This is Walt Disney Animation Studios first musical film in which all of the voice actors do both the speaking and singing parts since La bella y la bestia (1991).
The animation style was influenced primarily by La dama y el vagabundo (1955), for the city scenes, and Bambi (1942), for the bayou scenes. Those films were, in the directors' opinion, "the peak of animation in the classic Disney animation style."
The star Ray calls "Evangeline" is, in fact, the planet Venus, named for the Roman goddess of love.
Right at the beginning of the opening credits song, "Down in New Orleans," you can see someone shaking a carpet out their window. It is the same as the magic flying carpet in Aladdín (1992), which was also directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.
As most traditional fairy tales are set in Europe, John Musker and Ron Clements were keen to do one based in America. New Orleans - with its colorful history - seemed the obvious choice. The two spent 10 days there, assimilating the atmosphere and making notes and drawings.