The Princess and the Frog



"The evening star is shinin' bright. So Make a Wish, and hold on tight. ''There's magic in the air tonight, And anythin' can happen..."

Released in 2009, this is Disney's 49th animated feature, as well as the first since 2004's Home on the Range to be traditionally animated. It's inspired by the novel The Frog Princess, E.D. Baker's take on the classic fable "The Frog Prince", and written and directed by Disney staples John Musker and Ron Clements. It is also notable for introducing the first black Disney princess into the official line-up.

The story centers on Tiana, a 19-year-old waitress in 1920's New Orleans who encounters a talking frog. In reality, the frog is the egotistical Prince Naveen, who was transformed by Dr. Facilier, an evil voodoo doctor. When she agrees to kiss him, the result is that she becomes a frog too, and from here they embark on a journey across the lush Louisiana swamp to seek out the voodoo priestess Mama Odie, the only one who can help them. Along the way they meet up with Louis, an alligator jazz enthusiast, and a Cajun firefly named Ray, all the while avoiding Facilier's creepy shadow goons.

For almost a decade, Disney had been firmly entrenched in the growing 3D/CGI movement; a Disney exec announced that Princess would be a long-overdue return to the animation tradition the company maintained for over fifty years. Randy Newman composed the songs for a film that harkens back to the age of Disney where music played as much a character as the actual cast members themselves. The end result was a film that was extremely well-received by critics and easily equaled the greats of the Disney Renaissance, although it was only a modest financial success, coming out in the same year as Avatar. To add insult to injury, the critically-panned Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel beat it in the box office, as well. However, Tiana being an official Disney Princess solidified that the film would be a major money-earner through merchandise at the parks.

The Princess and the Frog got three Oscar nominations (two for Best Song, the third for Best Animated Feature), but didn't win any of them.

Before adding examples, note that tropes pertaining to the more sensitive political issues (gender and race) have been moved to the analysis page.

"Dr. Facilier: That's an echo, gentlemen. Something we have here in Louisiana, a little parlour trick, don't worry."
 * Actor Allusion: The weird psychadelic filter effect on Dr. Facilier's face as he sings "I hope you're satisfied" during his Villain Song seems to hearken back to one of the posters for They Live, a horror movie in which Keith David, Dr. Faciler's voice actor, starred prominently.
 * May or may not be intentional, but when you think about it, doesn't Dr. Facilier
 * Adaptation Expansion: Quite considerably, given how brief the original storyline is.
 * Adipose Rex: Big Daddy's only king of the parade, but he is also basically in charge of the town so he counts.
 * Adorkable: Naveen provided the page quote just because of how adorably awkward he becomes
 * Affably Evil: Dr. Facilier may be trying to but, as Prince Naveen admits, he is very charismatic.
 * It's likely that almost no one in New Orleans knows the real Dr. Facilier, since someone can be seen taking a deal from him at the beginning of the movie. That said, on the outside he is very persuasive, attractive, and a good communicator, so it could be assumed he tricks people this way on a regular basis, to satisfy his evil shadow-friends.
 * Which is, of course, the only reason his scheme gets off the ground at all.
 * All Work vs. All Play: Tiana is All Work, The Prince is All Play. It Gets Better.
 * Almost-Dead Guy:
 * Almost Kiss: Naveen and Tiana, after their Dance of Romance.
 * Always Check Behind the Chair: This trope usually only applies to video games, but pay attention to the wallpaper behind Dr. Facilier's chair during his Villain Song, particularly when his shadow first passes over it. The pattern turns into
 * American Accents: Most of the accents sound more Dixie than Yat, though Tiana uses "y'all" as a singular noun, which is more of a Yat tendency.
 * Ray has a Cajun accent. Who Dat!? His voice actor, Jim Cummings, actually lived in New Orleans before he began his voiceover career, where he worked constructing Mardi Gras floats alongside actual Cajuns. This explains how he was able to pull off the difficult accent.
 * Ambiguously Brown: Naveen.
 * Amusing Injuries: The frog-meets-book Running Gag is powered by this.
 * Angel Face, Demon Face: Naveen again. He starts off the movie as a smarmy pretty boy. By the end of the movie, there is that subtle change to the artwork to indicate that he has grown from the experience into a better person than he started out.
 * Animal Stereotypes: Subverted heavily. Louis, the alligator, is a Gentle Giant. The subversion is more evident in Mama Odie's pet, Juju; a gentle, loving snake that takes care of a blind old lady who uses him as a pole and a bridge, among other things.
 * Animal Talk: Once Naveen and Tiana are turned into frogs, they are able to understand and communicate with other animals, first noted in a very brief encounter with Charlotte's dog. Interestingly, they can still talk to regular humans as well.
 * Animated Musical
 * Anticipatory Breath Spray: Froggy Naveen does this with some perfume on the dresser as Tiana agrees to kiss him and break the curse.
 * Art Evolution: The digital-ink-and-paint process for the film was done using Toon Boom Harmony software, as opposed to the now-obsolete CAPS system used by Disney from 1990 to 2004.
 * Art Shift: In "Almost There", the animation switches to an Art Deco style to denote Tiana's fantasy sequence.
 * Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: After Dr. Facilier the evening star.
 * Aside Glance: Ray glances at the fourth wall when Louis over-reacts to getting a thorn stuck in his foot.
 * Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption
 * Award Bait Song: "Never Knew I Needed" by Ne-Yo, in Ye Grande Olde Disney tradition. The duet version with Cassandra Steen seems to be trying to push it further. Also duet version two with Italian singer Karima.
 * Awesome Moment of Crowning:
 * Bad Samaritan: Dr. Falacier.
 * Baleful Polymorph: The whole plot of the movie, since Naveen and Tiana are turned into frogs.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Facilier, in a rare MALE example.
 * The Barnum: Dr. Facilier, using his charisma to scam people and manipulate them to his own ends.
 * Beautiful Condemned Building: The abandoned sugar mill that Tiana - and her father before her - wants to convert into her restaurant.
 * Beauty Mark: Charlotte puts on a fake one when "Naveen" finally shows up to the party.
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: Naveen wished to be "free", and well, his curse kind of fulfilled that.
 * Also, pay careful attention to when Dr. Facilier is doing the cards. "...and when I look into your future it's the green that I see..." Shortly after which Naveen was turned into a frog. His happy, instrument-playing rich-boy appearance on the card is also surrounded by what appears to be a lily pad...
 * Beleaguered Assistant: Naveen's butler, Lawrence. It's no wonder he
 * Berserk Button: Facilier's "friends" lose all patience with him
 * Fearing this fate, . He also
 * The Big Easy: Swamps, steamboats, and gumbo for all!
 * Big Eater: Big Daddy LaBouff who celebrates being chosen King of Mardi Gras by ordering a positively mountainous quantity of beignets with an order to "keep 'em comin' 'til I pass out."
 * Louis is implied to be this, since when he lists the food he'd like to eat at the moment, the list is huuuuge.
 * Bigger Bad: The Friends on the Other Side. While its Faciler's Evil Plan that drives the plot, they are the greater and more powerful evil in this setting.
 * Big Guy: Louis. Though he's a Gentle Giant for most of the film, he gets to (briefly) throw his weight around
 * Black Best Friend: Inverted, as Tiana is the black protagonist, and Charlotte is her white best friend.
 * Blatant Lies: As could be expected, Dr. Facilier specialized in these.

