El príncipe encantado

This movie is one of quite a few that were made into what are referred to as the Canon Movie Tales. They are all low budget and filmed primarily in Isreal, so I understand. If you want an idea of what to expect, it appears that someone took some of the little children's musicals that community theaters do and got some actors that people would want to see and then, with a very small budget, produced the best film they could. They are cute, sweet, and great for kids to watch. They are the precious little things that have a moral in the end. If you are an Aileen Quinn fan, this is the only movie other than Annie that she did, and it is adorable. She sings much better in this movie and her coloring (ie hair and makeup) are much more natural. This movie is very hard to find, but it is worth the effort of searching for if this is the kind of movie that you like. Also stars a very young (not to mention completely evil) Helen Hunt.

This is a film I was introduced to by a friend who gave it to me as a Christmas present back in 1988. I have worn out three copies of the film since then sharing it with friends and family. This is one of the films I watch when I am feeling blue. And in spite of its flaws (weak dialog at times and almost saccharine lyrics) it is charming and warms the heart. For me the highlight of the film is John Paragon (probably best known as Jambi the Genie) in the role of the title character. His physicality brings the Frog Prince to life. His mixture of high energy, melancholy and sense of humor showcases this under-rated performer's talent. Aileen Quinn's performance as one of the princesses, is another example of her ability to shine in front of the camera. Every time she cries, I cry. And Helen Hunt as the mean sister is classic. You really want to hate her, but at the same time are feeling sorry that she doesn't understand what it means to "be a princess". Over all a very enjoyable film for children and adults alike.

In the Kingdom of Tartonia, Zora (Aileen Quinn) lives a carefree life except for her older mean-spirited sister Henrietta (Helen Hunt). The King (Clive Revill) receives a letter from Baron Von Whobble that he's coming to declare one of his two nieces Zora and Henrietta is going to be a true princess. After being ridiculed, Zora wishes for someone to talk to. The Frog Prince answers her wish.

Aileen Quinn has a great big voice for a little girl as she already shown in Annie. Her singing is the best thing about this musical. There isn't much else in this movie. The production value is pretty low. The sets are fairly fake. The dialog is pretty stiff. It feels more like a stage play. The direction, the staging, and the editing could definitely use a lot of help. The singing from the rest of the cast is reasonable but nothing great. The story is pretty thin. There is nothing here other than to see a slightly older Aileen Quinn singing her heart out and Helen Hunt playing the mean girl.

Cannon Movie Tales version of the Frog Prince fairy tale. As with the other Cannon Movie Tales I've seen, it's full of corny songs and "nice try" sets and costumes. It also has a slight story padded out to make a feature length film. But hey there's Annie herself, Aileen Quinn, and Helen Hunt before she was a star. Quinn's the lead as Princess Zamora, who befriends a prince who was cursed and turned into a frog man. In my head I called him Dig'em Frog, after the cereal mascot. Quinn does a decent job, although it's easy to see why her career didn't go anywhere. Hunt plays her sister Henrietta, who's a total bitch. Clive Revill offers nice support as the King. John Paragon (Jambi from Pee Wee's Playhouse) plays the Frog Prince (Dig'em). The frog makeup is pretty good for the limited budget, but perhaps it's a bit creepy for a kids film where the frog is a good guy. I could see this makeup being used in a horror movie. Anyway, this is one of the more enjoyable Cannon fairy tale movies I've seen. It's not great by any means but it is entertaining. For an adult, at least. Not sure how this would fly with kids. The frog might give them nightmares.

Ranking the Cannon Movie Tale films, The Frog Prince is around top middle, with Hansel and Gretel being the best and The Emperor's New Clothes being the worst.

The Frog Prince does suffer from budget limitations. The photography is nice, but some scenes are a little too dimly lit, the castle interiors and garden are rather ordinary and almost grim, the costumes are cheap-looking with the sole exception of Zora's blue dress at the end and Ribbit's make-up is somewhat unintentionally creepy. The film also suffers from stretching a particularly slight story that generally too thin to adapt for a feature length 90 minutes, actually it does do a surprisingly decent job expanding it but the story does feel too thin and stretched at times, pacing sometimes drags and a few scenes go on longer than they need to. Some of the dialogue is also stiff, like a lot of the dialogue at the start until Ribbit is introduced and with Henrietta.

However, as said it is nicely photographed, The Cannon Movie Tale films were low-budget in production values (particularly in the costumes) but it never showed in the photography. The Frog Prince has a charming, whimsical and magically orchestrated score, that also has a little tension in some of the latter half, and the songs are surprisingly very pleasant (Friendship and the Music Box Waltz being particularly good). Not all the dialogue works, but Ribbit does have some adorably funny lines and the emotional moments are moving without being too corny or cloying. The execution of the story is similarly flawed, but it makes a clear effort to make much of little and it shows in a charming and sometimes poignant Beauty and the Beast-like take on the story, and there is a very sweet and tender between Zora and Ribbit.

Aileen Quinn is immensely appealing as Zora, a more subtle and sympathetic performance than in her still great star-making turn in the title role of Annie (which is still one of my personal favourites), her singing has also come on a long way, here it's softer and more controlled and that she's older might have a lot to do with it. Clive Revill is a funny, occasionally stern and towards the end kindly king, and Helen Hunt makes the most of her visually pretty but actually very mean older sister role. John Paragon steals the show though, bringing to Ribbit a masculine charm, a warm and witty sense of humour, affecting melancholy and remarkable athleticism (especially when we are first introduced to him).

In conclusion, has flaws but a solid attempt at adapting the story. 7/10 Bethany Cox