2009: The African American Disney Princess Appears

The Princess and the Frog was released in theaters on this day in 2009. The animated hit was Walt Disney Animation Studios 49th animated feature film is was loosely based on the novel, The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker which in turn was loosely based on The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm. Set in New Orleans in the 1920s, the story is about Tiana, a talented but overworked waitress with big dreams of owning her own restaurant. Just like the classic tale, she is asked by a frog to kiss him as he is really a handsome prince. However, when she does so, she becomes a frog as well. The movie was written and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker and featured the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Peter Bartlett, Jenifer Lewis, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, and John Goodman. The Princess and the Frog won the 67th Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.

1992: Muppets Share Their Version of ‘A Christmas Carol’

The umpteenth version of Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol was given the Muppet treatment and delivered to theaters on this day in 1992. The film featured very few humans including Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. Despite the fact that the movie is made with Muppets, it was surprisingly effective and had sweet moments. It was the first Muppet movie to be released after the death of the fuzzy one’s creator, Jim Henson. It was directed by Brian Henson, Jim’s son.

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