"''"On you, little man, I don't wanna waste much time You've been pushed around all of your life - You've been pushed round by your mother, and your sister, and your brother, And if you was married -- you'd be pushed around by your wife!"''"
 * Blood Magic: Dr. Facilier gives a talisman that disguises him as Naveen, but it only works with Naveen's blood fueling it.
 * Book Ends: The movie begins by showing the Evening Star, then fireflies flying down from the night sky onto New Orleans. The movie ends by showing fireflies flying up from New Orleans into the night sky,.
 * Bouquet Toss: At the end. Of course catches it, with a fantastic leap that would make an Olympian cry.
 * Brick Joke: . Guess where that joke started!
 * Brilliant but Lazy: Naveen. He's a polyglot, seems pretty decently educated about scientific facts (frog biology at the minimum), and can adapt impressively well to being a frog for a guy that has spent his life being waited on hand and foot.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Everyone has some understandable doubts about Mama Odie.
 * Butt Monkey: Lawrence, of course. Even when he gets what he wants, it still doesn't work out.
 * California Doubling: At points in the film, the sounds of the bayou sound awfully like the The Australian Bush...
 * Cannot Spit It Out: Naveen attempting to confess his love for Tiana . Justified because Naveen never expected to fall in love. Even coming to New Orleans to marry, he had only intended to marry for money, not for love. Plus, although he bragged about his romantic peccadilloes, he had never taken any of those dalliances seriously. And then there's the fact that if he does finally spit it out,
 * Career Versus Man: Okay, so she does choose the man but it's justified because choosing the career would have meant
 * She didn't really choose the man, she just more or less acknowledged that she wouldn't be happy without both of them.
 * Catch Phrase: Naveen exclaims "Achidanza" when surprised or impressed, a Maldonian word meaning "cool" according to some of the Disney tie-in books. Fun fact: The word bears a striking resemblance to "accidenti", an Italian interjection that's used more or less in the same way.
 * Carnivore Confusion: Oh boy. Louis the 'gator does not want to eat frog-form Tiana and Naveen unlike his fellow alligators. His stated preferences are for New Orleans cuisine --human food. Meanwhile, despite being driven to eat bugs, Tiana and Naveen manage to keep their tongues away from Ray once Tiana cooks them all some swamp gumbo. Louis even lists frog legs as something he'd like to eat (not that Naveen and Tiana should really care, not being real frogs and all).
 * Casanova and/or Chivalrous Pervert: Naveen. Also the only man in the world to treat being turned into a frog as the most minor of setbacks in his lady-macking abilities.
 * Celebrity Voice Actor: Surprisingly averted for a Disney film with the cast mostly being made up of character actors and actual voice actors. A few cameos aside, the biggest names in the cast are John Goodman and Oprah.
 * Emeril Lagasse is in there too, as a crocodile who yells "Bam!" a lot.
 * Chain of Deals: Dr. Facilier
 * Character Development: Naveen, starting when the frog hunters captured Tiana.
 * Tiana develops too. She loosens up, and focuses on what she needs.
 * Chekhov's Gun:
 * Chew Toy: Lawrence.

