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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.

Previously seen on Atomic Popcorn