Another exciting trailer released

Hot off the tail of yesterday's post, last night I saw the first official trailer for Disney's upcoming The Princess and the Frog. This film has been rumored and hinted at for months and even years, so while I was surprised, it's good to finally see an official trailer, with a release "date", though vague.

All silly, reported racial controversy aside (including major story and character changes), this trailer has me waaaaay pumped. I always said it was only a matter of time until Disney made a smart move back in the 2D direction, which means bringing back at least some variation of the formula that has worked so many times in the past--fairy tale, musical, princess, small, cute comic relief creatures, etc. It seems also that Disney has released a Pixar-styled trailer, in that it's sort of a tease toward the style and tone of the film and characters, rather than actual clips from the film itself. The characters have some instant appeal and charm, the look and feel is lush and gorgeous, and the music is tantalizing (apparently they switched from Disney standard Alan Menken to Randy Newman, who will reportedly be writing music for the characters in the style of classic New Orleans jazz). I am just so happy to see concept art and character sketches floating around the internet again. This could very well be a flop, but I think it has potential to do for Disney in this generation what The Little Mermaid did for Disney in the late 80s. Who says that 2D is dead?!?

So, while you can visit the Disney site to see a nice, big, clear version of the trailer, here's one posted on youtube as well.