Purple, traditional hallmark of comic book villains, is part of the Doctor's costume and no one else, even though it's one of the standard Mardi Gras colors (Purple, Green and Gold). The person who wrote the color script made a conscious decision to include the three Mardi Gras colors: Facilier has purple in all of his scenes (since, of the three colors, purple is the most "unnatural"), the scenes in the swamp with frog Tiana and Naveen are green, and Mama Odie's scenes are awash in gold. ""What's up with all the loopholes!? Was this fairy tale written by a lawyer!?""
 * Circling Monologue:
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Charlotte
 * Also Mama Odie. She falls asleep mid-conversation, kisses a snake repeatedly on the mouth, and changes topics almost mid-sentence. But she also moves the plot towards resolution better than anybody else in the movie.
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Dr. Facilier wears a black Baron Samedi-esque outfit while Mama Odie wears white, which is the traditional color for voodoo garb. This also fits with the way they represent shadow and light respectively.
 * Comically Missing the Point: Tiana, after the "Dig A Little Deeper" sequence, in which Mama Odie explains that you have to find out what you NEED to do, not WANT to do, and she asks Tiana if she understands. Tiana's answer: "Yes! I need to dig deeper, and work even harder to get my restaurant!" Mama Odie's response is something the internet knows too well. She does realize the point eventually, though.
 * Louis makes the exact same mistake, though he also gets the point later. It's more understandable since the song wasn't directed at him.
 * "I could use a little help." "Oh. I will play a little louder!"
 * Conspicuous CG: Facilier's cards
 * Cool Old Lady: Mama Odie. "Not bad for a 197-year-old blind lady!" And she doesn't look a day over 190. She's likely based on Mam'zelle Marie Laveau, the New Orleans voodoo queen whose real life modern day followers believe to be either alive or a very active spirit.
 * According to the movie's IMDB trivia page, the character is based on famed New Orleans storyteller Coleen Salley, "even down to the voice".
 * Covered in Kisses: Naveen,
 * Creator Cameo: Directors Rob Clemens and John Musker appear on a Mardi Gras float tossing beads. Walt Disney himself appears at the parade, and in the ending watching the wedding procession and as a customer at Tiana's Palace. The directors also appear in Doctor Facilier's villain song. If you look at the Floating Masks behind Naveen's chair, two are barely recognizable caricatures.
 * Creative Closing Credits
 * Creepy Doll:
 * Curse Escape Clause: Only a kiss from a princess will release Naveen from the frog curse. This comes with two twists.

"Down in New Orleans: Get everything you want/But lose what you had Friends on the Other Side: You got what you wanted/But you lost what you had!"
 * Daddy's Girl: Both Tiana and Charlotte.
 * Dame Not Appearing In This Trailer: Charlotte LaBouff, at first. She did make an appearance in the last trailer, causing some people to call shenanigans due to the movie featuring a "blonde princess" as well as a black one. See Never Trust a Trailer, below.
 * Dance of Romance: Naveen teaches Tiana how to dance after she teaches him how to to mince.
 * Dark Reprise: "Almost There" gets a short reprise after Tiana loses the restaurant.
 * The creepy undermelody of "Friends on the Other Side" is reprised when the Shadows grab Naveen to take him back to Facilier.
 * And once more, with gusto, when the Friends decide Facilier has used up all their good will - a rare example of a villain's tune being used against him.
 * Likewise, "Friends on the Other Side" revisits a line from "Down in New Orleans":

""If you relax, it will enable me to do, anything I please.""
 * The melody of "Almost There" also is reprised (albeit slower) when
 * Don't forget the somber reprise of "Evangeline" that's played during
 * Deadly Dodging: Their entire tactic for fighting the hunters. They win, too.
 * Deadly Fireworks Display:
 * Deal with the Devil: The source of Dr. Facilier's powers. With the souls of the entire city of New Orleans as an installment.
 * This is also Facilier's method of choice. It's apparent that he can't just kidnap the Prince by force, his magic will only work if he gets Naveen to make a deal with him first (although Naveen of course has no idea what he's really agreeing to).
 * Deep-Fried Whatever: All of the delicious beignets that appear through the movie.
 * Did Not Do the Research: Louis mentions bananas Foster as one of the dishes he'd like to eat, when they were invented in 1951.
 * Minor one; Tarot cards are a European form of fortune telling strongly associated with Roma (although the author who first popularised their divinatory use was actually Swiss), not related to vodoun or American folk magic, and in the 1920s people hadn't yet started mashing "exotic" magic together so much that Facilier could be expected to use them. Possibly excused by his "friends" providing them--or simply how far outside his main focus he had gone in a sort of in-character Shown His Work; the "High Magic" tradition and particularly the English Golden Dawn group had integrated them, but this type of practice was far less widely known then than now.
 * But a closer look at the cards shows that the writers at least knew what the cards were supposed to mean. They even use minor arcana correctly!
 * Digging Yourself Deeper: Naveen,
 * Disappeared Dad:
 * Dish Dash: Tiana's waitressing skills include being able to catch and carry flying plates full of food stacked on every available extremity and her head.
 * Naveen eventually picks this up too,
 * Disney Acid Sequence: Played with; "Friends on the other Side" is actually depicting supernatural events that actually happen, but is still freaky as all get-out. Especially that one bit with Facilier's face.
 * "Almost There" is a straight example, as it's an Art Shift into Tiana's fantasy of her restaurant.
 * And "Dig a Little Deeper", where Mama Odie's house gets flooded with golden light and dancing animals.
 * Disney Death:
 * Disney Villain Death:
 * Disney Princess: Tiana.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: As revenge for being publicly embarrassed by Naveen, Lawrence agrees to
 * Does He Have a Brother?: Luckily for Charlotte, Naveen does have a brother.
 * Does Not Like Shoes/Foot Focus: Mama Odie.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Mama Odie's "Dig A Little Deeper" is modeled after a big Gospel number, probably to contrast Facilier's dark and sinister "Friends on the Other Side"
 * Speaking of 'Friends On the other side'...

