Today, I got the opportunity to read two of the many The Princess and the Frog books, The Princess and the Frog: Tiana’s Royal Ball and The Art of The Princess and the Frog. Both were a joy to read and should belong on anyone’s shelf, whether you are a collector of African-American art and literature, Disney memorabilia, or a person just trying to get as much PatF merchandise as possible.
courtesy of Disneylicious
Tiana’s Royal Ball has an easy enough storyline-Tiana’s royal parents-in-law want to hold a ball for her and Naveen in New Orleans, and Tiana’s friend, Charlotte, wants to make sure Tiana gives the right impression. But what initially attracts the reader to the book are the paintings. The colorful, deep paintings give a richness that separates it from other picture books. The story itself is written in such a way that it will entertain both children and adults, and the moral of the story is one that should stick with any young girl reading the story-that just being yourself is enough to be important and special in life.
The Art of The Princess and the Frog is a pretty awesome book full of concept art, background designs, and interviews with the designers and animators associated with the film. I don’t think my small critique will do any justice to the actual greatness of the book, but after reading the book, you really get a feel for how much work, time, and love actually went into the creation of the characters, sets, and special effects. You also get a greater sense of how much New Orleans is treated as a character in the movie; you learn about the different areas of New Orleans like the Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, and, of course, The French Quarter, and how those areas were treated in the movie by the designers. In short, if you want someting to commemorate the theater release of The Princess and the Frog, this is the item you need to get.
[...] Clements, and roducer Peter Del Vecho, is highly informational (as informational as the book The Art of the Princess and the Frog) and insightful. The best review I can give for the commentary is that if you’re a person who [...]