Sunday November 29, 2009
Speaking of ... the voice cast of The Princess and the Frog
By ROUWEN LIN
Tiana (voice of Anika Noni Rose)
IS a princess still a princess if she doesn’t spend her days dreaming of Prince Charming and faraway kingdoms? Disney’s latest and ninth princess, Tiana, has no time for romance, and is certainly not going to go around puckering up for frogs.
Supervising animator Mark Henn says: “Our animated leading ladies have evolved over the decades from being ‘princesses in peril’ like Snow White to figures of action motivating their own story. Tiana has her own motivating desire, and decisions that drive her and make her interesting and sympathetic. She’s a little vulnerable right off the bat, so I think you can easily identify with her and cheer her on.”
Prince Naveen (voice of Bruno Campos)
Supervising animator Randy Haycock says he wanted a character that could be flawed, funny, and romantic at the same time.
“Naveen’s flaws and the improvements he has to make are a huge part of what makes him interesting. A lot of his mannerisms, gestures and attitude come from what I remember from my roommate in college. He never had to worry about getting a date or getting good grades, and was very confident, liked to have a good time, and was a little self-centred,” he says.
“Disney has a long tradition of princes, but they all fall short of being characters in and of themselves. They are functional; they give the princesses someone to fall in love with. We’ve never had a prince that really influenced a heroine; it was always love at first sight. For once we have the characters meet and they don’t like each other.”
Dr Facilier (voice of Keith David)
He dabbles in the dark arts and has connections to his “friends on the other side” to help him get whatever he wants. He also has a shadow with a life of its own.
Supervising animator Bruce Smith reckons Dr Facilier is what happens when you combine Captain Hook (from Peter Pan) and Cruella de Vil (from 101 Dalmatians)!
He adds: “The villain is always the character that holds up the film and keeps everything interesting and on edge. Dr Facilier is musical, he’s threatening, he’s tall, he’s lean. He can be very sweet. He’s handsome. He’s graceful. I think it’s rare to see that type of villain, particularly in contemporary animation.”
Mama Odie (voice of Jenifer Lewis)
Anyone who dwells in “the deepest, darkest part of the bayou” in an old shrimp boat wedged upside down in a giant tree must be a little bit whack, surely?
Mama Odie, a sassy, eccentric 197-year-old magic Queen of the Bayou, lives there with her pet snake, Juju. She dispenses spells, heyacalls and gris gris to those in need. She’s the bright side of Dr Facilier, and helps Tiana and Naveen in their mission to undo his spell.
“Everything about her is just so unusual,” says supervising animator Andreas Deja.
Ray (voice of Jim Cummings)
Here’s what a highly stylised Cajun firefly looks: he’s gap-toothed and goofy-looking with spindly legs. He has a huge lightbulb behind with which he needs to fiddle around when the light goes out. He pines for the most beautiful firefly in creation, Evangeline, although he knows she is unattainable. He has no qualms expressing his love.
Supervising animator Mike Surrey says: “Ray brings a real embodiment of the idea of the transcendent power of love. It’s hard not to feel for a character like that. One of the challenges we had with designing him was finding a balance between the warm, loving side of his personality and his been-around-the-block look.”
Louis (voice of Michael-Leon Wooley)
Jazz-loving Louis feels truly at home only when playing the trumpet – never mind the fact that he’s an alligator with short arms and a big, bouncing belly.
“His weight is certainly one of the fun things about him. He’s caricatured on an alligator’s anatomy but he walks around on two legs and plays jazz on his trumpet,” says supervising animator Eric Goldberg.
“Although he’s a flamboyant character when playing his music, there are moments in the film where he gets emotional and we have to be able to show that emotion flickering across his face in a very subtle way.”
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