""And I'd blow this horn so hard and strong like no one they've ever seen.""
 * And from When We're Human:

""You're finally getting into the music! Do you get my joke? Because your head, well, it's in a tuba.""
 * Doing It for the Art: Pick five minutes, and look at the animation quality. Any five minutes.
 * Don't Explain the Joke:

"Naveen: Well, waitress, it looks like we're going to be here a while. We might as well get... comfortable."
 * Dramatic Necklace Removal:
 * Drop What You Are Doing: Blink and you'll miss it. Naveen almost buried in gold coins during "Dig A Little Deeper" but the he turns and sees Tiana, and he drops the coin he was left holding after Mama Odie rescued him and pointed him at Tiana.
 * Dueling Movies: Disney released The Princess and the Frog against 20thCenturyFox's Alvinandthe Chipmunks: The Squeakel and Avatar. Disney fans as well as non-Disney animation buffs question on how Disney made a big mistake.
 * Dumb Blonde: Charlotte.
 * Eccentric Mentor: Mama Odie, who says and does more than a few odds things between teachings the protagonist to 'dig a little deeper' and find what will truly make them happy.
 * Eldritch Abomination: Amazingly for a Disney film, Dr. Facilier's Friends on The Other Side may count.
 * Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Light beats darkness. Ray's crowning moment is based on this.
 * Establishing Character Moment: How do we know Facilier's not a nice man? It's not the outfit or the Living Shadow, but his first customer on-screen. Man suffers from male pattern baldness, so Facilier hits him with a magic powder that grows a full head of hair...followed by the rest of his body.
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: This attitude is spoofed with Charlotte, but still played straight with the merchandise.
 * Everything's Better with Sparkles: Take a good guess what some of the dresses do. The fireflies of the swamp and Evangeline the evening star as well.
 * Invoked in one scene with Charlotte throwing sparkles over herself.
 * Everything Is an Instrument: Including Lulu the potato bug/squeezebox. Also, Naveen manages to make a fully functional frog-size ukulele out of a stick and a spider web. Twice.
 * Everything Sounds Sexier in Maldonian: Probably the trope responsible for Naveen's accent.
 * Evil Brit: Lawrence.
 * Evil Counterpart: Dr. Facilier to Mama Odie.
 * Evil Laugh: Dr. Facilier, in grand ol' Disney tradition. His shadow has one, too!
 * Evil Is Not a Toy:
 * Evil Is Stylish: Facilier is this all over.
 * Evil Is Sexy: And according to the fangirls (and some fanboys), he's also this.
 * Evil Plan: Faciler's Chain of Deals outlined above. The general gist of it is to get filthy rich.
 * Evil Sorcerer: Dr. Facilier is apparently the 1920s Big Easy's version of an Evil Sorcerer.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: Again, Dr. Facilier (thanks to Keith David).
 * Exact Words: Word to the wise; when the creepy voodoo man says he sees 'green' in your future, do not assume he means money. Similarly, Lawrence probably assumes Facilier is speaking figuratively when he says he'll make him "Exactly the man he always wanted to be).
 * Expy: According to Word of God, Facilier's look was modeled on the voodoo god Baron Samedi: he's lean, he wears a top hat, his logo is a skull with a top hat, and at one point he sports a skull mask.
 * The creator of the Proud Family was one of the animators for this; and it shows. Dr. Facilier not only looks like Baron Samedi, but he also looks like Oscar Proud. Mama Odie even looks like Suga Mama.
 * Fairytale Wedding Dress
 * Family-Unfriendly Death: Let's be honest, is not a nice way to go.
 * Plus, . Really not the kind of thing you expect in a Disney film, especially with it ultimately subverting the Disney Death trope.
 * Fashion Dissonance: A couple outfits look like they raided the costumes from Cinderella, though it should be noted that the pimped out clothes we see are costumes or magically generated. Tiana's blue princess dress actually belongs to Charlotte, who was both rich and completely obsessed with being a princess from time of childhood. Charlotte gives it to Tiana after Tiana's own simple, High Middle Ages maiden costume is ruined. The characters' street clothes are a bit more accurate for the time period.
 * Fat Bastard: Averted with Louis. He's notably the chubbiest alligator in the film, and yet he's also one of the nicest characters in the film.
 * Also true of Big Daddy. He is a man who could throw his weight around physically, influentially, and monetarily, but he seems to just be sweet, jovial, and dotes upon his daughter.
 * Though played straight to an extent with Lawrence, Naveen's double-crossing butler. Though counter acted by the fact that real Big Bad Doctor Facilier is built like a stick.
 * Also played straight amongst the two obnoxious real-estate investors. The fatter of the two is also clearly the meaner of the two.
 * Fat Idiot: Both subverted and played straight with Louis. While he's shown to have a poor sense of direction (Something that Ray points out all alligators have), he is rather skilled in trumpet playing. Ya know, for an alligator who has never taken any formal music lessons.
 * The Final Temptation:
 * Flashback Cut: Louis when he remembers the last time he tried to play trumpet for humans.
 * Flechette Storm: "Two-Fingers", despite his natural disadvantage.
 * Foil: Rich, spoiled, princess-wannabe, desperate-for-romance Charlotte in contrast to level-headed, workaholic Tiana who couldn't care less about marrying a prince. In a twist, Charlotte is not the Alpha Bitch; she's Tiana's best friend, and likable in her own right.
 * Also, Prince Naveen and Facilier have racked up loads of debts and are running out of time to pay...
 * Tiana and Naveen are both offered their greatest dreams by Facilier, for what seems to be a small price. Their responses are quite different...
 * Food Porn: Your mouth will be watering by the end of the breakfast-serving montage in the diner. It seems that everyone, even the non-transformed animals that you would think wouldn't be accustomed to eating human food, is in love with the gumbo and beignets covered with honey and powdered sugar that Tiana makes. Tiana is indeed a Supreme Chef.
 * Foreshadowing: "You just wanna be free; hop from place to place. But freedom... takes green!" (As it turns out, he's not talking about money...)
 * For Mardi Gras I Am Going As Myself: Thanks to a musician complimenting him on his alligator costume, Louis gets to play with a Jazz Band.
 * Form-Fitting Wardrobe: 1920s-style clothing generally did not accentuate the waist or bust like that.
 * For the Evulz: Facilier curses some guy to grow hair all over his body pretty much just for his own amusement.
 * Four-Temperament Ensemble: Tiana is choleric, Naveen is sanguine, Louis is melancholic, and Ray is phlegmatic.
 * Fourth Date Marriage: The relationship Tiana and Naveen create is the typical speed for a Disney movie.
 * "Friend or Idol?" Decision:
 * It's a real idol, too.
 * Frogs and Toads: No duh.
 * Gainaxing: Charlotte, when she readjusts her dress.
 * Genki Girl: Charlotte
 * Genre Savvy: Tiana, Charlotte, and Naveen are all familiar with the fairy tale in question, with the girls willing to try kissing the frog to solve the problem. Also, Facilier knows enough about a Deal with the Devil . The only one who could actually harm his friends (besides Mama Odie) was Ray. Instead of gloating, he
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Charlotte stuffing her neckline with napkins (we're supposed to believe it's to wipe off sweat since she's nervous, but...). Later, Charlotte pulling up her bust before going back to the party.
 * This particular line from after Tiana and Naveen escape from gators into a tree trunk...
 * This particular line from after Tiana and Naveen escape from gators into a tree trunk...

