BUENA VISTA has released their most recent animated musical, "THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG," on blu-ay and dvd. Although not it wasn't the big box-office success that the studio had hoped for, it's never-the-less a classic, deserving a place right up there with the best animated films from the DISNEY studio.

Inspired by a Brothers Grimm tale, "THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG" never succumbs to the bleak, disturbing imagery of those storytellers, relishing in the music, humor and hand-drawn animation which Disney "classics" are known for.  Set in 1920s New Orleans, a young girl, Tiana, works hard as a waitress, hoping one day to have the good fortune to open her own restaurant. Tiana's life changes drastically when Naveen, a dashing Prince before having been transformed into a frog by a Voodoo Priest, Dr. Facilier, mistakes her for a princess. Naveen promises Tiana, in exchange for a kiss, he'll grant her any wish she desires. With a brilliant twist, upon Tiana's kiss, she turns into a frog  as well! The rest of the story has the duo hurrying to fix their curse, assisted along their journey by a alligator and firefly. Their quest is filled with perils, including hideous beasts belonging to Dr. Facilier, frog hunters(It is New Orleans, remember?)and more! It's to the studio's credit that they've chosen to make Tiana their first African American princess, beautiful and intelligent, she's certainly someone young girls of all diversity can admire. Due to the setting,  jazz is in the background, along with some colorful examples of Creole culture, and the studio demonstrates their ability to make any place at any time, even more magical than it already would've been. There is a lot going on here! In fact, so much so, that it's easy for the two main characters to become overshadowed by the supporting characters and scale of what's created. Still, when the focus is on Naveen and Tiana, "PRINCESS AND THE FROG" is at its best. While marketing and the title may suggest it's strictly a film for little girls, (they will enjoy it the most)there's more than enough for boys as well and the humor is universal. The songs provided don't rise anywhere near the level of the classics offered in most other DISNEY animated classics. However, the animation is spectacular and "PRINCESS AND THE FROG" moves at a brisk pace, making it one of those films easy to recommend for the entire family to enjoy, on repeated occasions.

DISNEY has provided the correct 1.78:1 aspect ratio for this AVC MPEG-4 1080p blu-ray.  Colors are bold and vibrant in every frame! This is easily one of the best looking animated films to come out in years, and the high-def transfer is flawless! The bayou settings employ various hues, both bright and dark. All of the variations of color are perfectly replicated in this transfer. Contrast is also flawless and blacks have never looked inkier! Even the darkest colors are distinguishable, regardless of shadow. The detail is consistently impressive. "THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG" does a lot to set the bar for what "excellent" should look like on blu-ray!

BUENA VISTA has provided a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix. As mentioned the music and songs are not particularly memorable. However, the Randy Newman score is great and complimented by the creative discrete effects and bass. The mix is immersive, blending panning/surround effects with layers of music, bass and dialogue.  The dynamic range is also amazing, allowing for the various nuances of the mix to really make a difference to a given scene. Dialogue is always perfectly intelligible, even when surrounded by layers of effects. A reference quality mix!

The 3 Disc set comes with:

An audio commentary that aspiring filmmakers/animators should enjoy. Directors/co-writers and the producer go into great depth as to the inner workings and development of the film. Casual viewers may find it dull. But, for those who typically enjoy commentaries, these three keep the discussion lively throughout.

A Picture-in-picture option allows the viewing of earlier storyboards, pencil work, and more, alongside the final film.(younger viewers will not like this!Strictly for fans of animation who enjoy viewing the constructive process)

A 20 minute featurette with behind-the-scenes footage, "MAGIC IN THE BAYOU," is offered in HD.

Two scenes are used to demonstrate how live-action is used, in "BRINGING LIFE TO ANIMATION," an 8 minute HD featurette.

Deleted scenes(HD) include 4 unfinished scenes, with explanation as to their excision.

Other featurettes are typically 3 minutes in length and in HD.

Of course, with this 3 disc set, comes the dvd and a Digital copy.