MODERNISM: The Princess and The Frog by Ron Clements and John Musker

Literary Modernism has its origins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly in Europe and North America. Modernism is characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional styles of poetry and verse. Modernists experimented with literary form and expression, adhering to the modernist maxim to "Make it new." The modernist literary movement was driven by a desire to overturn traditional modes of representation and express the new sensibilities of their time.

(from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernist_literature)

The Story:

Tiana is a young waitress from New Orleans, Louisiana who has held a passion for the culinary arts ever since she was a child. Inspired by her late father, Tiana steadily works day and night shifts at two different diners in order to raise money to buy an old sugar mill, which she plans to turn into the restaurant ("Down in New Orleans"). Charlotte La Bouff, a débutante and childhood friend of Tiana, hires her to provide beignets for the Mardi Gras masquerade ball being thrown by her rich father, Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff. Eli, the perennial King of the Mardi Gras, seeks to welcome the recently-arrived Prince Naveen of Maldonia as an eligible suitor to his pampered daughter. Tiana is thrilled to finally have enough to purchase and renovate the old sugar mill into her restaurant ("Almost There").

The disinherited Prince Naveen, penniless and unskilled, is nevertheless intent on marrying a wealthy woman rather than learning a trade. He and his valet Lawrence encounter Dr. Facilier, a voodoo witch doctor who convinces the pair that he can improve both their lives. Instead, after reading their fortunes, Facilier transforms Naveen into a frog and gives Lawrence a voodoo charm, filled with Naveen's blood, which when worn transforms his appearance to that of Naveen's. Facilier intends for Lawrence, under the guise of Naveen, to marry Charlotte in order to gain access to her father’s fortune ("Friends on the Other Side").

At the ball, Charlotte unknowingly flirts with Lawrence as Tiana discovers she may lose the mill to a higher bidder. Tiana then meets Naveen, who, believing her to be a princess because of her costume, asks her to kiss him and break Facilier's curse. Tiana reluctantly agrees, in exchange for the money needed to outbid the other buyer. However, instead of Naveen turning back into a human, Tiana is turned into a frog herself. A chase ensues, and Naveen and Tiana escape to a bayou.

Lawrence (still disguised as Naveen) later proposes to Charlotte, who happily agrees, but soon the magic in Facilier's charm wears off and Lawrence reverts to his original form. Facilier tells Lawrence they need another sample of the prince's blood in order to prolong the spell, but discovers that Lawrence had foolishly released him. Facilier turns to the voodoo spirits for help, with the promise that once Lawrence marries Charlotte, he will have total control over New Orleans and will be able to offer the citizens' souls as payment. The voodoo spirits give Facilier shadow demons, who are then dispatched to locate Naveen.

At the bayou, Tiana and Naveen meet Louis, a trumpet-playing alligator, who offers to lead them to Mama Odie, an ancient and good-hearted voodoo priestess who they believe can undo the curse ("When We're Human"). Later, they meet Ray, a Cajun firefly, who joins them on their journey ("Gonna Take You There"). Ray tells Tiana about his love, Evangeline, who is later revealed to be the Evening Star ("Ma Belle Evangeline").

When the four at last meet Mama Odie, she tells the frogs that Naveen must kiss a true princess for them to become human, and that since Eli La Bouff is King of Mardi Gras, Charlotte is a princess, but only until the stroke of midnight, when Mardi Gras is over ("Dig a Little Deeper"). Naveen soon realizes that he loves Tiana, but before he can admit his feelings, he is captured by the shadow demons and brought to Facilier.

Before Lawrence (disguised as Naveen) and Charlotte can marry, Ray helps Naveen escape and steals the charm. Ray gives the charm to Tiana in order to hold back Facilier's minions, but is killed by Facilier. Facilier then confronts Tiana and transforms her back to her human form. He then offers to make her restaurant dream come true in exchange for the charm, but she refuses upon realizing that true love is more important and attempts to destroy the talisman. However, Facilier's shadow grabs hold of its shadow and hands it back to Facilier himself. Tiana is changed back to a frog and Facilier mockingly declares that she is fated to remain that way forever. Tiana quickly uses her frog tongue to grab hold of the talisman and smashes it upon the ground. The angered voodoo spirits come forth and claim Facilier himself as payment for his debts and drag him into the underworld forever.

Tiana and Naveen reveal their love to each other and explain the situation to Charlotte, who agrees to kiss Naveen so he and Tiana can be together. The clock strikes midnight before she can kiss him, but the two decide they are content to live together as frogs. At the end of a funeral for Ray, he appears as a new bright star next to Evangeline.

Later, Tiana and Naveen are married by Mama Odie. Because of Tiana's new status as princess, they are restored back to human form after their kiss. They then have a real wedding within the St. Louis Cathedral. The couple return to New Orleans to celebrate and, with Louis' help, convince the Fenner brothers to accept the payment money and hand over the key rights. Together, Tiana and Naveen work on transforming the sugar mill into the long awaited restaurant. In the final scene, the restaurant - which is called Tiana's Palace - is thriving, with Louis and his band playing to a joyfully full house, while in the sky smaller stars encircle the larger stars of Ray and Evangeline ("Down in New Orleans (Finale)").

(from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_and_the_Frog)

The Criticism:

here we go....

Just like James Joyce's "Ulysses", the Princess and the Frog was based on an other story. the story was based on the novel "The Frog Princess".

The story was just loosely based. There are some differences with the two. It fits the modernist theory in a way that the writer of the story made it in his own point-of-view. He adhered to the basics of the story and put some twists in it to make it his own.

Though structurally, both are the same, the content and the progression of the stories differ in a way that is really noticeable, even in the first time viewing them.