"Mama Odie: How your grandma doin'? Ray: She got into a little trouble for flashin' the neighbors again [Ray's butt lights up]"
 * This little exchange with Mama Odie and Ray.

"Naveen: You will enjoy, I guarantee. All women enjoy the kiss of Prince Naveen. Come! We pucker! Naveen: That's new.... *suggestive grin*"
 * And then this jewel:
 * puckers up, then his throat expands*

"Tiana: Just... one kiss? Naveen: Just one.... *perverted/suggestive tone and grin* Unless you beg for more *licks lips*"
 * Hell, any time Naveen makes a comment about being a frog, really, its nearly always accompanied by a suggestive tone or grin.


 * When Tiana and Naveen are tied together by their tongues and Louis comes to help by . According to Ray's reaction, it was entirely intentional.
 * Girlish Pigtails: Tiana as a child.
 * Good Witch Versus Bad Witch: Though they don't technically directly do battle, it's assumed that Mama Odie is aware of Facilier's dark doings with the shadow demons. At the very least, she knows his reputation enough to accurately surmise that the shadows that attacked Naveen just before she turned up belonged to Facilier.
 * Go Out with a Smile:
 * Gorgeous Garment Generation
 * Gray Rain of Depression:
 * Groin Attack: With a shotgun. Don't worry, he only takes Clothing Damage.
 * Happily Ever After
 * Hands-On Approach: When Tiana teaches Naveen how to mince vegetables.
 * Hard Work Hardly Works: You may think the movie's going to end with this, but Tiana
 * However, Tiana's dad fits this trope.
 * Hard Work Montage:
 * The Hedonist: Naveen.
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: Tiana says this about Naveen. Ray assumed so because their (long froggy) tongues were ridiculously tangled up all around them.
 * Hell Gate: The giant mask Dr. Facilier summons during his Villain Song and later
 * Here We Go Again: Ray attempting to restart "Dig a Little Deeper" (but immediately averted).
 * Heroic Sacrifice:
 * He's Dead, Jim: We actually see
 * Hidden Depths: While deliciously suave, Facilier seems like a standard Disney villain until

Facilier seemed genuinely frustrated and bitter with his lot in life, (likely due to being black in 20's New Orleans). Probably what sparked his original deal with his "Friends", and after that just dug a little deeper each time... This gets obvious when he is convincing Lawrence to follow his plan, saying how he (Lawrence) should be tired of being in poverty while the big shots only get richer and richer. The expression in his face pretty much tells that he wasn't speaking much about Lawrence as he was about himself.

Facilier was apparently supposed to be a Creole, and hence an ethnic minority to boot. Free African Americans and Creoles of mixed ancestry would have been lumped in under Jim Crow laws after the Civil War. The LaBouff family were probably Creole too, but would have been considered "French" and white. Facilier also had economic motives as well as racial ones. New Orleans is run by a capitalist white patriarch, and, he's equalizing everyone--no more class system. The undertones are clear because he teams up with Lawrence, who is obviously unhappy with his role as a servant and would like to move farther up the totem pole. After Tiana's accident at the party, Charlotte immediately leaves Prince Naveen on the dance floor to help Tiana clean up and change her dress. She also offers Tiana a ridiculous amount of money for beignets. This may just be Charlotte having no concept of the value of money, but it gives Tiana enough cash to buy her resturaunt.
 * Naveen also seems like a smarmy, cheesy "no-account, good for nothing" as Tiana calls him, but he displays resourcefulness, adaptability, scientific knowledge, and multilingual knowledge, plus a willingness to learn. To say nothing of his musical talents, which mainly enhanced his image as a himbo. Combine this with the fact that a lot of his behavior is used as a mask to hide deep insecurities about literally not knowing how to do anything for himself due to his parents spoiling him most of his life and then kicking him out and he almost goes straight into Woobie territory
 * Charlotte,
 * Also a Character Establishing moment. It would not have been unthinkable at that point for her to have reamed out Tiana, and demanded more of her "man-catching beignets", but being a true friend, promptly took her leave, helped Tiana get herself cleaned up, and loaned her one of her dresses. She may be spoiled, and not exactly deep, but she knows what's truly important to her.
 * Ray appears at first to be a stereotypical hillbilly-type. He actually turns out to be one of the most insightful, caring, and helpful people in the group. He's also competent, which goes a long way when the first two things he does are untying Naveen and Tiana (after Louis's well-meaning attempt made things much worse), and pointing out that Louis had been leading them in the wrong direction. The rest of his family (who also appear to be hillbilly-ish as well) are just as helpful for the brief amount of time they do show up, helping the group find the way to Mama Odie's home.
 * Hollywood Voodoo: Well, that is already explained above, at Did Not Do the Research. But Disney did a better job than usual, by even mentioning Hoodoo.

