Seventy years ago, Snow White made history for Walt Disney as the star of his first full-length film. In would be 12 years before another princess followed in her footsteps, but follow they would. First came Cinderella (1950), then Sleeping Beauty (1959), Ariel (1989) and Belle (1991).
What did these five princesses all have it common – they were all white. It wasn’t until Alladin was released in 1992, that Disney showcased its first non-Caucasian princess with Jasmine. The diversity continued with Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998).
Now in the 21st Century, Disney will release its first African-American princess in The Princess and the Frog. Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) will be the voice of Princess Tiana, a young girl who lives in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the Jazz age. Expect lots of Cajun charm.
No word on who her prince will be. But since I’m guessing Disney isn’t ready to tackle interracial couples (at least not in cartoons), I expect the prince to also be African-American.
Dr. Facilier, the villian, will be voiced by Keith David (Delta Force, ER).
The Princess and the Frog is expected to be released in late 2009.
Does Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie live up to the buzz that he and NBC have been generating for what seems like months? This Queen Bee decided to leave the hive and take my little bees to their first premiere to see just how sweet Bee Movie really was?
Fresh out of college, Barry Benson (Seinfeld) has the whole world in front of him, or at least a single job making honey in his hive. But unlike his best buddy Adam Flyman (Matthew Broderick), Barry is unwilling to settle for a life of honey production. When Barry sets out on an adventure to discover the rest of the world, he meets Mooseblood (Chris Rock), a mosquito heading to Alaska, and ends up befriending a human. Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger), a New York florist, becomes an unlikely companion sharing her passion for nature with Barry. Together the pair must rescue the world’s flowers.
The Bee Movie brings life in the hive alive. Who knew a bee’s life could be so much like a human’s — cars, parents, school, jobs? 😉 The movie starts with Barry leaving the hive for the first time on what is literally a high flying adventuring. The animation during the opening sequence is so great you get a bee’s-eye view soaring through the air with Barry and the Pollen Jocks (What can I say? Every society has its class structure.)
My two-year-old twins were especially delighted during this first third of the movie. I heard little cries of “weeeee” from my son as he stalled with a handful of popcorn midway to his mouth to watch Barry’s adventure in the big city.
My daughter was just as mesmerized as she peeked through her fingers covering her eyes exclaiming during on of Barry’s less majestic moments of flight “Mommy, he fall. No Look.” (translated: Mommy, he’s going to fall. I can’t look.)
Things slow down a bit during the middle of the movie as Barry sets his plan to change the world in motion. This portion of the movie is filled with an array of star cameos and one-liners that resulted in laughs disproportionally from the adults (don’t worry; nothing inappropriate for the kids).
At this point the twins each moved to a parent’s lap and concentrated on their twizzlers. Although not nearly as captivated as in the beginning of the movie, to my delight, my little ones were still buzzing with interest. It takes a lot to keep a toddler’s interest for 90 minutes.
After Barry learns the consequences of his success at changing the world, the story gains momentum as Barry and Vanessa set out to save the day with a little help from his friends (the advantage of living in a hive — lots of friends).
As a big fan of the Disney animation, I’m used to being hit over the head with the morale lesson. But I’m not sure what the lesson was from this film. My two guesses — be careful what you wish for or take care of the environment.
Either way, I did learn one new fact about bees that I didn’t know — they can’t fly in the rain.
Overall, a good tale, nicely done. For me, Patrick Warburton, the only other Seinfeld alum (Putty) in the movie stole the show as the narcissistic Ken, Vanessa’s boyfriend who is edged out of her life by Barry. And although his screen time is minimal, Chris Rock was hilarious as the blood-sucking Mooseblood.
I have to admit that I’m not a huge Jerry Seinfeld fan. If I hadn’t been given free tickets, I probably would not have gone to see this movie and that would’ve been a shame. I highly recommend the movie especially if you have little ones. This movie will definitely be added to our collection when it comes out on DVD.
What did these five princesses all have it common – they were all white. It wasn’t until Alladin was released in 1992, that Disney showcased its first non-Caucasian princess with Jasmine. The diversity continued with Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998).
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