Walt Disney Co. has started a production for an animated Musical fairy Tale entitled "The Princess and the Frog", based on the book The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker. This features Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana, supported by an impressive ensemble of cast including Oprah Winfrey as the voice of Eudora, Princess Tiana's mother.

The film is set to be released December 11, 2009. This is Disney's first hand-drawn film after pledging to return to the traditional animation, of which, made it a worldwide brand.

First titled as “The Frog Princess,” The Princess and the Frog, a musical scored by composer Randy Newman, is “an American fairy tale” starring a girl named Tiana who lives in the French Quarter in New Orleans, said John Lasseter, chief creative director for Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. A prince named Naveen from the land of Maldonia is transformed into a frog by the evil scheming voodoo magician Dr. Facilier. The frog prince asks a princess named Tiana to break the spell by kissing him. However, the kiss doesn't break the spell, but instead turns Tiana into a frog as well. Together, the two of them must reach the good voodoo priestess of the Bayou, Mama Odie, while befriending a trumpet-playing alligator and a hopelessly romantic firefly along the way.

“The film’s New Orleans setting and strong princess character give the film lots of excitement and texture,” Walt Disney Studios says.

A press release describes the story as follows:

"When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia comes to town a deal with a shady voodoo doctor goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana, takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. An unforgettable tale filled with music, humor and heart where two frogs—along with the help of a 200-year-old voodoo priestess, a love-sick Cajun firefly, and a trumpet-playing alligator—discover that what they want isn’t as important as what they need."

Here's the official trailer of the movie


Well, I think having a black princess would raise the eyebrows of some folks, but lets face it, we are in a generation where race should no longer be an issue. And its about time that Disney produces another movie worth lining up with the classics.