They also give themselves a bit of an escape hatch in the next line--"I've got things I ain't even tried." Facilier isn't stuck on any one tradition, he'll work with anything and anyone that can give him power. "Naveen: (to Ray) Pardon me, but your accent... it is funny, no?"
 * It's a step in the right direction that Disney also made a 'good' Voodoo priestess dressed in the traditional white, since Voodoo is usually seen as only something evil in Hollywood Voodoo.
 * Facilier makes use of Voodoo dolls, usually the only known object in Voodoo. But the use of this object is only used in Louisiana Voodoo. So that is again a thumbs-up for Disney. But they do exaggerate it a bit.
 * They also intentionally tried to avoid using actual religious symbols because they didn't want to offend anyone who actually practiced Voudou in real life.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: Naveen has no reservations about following a shady guy with a skull on his hat down a dark alley, and when the floating voodoo masks start singing and the shadows start moving things around, he's still obliviously enjoying the show with a big goofy grin on his face.
 * This is Lampshaded a bit when Tiana comments about Naveen "messing with the Shadow Man", for which he responds, "He was very charismatic!"
 * Also, he might have just assumed that the whole thing was a parlor trick, as Facilier said it was. Plus, he's from a different country, so maybe he assumed that these sort of things happened all the time.
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick: Ray.
 * Hypocritical Humor:

"Charlotte: I thought wishing on stars was for babies... and crazy people! [eyetwitch]"

"Naveen: Ray! Get me out of this box! Ray: I can't hear you! I'mma get you outta this box!"
 * I Can't Believe Someone Like You Would Notice Me!: . He says it in "Ma Belle Evangeline" and it is proven true
 * I Can't Dance: Tiana, but she learns pretty quickly, especially considering she is a frog at the time.
 * I Can't Hear You: Ray and Naveen on the Mardi Gras float.

"Dr. Facilier: You're almost there... ...is significantly less dark than the latter... Friends from the Other Side: ARE YOU READY?"
 * Idiot Ball: Tiana, you saw there was a fake, human-looking Naveen early on, and the person you saw him with? Charlotte! Sooo....why are you so easily believing that he's the real Naveen now?
 * Can't we just say that she was in shock, hence losing her rationality? After all, the thing she was most afraid of after she and Naveen were turned into frogs is that he would choose for himself and abandon her, forsaking to fund her restaurant. And that seemed to be exactly what was happening.
 * Image Song: "Life in the Swamp" for Ray and "I Was Born To Blow This Horn" for Louis from the Bayou Boogie CD, which is basically an Image Song album for all the characters in the film.
 * Impossibly Cool Clothes: How does Tiana's dress stay up?
 * Impossibly Tacky Clothes: Some of Charlotte's dresses fall under this.
 * Impoverished Patrician:
 * Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Lawrence
 * Inelegant Blubbering: Charlotte, for comedic effect.
 * Inexplicably Awesome: Dr. Facilier and Mama Odie are both this, since they are both eccentric and have awesome Voodoo powers, but their backstories of how they got them are never explained.
 * It's heavily implied that Facilier Odie's case is almost definitely more benign, but goes unexplained and plays the trope fairly straight.
 * Insistent Terminology: It's not slime. It's mucus.
 * Instant Fanclub: The squealing girls who briefly follow Naveen around upon his arrival in New Orleans.
 * Instant Leech Just Fall in Water: Naveen gets one on his elbow after landing in the swamp as a frog.
 * Interacting with Shadow: Dr. Facilier, the aptly named Shadow Man, often interacts with his shadow.
 * Inter Class Romance: Naveen is rich (but cut off) and Tiana is poor.
 * In the Blood: Tiana apparently inherited her passion for cooking from her father, who passed his skills onto her when she was little.
 * Ironic Echo: Done twice in quick succession; arguably, the former example...

"Tiana: Listen mister, this "stick in the mud" has had to work two jobs her whole life, while you've been sucking on a silver spoon, chasing chamber maids 'round your ivory tower. Naveen: ...Actually, it was polished marble."
 * Ironic Nickname: The Friends on the Other Side are most certainly not your friends.
 * I Take Offense to That Last One:

""... I hope you're satisfied! But if you ain't, don't blame me! You can blame my friends on the other side! Hahahaha!""
 * It's Always Mardi Gras in New Orleans: Of course it is. Justified in that Naveen's visit instigates the plot, and it would make sense that he'd choose to travel there in time for the festivities. Also, the Mardi Gras king is a plot point.
 * It Was with You All Along:
 * I Want Grandkids: Tiana isn't almost there until she pops one out, at least according to her mother.
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
 * In a more platonic sense,
 * "I Want" Song: "When We're Human", "Ma Belle Evangeline", and "Almost There", although the latter is more of a "I've Just About Got It" song.
 * Jackass Genie: Dr. Facilier, naturally. Especially since Naveen never actually made a wish. He went in to get his fortune told, Facilier knew he was looking for money, i.e. 'The Green', and, when the deal was sealed by a shake of hands, promptly gave Naveen his OWN interpretation! Lawrence also did not get quite what he expected; Facilier told him he'd "be the man he always wanted to be", but he probably didn't realize that would mean literally becoming the Prince.

