‘The Princess and the Frog’

Dreams really do come true.

At least for those of us who've been wishing on a star for the return of traditional, hand-drawn animation -- and anybody else who loves classic Disney animation.

So get ready to party, Mardi Gras-style, because the magic's back -- in a big way -- with "The Princess and the Frog."

The Mouse House's first traditionally animated feature since 2004's misbegotten "Home on the Range" (Remember that one? Didn't think so ...) is also its best since 1991's instant classic, "Beauty and the Beast."

Not that anybody really cares what style of animation brings a tale to life. From computer-generated to stop-motion, the success of any animated tale centers on the same thing any other movie does:

It's The Story, Stupid.

And, all too often, the story's too stupid to redeem the movie, however vibrant the visuals might be.

But "The Princess and the Frog" gets the mix delightfully right.

Never fear -- it boasts the requisite eye-popping animation, full of paint box-bright colors and magical transformations. (Including more than a few salutes to storybook classics of yore for sharp-eyed Disney aficionados.)

It's also got a toe-tapping, hip-shaking musical score from Randy Newman, who demonstrates his virtuoso versatility with an array of tunes ranging from jazz to gospel to zydeco -- and, naturally, the kind of heart-tugging ballad that Disney princesses from Snow White to Pocahontas have made their own.

And in Tiana (voiced by "Dreamgirls' " Anika Noni Rose), "The Princess and the Frog" boasts a plucky heroine who's more than at home in such starry company.

Reminiscent of such animated sisters as "Mulan's" title warrior and "Beauty and the Beast's" brainy bookworm Belle, Tiana's not a princess -- at least not according to her royal birth.

Not in early 20th-century New Orleans, where her hardworking servant mother Eudora (voiced by none other than Oprah Winfrey) spends her days toiling at the Garden District mansion of "Big Daddy" La Bouff (voiced by John Goodman) and his spoiled daughter Charlotte, Tiana's childhood playmate.

Every night, Tiana and Eudora ride the streetcar home to their modest home, where Tiana's father James (Terrence Howard) whips up a mean pot of gumbo -- and dreams of owning his own restaurant, with Tiana cooking up a storm beside him.

James never does realize his dream. But that doesn't stop grown-up Tiana from working two jobs to earn enough to make it come true.

That makes her a genuine stick-in-the-mud in Roaring '20s New Orleans, where jazz is all the rage -- along with Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), the thoroughly dashing, utterly impoverished heir to a faraway throne, who's just arrived in search of a wealthy belle to become his princess.

Unfortunately (for him -- but fortunately for our story), Prince Naveen crosses paths with the sinister voodoo practitioner Dr. Facilier (Keith David), whose machinations trigger all manner of unforeseen consequences.

Of those consequences I will say no more -- other than the fact that they lead our characters away from New Orleans and deep into the Louisiana bayou, where they encounter (among others) a Dixieland trumpeter who happens to be an alligator (Michael-Leon Wooley), a romantic firefly (Jim Cummings) and a voodoo queen (Jenifer Lewis) whose juju, lucky for them, might be even more powerful than Dr. Facilier's.

Written and directed by Disney veterans Ron Clements and John Musker (who kicked off the studio's animation renaissance two decades ago with "The Little Mermaid"), "The Princess and the Frog" serves up a scrumptious jambalaya of delectable elements old and new.

Some of the story elements date back to the familiar "Frog Prince" fairy tale, but they've been stretched and scrambled to maximize the comic possibilities -- and reflect changing sensibilities for changing times.

Granted, no one expects documentarylike verisimilitude in an animated feature, but "The Princess and the Frog" at least acknowledges some of the social conditions in effect (contrasting Charlotte and Big Daddy's mansion with the Ninth Ward shotgun shack where Tiana lives with her loving parents).

But the movie also emphasizes the notion that different people -- and, indeed, different species -- can overcome such superficial differences, provided they're kindred spirits able to share and support each other's dreams.

None of this is delivered in obvious, heavy-handed fashion, of course -- because everybody's too busy letting the good times roll.

The movie's animators have a rollicking field day exploring, and exploiting, Louisiana's cultural gumbo, using influences from French to Creole to Cajun to create a vivid, varied visual style and irresistible energy.

Their work also exudes an unmistakable warmth that remains the particular province of hand-drawn animation -- proving that there's no substitute for the human touch when it comes to bringing cartoon characters to life.

Speaking of irresistible energy and unmistakable warmth, "The Princess and the Frog's" vocal cast boasts both -- and then some.

Among the standouts: animation veteran Cummings, who's voiced characters from Winnie the Pooh (and Tigger, too) to the Tasmanian Devil as the romantic Ray, and voice-over stalwart David, whose supple, seductive tones play a major role in the shadowy Facilier's sorcery.

And Rose combines a feisty 'tude with a soaring singing voice, making Tiana a stellar addition to Disney's rainbow lineup of inspirational princesses.

They're characters who embody the notion that everyone's special, and deserves to be treated royally -- not because they're born to it but because they're true to themselves, and their dreams.

That description applies equally well to "The Princess and the Frog," which proves that the old magic remains ever new -- just as long as the magicians believe in, and trust, its power to enchant.

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.