The Newest Disney Princess

The first time I saw the trailer for The Princess & The Frog, I dismissed it as Disney's latest money-making ploy, right up there with Cinderella II, III, and all those other vomit-inducing sequels.
I have to admit my first thought was something like, "Well, I guess now they have a black President, they need a black Disney Princess." (Am I allowed to say that?)
However, as time wore on there was a glimmer of hope. I began to hear that this movie was taking a step back to the "old ways"; hand-drawn animation, musical song & dance sequences, and the like.Being the open-minded individual I am, not to mention that my curiosity had to be satisfied, I had to give this movie a chance. Well the chance came yesterday, when I went to see it with my friend Cort, a fellow Disney fanatic.
I bought my $5 ticket squeezed between mothers and their 6 year old daughters. The 20-something cashier raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows at me, her fake eyelashes wide with surprise. I stole inside and found my friend, burrowing deep into my seat (ugh, doesn't the Paramount theater have the worst seats on the planet??).
I was trying to stay upbeat about this movie. I mean, on one hand I was still unimpressed with the preview, but I was keeping myself open to being pleasantly surprised.
My first mistake was in assuming that Disney had chosen the princess' race to be politically correct, never mind the historical inaccuracy of it. If I had watched the preview more closely I might have realize that things were not as they seemed.
The tale begins in New Orleans, during the Roarin' 20's...an era which Disney has never covered before. I thought it was a great setting, but that might just be because I love the flapper dresses, bizarre head-wear, and jazz!
I don't want to give away too much for those of you who have not seen it yet, but I will say that I did enjoy it. It was not up to Classic Disney (Beauty & the Beast, Lion King, etc) standards, but it is certainly a step in the right direction, in my humble opinion. The characters were entertaining, mostly lovable (I laughed myself silly at every line Lottie had...couldn't find a picture of her, but you'll know who I mean when you watch it), the songs were lively, if not exactly catchy (Bring Alan Menken back!). The whole thing had just enough cheese, nostalgia, and fun to make it a satisfactory Disney.
The only thing I found a little off-putting was how evil the villain was. I felt sorry for the little kids in the theater, cause I know as a child how scared of the old Disney baddies I was. The voo-doo "Shadow Man" and his "friends on the other side" were quite terrifying, and the death of one of the "good guys" was a little traumatic as well.
Other than that, it was a pretty enjoyable movie, and an acceptable addition to the Disney collection. I am, however, reserving judgment on the 3D, #50 full-length animated film, Rapunzel, due out 2010...it too will have to undergo my scrutiny before it earns a stamp of approval.