""You got what you wanted! But you lost what you had!""
 * And then his "friends" chime in, just to twist the knife:

"Mama Odie: Gumbo, gumbo, in the pot. We need answers...whatcha got?"
 * Jail Bait Wait: At the end of the movie . (Considering she also
 * The Jeeves:
 * Jerkass: The two real estate broker brothers, revealed as such by both their choice of costume and how they treat Tiana. There was also Buford, the short order cook, in the beginning of the movie, who mocks her dream of opening a restaurant.
 * Just-So Story:
 * Just the Way You Are: The lesson Louis learns is that he doesn't have to become human to fulfill his dreams.
 * Likewise, Tiana and Naveen declare their love for one another not caring anymore if they're humans or frogs.
 * Karma Houdini:
 * Kick the Dog: Facilier is a bit prone to this, but the least subtle is when, dammit.
 * Ladykiller in Love: Naveen.
 * A Lady on Each Arm: Naveen sings about this, though apparently he only likes brunettes and redheads. The blondes only get to hold the candles.
 * Then again, as he was singing this, while there was one "brunette" butterfly and one "redhead" butterfly, there were way more blondes. He probably likes them just fine.
 * Although in French, to hold a candle is an idiom for being a third wheel (like when you're hanging out with two people who are on a date with each other). Oblique reference to a threesome?
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice: Prince Naveen has one to match his cockiness.
 * Large Ham: Dr. Facilier is an exceptional ham, in finest Disney tradition.
 * Naveen has these moments, especially early on. "All weemeen enjoy the kees...of Prince Naveen" anyone?
 * Charlotte is a rare combination of female and heroic, and is impossibly hammy about it. She manages to ham it up even when applying make up.
 * Lean and Mean: Dr. Facilier has only slightly more bulk than his cane.
 * Like an Old Married Couple: Naveen and Tiana. Mentioned by name in a deleted scene.
 * Living Shadow: Dr. Facilier has one that functions as his sidekick. Not to mention an entire army of them "from the other side".
 * Lotus Eater Machine: Dr. Facilier attempts this on
 * Love At First Sight: Averted. Tiana and Naveen encounter each other, briefly, early in the movie when they are both human. She is visibly unimpressed and he gives a "can't win them all" shrug.
 * Love Epiphany
 * Mad Eye: Definitely invoked. "I was starting to think that wishin' on stars was for babies! And - an' crazy people."
 * Magic A Is Magic A: Facilier explains to Lawrence that he can't use his voodoo magic on himself Which is probably why Mama Odie is noticeably more powerful than Facilier (she uses her magic to help others, rather than herself, so she naturally has more of it), zapping the shadow creatures away effortlessly while Facilier has to rely on his friends on the other side to do most of the magic, and when they turn on him, he's as powerless as any mortal man.
 * Magical Incantation: Mama Odie's is...different.


 * Magic Pants: Surprisingly averted; Tiana's dress visibly doesn't transform with her. Though,
 * Make a Wish: Like some other Disney flicks, it focuses on wishing on a star; unlike other Disney flicks, it explicitly states that you have to work hard to get what you want, too, and it's left ambiguous as to whether wishing on a star really make wishes come true, or if it's just a coincidence.
 * The Man Behind the Man:
 * Also,
 * Which would make it the
 * Manic Pixie Dream Boy: Naveen, although Tiana has more of an influence on him than traditional for this trope. He still manages to help her come out of her shell during their adventure.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Dr. Facilier pretty well.
 * Marry for Love
 * Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane:
 * Meaningful Name: Dr. Facilier's name is a pun on the French word ""facile", for "easy", indicative of how he always offers the easy way out to his clients (or how he tries to take it for himself).
 * It's probably not even a pun. Facilier is one letter away from faciliter, the French verb meaning "to make something easier" or "facilitate". Maybe it just didn't have the same smoothness as facilier.
 * It could also be meant as an ironic name: "Facilier" could be interpreted as "one who makes things easier", but Dr. Facilier never does anything but make people's lives more difficult. (Tiana, Naveen, etc.)
 * "La Bouffe" in French means "The Grub" as in "food". Appropriate for the Big Eater father...
 * Ray also, to an extent, as in "ray of light", reflecting his optimistic attitude. And how he
 * Also "Evangeline", since it's the name of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem about a woman looking for her lost love. It's also the name of a parish in Louisiana.
 * Also "Evangeline", since it's the name of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem about a woman looking for her lost love. It's also the name of a parish in Louisiana.

