The Princess and the Frog

Opening Dec. 11, The Princess and the Frog is the tale of what happens after the princess has decided to actually kiss the frog in the classic tale. Another of Disney's princess stories, this one centers around Princess Tiana (voiced by Dreamgirls' Anika Noni Rose) who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age. One of the most exciting things about this project, however, is that it's a return to the hand-drawn animation that so many of us grew up watching in movies like Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. A few of you mentioned that some of the most inspiring characters to you as kids were found in these movies, like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. To check out the next beloved Disney princess in the new preview for The Princess and the Frog, read more

It's a busy time for Tinseltown:

• Another 20-something city girl: Anne Hathaway will play the lead role in the film version of a book I really enjoyed: The Opposite of Love. The movie is about "a commitment-phobic attorney who finds her well-constructed life coming apart at the seams when she rebuffs her ready-for-marriage boyfriend."
• Before I was legend: Well, it's official — Will Smith will reprise his role as Dr. Robert Neville in an I Am Legend prequel. This movie "will cover the final days of humanity in New York City before a man-made virus creates a plague that wipes out the population, leaving Neville alone with the mutated inhabitants."
• What's the latest in vampire news, Buzz?: Funny you should ask! Cloverfield director Matt Reeves's next project is a "vampire tale" titled Let the Right One In, a remake of a Swedish film about "a young boy who befriends a female neighbor who moves to town." I bet she's not your ordinary neighbor.
• More vampires, not so much movie related: Mostly I'm just excited about this news because it's about Guillermo del Toro (yay!!) who "is collaborating with crime author Chuck Hogan on a trilogy of vampire novels, starting next Summer with The Strain. I love that guy (del Toro, not Chuck Hogan).

Depp, Oprah, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers news if you read more

We've been hearing about Disney's first black princess for a while now, and today they've released a brief teaser trailer that introduces us to both princess and frog in the animated Princess and the Frog. The story is described as "a fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age." Tiana is voiced by Dreamgirls's Anika Noni Rose.

Tiana was dreamed up after several rewrites of the original concept for this princess, and the animators have quite a while to continue working on the movie; The Princess and the Frog will open December 25, 2009. For now, you can check out the teaser trailer (which is strange to watch — yet kinda refreshing — after so many Pixar-y movies) if you read more

The Walt Disney Company's newest project The Frog Princess has the following awesome things going for it:

• It will be set in New Orleans.
• The protagonist will be what Pixar Vice President John Lasseter called "the very first African-American Disney princess."
• It will be Disney's first hand-drawn animation project in years.
• There will be a soulful singing alligator.
• The title is Frog Princess.

I'm glad that Disney is finally featuring a black princess; they've only been in business for over 80 years. And while I enjoy digital animation, there is something so appealing about hand-drawn animation. Also, hello — a soulful singing alligator? Sign me up! Maybe Disney's golden years are back.

Update: I found an image of the new princess, as you can see!