them both. The use of comic book animation, video game intros and the original soundtrack caught me off guard. In a good way!

One of my friends was quoted saying at the end of the film “It’s almost like its Islam for Dummies”. He hit the nail square on the head. This look into the Islam movement and the reality that we, as American’s are taught that they all fear and hate us is so off based. The faces we see and hate on TV are those of a very very small percentage of the Islam faith movement. This film has heart, love, pain, and pure educational value for those of us who are less apt to watch anything like the “news”.

Overall I would gladly recommend this to any friend who wants to see something entertaining and thought provoking.

I would rate this film as a

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