O Príncipe Encantado

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.

One problem faced by movie makers when adapting fairy tales to the screen is often the lack of material necessary to make a feature length film. "The Frog Prince" is an excellent example. The original Grimm story really doesn't contain enough plot to sustain a feature, so, here it has been rewritten as a modern morality play. A King is unsure which of his nieces is really a "true" princess. Finally the time arrives to choose one; the sweet, but immature Zora (Aileen Quinn) or the older, selfish Henrietta (Helen Hunt). Yes, Zora loses her golden ball, which is retrieved by a friendly frog (John Paragon) but the rest of the story deals with the efforts of Henrietta to win the title of princess for herself. Luckily the cast, including Clive Revill as the king, is very engaging, and the songs pleasant. But, except for the title, this is an attempt to make much out of very little. And only half the time it succeeds.

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.

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.

I understand that this movie isn't going to win any awards, but one thing I absolutely love about this movie is that it's not trying to. It's story is simple and sweet and quite charming! The songs are also very sweet and fun, you will find yourself humming them long after you have watched this movie. It's just such a good story, and the movie itself isn't to long, or to short, it's just right. It's perfect to watch with your kids, but I just watched this movie again by myself, because it's so refreshing it puts you in the best mood no matter what kind of day you have had. Like I said before this movie doesn't try be something that it's not, and it's wonderful just the way that it is. Im kind of surprised that this movie got such bad reviews and it makes me wonder what these people were expecting before they watched it. Not every movie has to be all flashy and drama filled to be a good movie, and exspecially not a little fairytale movie. I would highly recommend watching this movie! It's simply charming!!