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Disney Releasing The Princess and the Frog Limited in November First!

by Alex Billington
March 10, 2009

Well, this is a bit odd. Disney is releasing their upcoming hand drawn animated movie, The Princess and the Frog, in only New York and Los Angeles on November 25th, Thanksgiving week. Following that initial debut, they'll open it wide in theaters across the country on December 11th. While I could criticize this decision, it's actually very smart, for multiple reasons, and I think Disney will have a big hit on their hands, even though they don't know it. See, I think they're actually very worried about the success of The Princess and the Frog, because it is hand drawn animation and they think no one wants to see that.

But oh are they wrong! Why is this so smart? Well, first off, I'm sure crowds in New York and Los Angeles will want to see it and will flock in droves at Thanksgiving. Thus it'll get quite a bit of early buzz that'll spread around the country before it opens a few weeks later on December 11th. At that point, it has much less of a chance of failing, because I'm sure it'll show through Christmas, which is the perfect time of the year for a classic Disney hand drawn animated movie to play. Of course they'll be going up against Fox's Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel, but I'm sure it'll perform fine, especially with early buzz.

The Princess and the Frog will also have to compete with Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol, which is not only in IMAX and in 3D, but opens on November 6th, a few weeks earlier. Additionally, they'll be up against James Cameron's Avatar on December 18th, which if all goes as planned, will have secured the teenage male demographic. Now you might start to see why Disney is a bit worried. Especially when they're not so sure if a hand drawn animated movie will still be appreciated by audiences living in a computer age. However, I've got a good feeling The Princess and the Frog will be a big hit, as long as they market it well. Good luck!

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Jun

Good idea Disney.
troy

time to move to LA.
Tim "CLoverfield"

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ ! Period.
Darunia

For there to be Buzz, the movie has to be good.
http://rhptkfgs.blogspot.com ramez

"Additionally, they'll be up against James Cameron's Avatar on December 18th, which if all goes as planned, will have secured the teenage male demographic." Do you really think teenage males want to see this... Come on Alex
Ray

I disagree with alex. There is no aspect of this film that intices me to get excited or even interested. I will miss it out completely when it is released... Unless ofcourse it gets godly reviews around release time.
http://www.avatarmoviezone.com Chris G.

Decent idea, this Christmas was building up to be very crowded, due to recent moves of a terrible sounding Sarah Jessica Parker movie and The Princess and the Frog, there are now only 3 movies coming on Christmas Day, Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, and an untitled romantic comedy. And I personally think that chipmunks will be pushed back, as it is not exactly progressing fast enough to make a Christmas release date, in my opinion. But in honesty, I don't think The Princess and the Frog will find a lot of success, both because its a 2D animated movie, which I think people have lost a taste for, and its a movie that little boys, the driving force behind a lot of animated movies, might not be interested in, they won't really want to go see a movie about a princess if you ask me. And what if this plan for early buzz backfires? What if people really don't like the movie come November 25th, then the negative pre-buzz could hurt the film more than simply releasing it. But oh well, best of luck to them...
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

#5 - I meant that Avatar has the teenage males... Not this!
Andy

i haven't seen much of this film (clips or even pictures) but i m willing to believe disney will do a great job. And I am already looking forward to it... I guess it just reminds me of classics such as the Lion King and Aladdin. =)
Luke

I'm so glad Disney is making at least some 2D films again. That's what they're good at.
L

#4 Negative, The Blair Witch was the biggest piece of crap contained in the most attractive box.
Timothy

#8 (who happens to be the esteemed editor of this wonderful site.) I'm a teenage male and I _so_ want to see this! Haha, probably with my little sister, though. Nothing wrong with a classic Disney throwback.
Alfredo

Wtf, they're releasing a sequel to the woefully nostalgia-crushing Alvin and the Chips??? Disney... I'll support the Princess 100% but give me something good dammit
Joel

If you look at some of Disney's older animated films, they release many of them limited with excellent results. Will be interesting to see if it still works!
http://movies.iconocritic.com peloquin

I gotta admit that I'll probably skip this one, but don't underestimate the power of the family demographic. This will probably make a lot of money.
dave13

I'm in college and I'll probably go see this with a bunch of friends. yay Disney nostalgia!
SHANEDAV

Not gonna give Disney any of my money.........unless its PIXAR
Chichi

Why is it that down the line of the Disney princesses (excluding Pocohontas) that their costars or counterparts were of the same race? Why all of a sudden when it comes to the black princess that Disney wants to change it up? It would makes sense to follow the Disney formula or blue print. I tell you why they changed the scheme of things because Disney wanted to send a message. You know what that message is? It is not practical for a black woman and black man relationship to exist. It is not the norm; therefore, a black woman would have to look elsewhere for love for her prince. In addition it is also saying that a black man could never be a prince or atleast a prince to a black woman. Yes we love interracial relationships, but why is it that the first black princess has to compromise herself to find love. It would make more sense for a white princess to have an interracial relationship first since we've already seen her have her white prince. Yes I am glad that Disney thought to have a black princess, but I am certainly not thankful. If they're going to have a black princess they should present it in the right way. Also just like how I want my daughter to be able to identify with a princess, I want the same for my son. You mean to tell me that as a young black man that he can't have someone to identify with and that he can't be a prince. Mulan didn't have this much controversy because the people that put that project together were knowledgeable about the history, and presented the story in a way that was uplifting to the asian community; however, with this project the people behind it don't seem to have the same vigiliance. From the start there have been many problems as if they just decided to do the movie without doing their homework and it shows. It is very unfortunate because I have grown up watching Disney movies and looked forward to the fruitation of finally having a black princess, but I will not support this movie because of the damaging message that it is sending. There are beautiful black relationships.
http://www.mixx.com/users/ashleynicky ashley nicky

Only New York and Los Angeles can watch the first ! What a pity!