Walt Disney Pictures is proud to present their new animated musical adventure “THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG,” which will release in NY and LA on November 25th and nationwide on December 11th. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin”, “The Princess and the Frog” marks Disney’s return to the traditional 2-D hand-drawn animated musical, reminiscent of classics like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.”
ANIKA NONI ROSE (Princess Tiana) After studying drama at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, CA, Anika Noni Rose moved to New York where she won the role of ‘Rusty’ in Broadway’s Footloose. Next she was cast as Tonya Pinkins’ daughter in Caroline, or Change, a role for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2004. Rose was also awarded the Theatre World Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress for the role. Anika recently starred opposite Debra Messing in the hit USA Network series, The Starter Wife. She will also be the voice of Disney’s new princess for their animated feature, The Frog Princess. Anika started her movie career in 1999 with her debut movie King of the Bingo Game. Next she was seen in From Justin to Kelly in 2003 and Temptation and Surviving Christmas in 2004. Her next role is in the upcoming DreamWorks feature Dreamgirls, in which she plays the role of ‘Lorrell Robinson.’ Dreamgirls made its highly-anticipated big screen debut in winter 2006. The movie adaptation of the Broadway musical directed by Bill Condon also stars Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Foxx. Rose along with Knowles and Jennifer Hudson portray The Dreams, a 1960s girl group from Chicago that becomes a pop sensation.
MARIA GONZALEZ (Head of Color Styling/Compositing) was born in Madrid, Spain and came to the U.S. when she was only 7 years old. She wanted to be a doctor when she grew up and got her B.A. in biology from Cal State Northridge. In addition to her studies, she had been painting cels since high school, and she ended up working in animation. She became part of the Disney family in 1989, and her first Disney project was Oliver and Company. She is currently working on The Princess and the Frog as Head of Color Styling and Compositing. In this capacity, she brings together and enhances all color elements of the production (e.g. background, EFX and characters) to ensure they all appear part of the same visual universe. She and her team work closely with the Art Director and Ink and Paint vendors to deliver color-approved animation to the film’s editors. A member of ASIFA, Maria lives in Santa Clarita and enjoys tennis, motor sports, photography and music – especially operettas, dance, and classical guitar from her native Spain.
LORELAY BOVE was born in Spain and raised in the Principality of Andorra between France and Spain. She moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was 14 years old and is fulfilling a childhood dream of being an artist at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Bove graduated from Cal Arts in 2007, completing an internship at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville. Her impressive portfolio caught the eye of Disney recruiters and she started in the visual development department in August 2007. She has worked on The Walt Disney Animation Studios’ newest musical comedy “The Princess and the Frog” doing visual development, color characters and costumes, including designing some of the film’s ingénue Charlotte’s dresses, plus props, backgrounds and end credit designs. Bove grew up watching “The Little Mermaid” and is thrilled to be working with the same directors. Her inspiration include her father who is an artist in his own right, as well as her tight knit family, Disney classic films, old Hollywood movies and her native Spain. She has recently illustrated the “Toy Story” picture book and “The Princess and the Frog” Little Golden Book. Bove currently lives in Silverlake, Calif., with her sister and enjoys cooking her favorite vegetarian food, illustrating books, playing tennis, jogging and generally hanging out in cute coffee shops.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/
On November 25th in LA/NY and on December 11th nationwide, Walt Disney Animation Studios will proudly present the animated adventure-comedy “The Princess and the Frog”. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin”, “The Princess and the Frog” marks Disney’s return to the traditional 2-D hand-drawn animated musical, reminiscent of classics like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” For additional information and to view the trailer, please visit http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/
VOICE CAST: Anika Noni Rose, John Goodman, Keith David, Jim Cummings, Jenifer Lewis
DIRECTORS: Ron Clements, John Musker
PRODUCED BY: Peter Del Vecho
GENRE: Animated Comedy Adventure/Musical
RATING: TBD
RELEASE DATE: November 25th in NY and LA; December 11th nationwide Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (ANIKA NONI ROSE), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,”, “Cars,” “Toy Story”).
Notes:
· THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG marks the return to the Disney musical, reminiscent of classics like
“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.”
· Directors Ron Clements and John Musker, veterans of Disney favorites “The Little Mermaid” and
“Aladdin,” bring the same creative panache and storytelling expertise to “The Princess and the Frog.”
· The film marks Walt Disney Animation Studios’ return to traditional 2-D hand-drawn animation.
