If you feel a slight breeze coming from the West Coast today, that’s that huge sigh of relief coming from all of the artists & animators who worked on “The Princess & the Frog.” Given the estimated $25 million that this new John Musker & Ron Clements movie pulled in over its first weekend in wide release (Not to mention the 83% freshness rating that this new Walt Disney Pictures release got over at RottenTomatoes), it would appear that Walt Disney Animation Studios is back in the hand-drawn animation business to stay.
Oh, sure. There are those within the entertainment industry who will grouse about “Princess & the Frog” grosses. Who will say that $25 million in ticket sales for Disney’s first new hand-drawn animated feature in over five years – while solid – ain’t exactly stellar. Know this, though: “PATF” had the highest opening weekend gross ever for an animated feature that was released during the month of December. Which bodes well for where this film will be sitting, box-office-wise, as 2009 gives way to 2010.
Of course, in order for “Princess” to really go over the top here, Walt Disney Animation Studios would like to encourage folks to go back and see “The Princess & the Frog.” Which is why someone who worked on this film just sent me an e-mail which reads:
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Did you know …
- That – as the film’s title sequence is getting underway while Dr. John is singing “Down in New Orleans” – you can clearly see the carpet from “Aladdin” being shaken out by someone who’s standing on a wrought-iron balcony.
- That – as Mama Odie is quickly digging through a pile of magical objects during “Dig a Little Deeper” – the lamp from “Aladdin” gets tossed to one side.
- That – during this movie’s Mardi Gras sequence – one of the floats in that parade features a figurehead that is clearly modeled after King Triton from “The Little Mermaid.”
- What’s more, riding on that King Triton parade float are caricatured versions of John Musker & Ron Clements, the directors of “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid” and “The Princess and the Frog.”
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved- In the film’s finale, Louis can be seen playing with a jazz band at Tiana’s restaurant. The lettering on the bass drum says that this band is called “The Firefly Five Plus Lou.” Which is obviously an affectionate tip of the hat to the Firehouse Five Plus Two, that ragtime band from the 1940s & 1950s which was made up of Disney Animation employees.
- What’s more, the piano player in the “Firefly Five Plus Lou” is a caricature of Disney Legend Frank Thomas. Who was the piano player for the Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Outside of this e-mail, I’ve also heard that – among the toys that are scattered around the floor in young Charlotte’s bedroom during “The Princess & the Frog” ‘s prologue – is the pumpkin coach from “Cinderella.”
Can anyone confirm this last item? Or – for that matter – report in on any other inside jokes / hidden Disney references that you may have spied while watching this holiday release.
And speaking of the holidays … If you’re planning on doing any Christmas shopping on Amazon.com this year, could you please do JHM a favor and – before you begin your bargain hunting – click on the banner above?
If you do that … well, then Jim Hill Media then gets a teeny tiny chunk of whatever you spend. Which would be an awfully nice way to show your appreciation for all of the stories that you’ve read on this website over the past year.
Happy Holidays!