Specifically, "Evangeline" is meaningful in that the Longfellow poem is about an Acadian woman looking for her lost husband after they were separated in the ethnic cleansing of Acadians from their homeland that started in 1755. Some Acadians migrated to Louisiana after this and over time became known as Cajuns. Of course, Ray is a Cajun firefly, so the name of his true love is ethnically significant. "Louis: It didn't end well."
 * And let's not forget the very-briefly-seen character Beau...a moth who functions as a bow-tie.
 * Also the slang used for Voodoo and other practices or being involved in them is usually described as getting/being in some "Bad Juju".
 * Tiana is also an example, her name literally means princess, probably referring to
 * Meaningful Echo:
 * Also, while Tiana's father didn't achieve his dream, he had something more important: "He had love."
 * Minor Injury Overreaction: "Prickle bushes got me! Gator down! Gator down!"
 * A Minor Kidroduction: The movie begins by showing Tiana and Charlotte as children being read the source material of the movie by Tiana's mother.
 * Missing Mom: Charlotte has a father who dotes on her shamelessly, but we never see her mother and it's never mentioned why she's not around.
 * Mistaken Identity: The reason Tiana's kiss doesn't solve Naveen's frog curse problem. She isn't really a princess when she kisses him; Naveen just assumed she was because of her outfit. She points out it was a Masquerade Ball.
 * The Mockbuster: Ironically titled The Frog Prince.
 * Mock Millionaire: Prince Naveen really is rich and influential, but has been cut off by his family. He still pretends to be well-off in order to try and marry a rich woman.
 * Modest Royalty: Except for special occasions, Naveen dresses no more fancily than any other man
 * Mood Whiplash: The beginning of the film seems light-hearted, relaxed and friendly but by the end it's clearly sentimental.
 * A better example occurs during/after the "Ma Belle Evangeline" sequence. We have a beautiful, slow, romantic song while our two protagonists dance together...and then
 * A short example just before the BLAM, combined with a great use of a Beat and a scene cut.

"Mr. La Bouff: All right now, princess, you're gettin' that dress, but that's it. No more Mr. Pushover. Now who wants a puppy?"
 * Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate: Dr. Facilier is a witch doctor.
 * Morally-Bankrupt Banker: Two of them.
 * Motor Mouth: Ray.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Oh lord, Naveen! And totally on purpose! According to the commentary, they were down to three options for Naveen's voice so they gathered together female members of the crew and asked them to pick the most attractive voice.
 * And Facilier. Evil Is Sexy, after all.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Charlotte.
 * Multi Armed Multitasking: The guy in the octopus costume.
 * My Card: Facilier to Naveen.
 * My Instincts Are Showing: While Naveen attempts to satisfy his Frog Form's taste for insects when he gets hungry, when Tiana tries to resist her own tongue rebels against her.
 * Named After Somebody Famous: Louis is pretty obviously named after Louis Armstrong, and this is even Lampshaded when he mentions him first and foremost among the people he wants to surpass in the world of trumpet playing.
 * Name's the Same: This Tiana isn't the only "Tiana" whose best friend calls her "Tia".
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Facilier is more commonly known as "the Shadow Man".
 * Never a Self-Made Woman: Weirdly narrative example: it's obvious to the viewer that Tiana gets her dreams through her own hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance, but every character who knows about Tiana's father attributes her success to his influence. At least one reference to Tiana's father being the source of her hard-working nature is made in every song she participates in, and in the end, she has to realize that in order to learn her personal lesson.
 * Never Recycle a Building: Tiana's father sets his sights on an abandoned mill as the place to set up the restaurant he dreams of starting. Not only was the mill empty for some time before he announces this, it remains empty for another ten years or so, while Tiana grows up and saves the money so she can buy the mill for the same purpose after her father dies. One of the things that kicks off the plot is that as soon as she tells the men selling the mill that she's able to afford it, she's informed that someone else just happened to outbid her on it. Given the warehouse's long-abandoned state and that the sellers are jerks, Fanon has taken to the notion that Tiana was simply lied to about the competition.
 * Never Say "Die": Averted. Tiana's mother mentions that Tiana's father died before he could see his dream of owning a restaurant come true. And of course there's
 * In other words, perfect Disney Tradition.
 * Never Trust a Hair Tonic: Some hair-voodoo worked by Dr. Facilier initially grants a man a full head of hair, but it quickly spreads to the rest of his body.
 * Never Trust a Trailer:
 * In the third trailer, a line was added in with Mama Odie telling Tiana that "all that matters is what's under the skin". Not only does this line never appear in the movie, but it is in no way related to the moral that either Tiana learns or that Mama Odie is attempting to teach.
 * In the same trailer, it emphasizes that it's "the kind of magic that can only happen when you wish upon a star". "Wishing upon a star" is 100% contradictory to the moral of the story, which is that while wishing (determination) takes you part of the way, you still have to work for what you want.
 * Overall, Disney did an excellent job making this movie look like something it isn't in the TV spots, putting emphasis on butt jokes, fart jokes, and Louis and Ray at their goofiest.
 * Nice Hat: Dr. Facilier sports a very nice hat indeed.
 * Nice to the Waiter: In a very literal example, Charlotte and Big Daddy La Bouff. They're a bit oblivious to Tiana's problems and come across as airheaded socialites sometimes, but their kind treatment of servants and workers shows that their hearts are in the right place.
 * No Except Yes:

"Faciler: Fun fact about voodoo, Larry... can't conjure a thing for myself!"
 * Non-Human Sidekick: Mama Odie's pet snake Juju.
 * and in Disney tradition, Tiana and Naveen get Louis and Ray.
 * Non-Indicative Name:
 * No More for Me: The partygoer dressed as an octopus.
 * Noodle People: Facilier definitely fits.
 * No Self-Buffs: The Shadow Man's magic won't work on himself. He even gives us the page quote:

"Facilier: Aren't you tired of living on the margins, while all those fat cats in their fancy cars don't give you so much as a sideways glance?"
 * No Sense of Direction: Louis
 * To be fair, though, he was distracted by the geography...a-and the topography, and the choreography!
 * No Sympathy: Averted - Charlotte shows real concern when Tiana accidentally falls into a table full of "man-catching" beignets, taking Tiana upstairs to fix her makeup and change out of her messy costume. Charlotte doesn't even expect Tiana to make more beignets to replace what she ruined. All of this is on top of the fact that she had been busy chatting up the prince when it happened and left him without a second thought; Spoiled Sweet indeed!
 * Not So Different: Implied through Subtext when Facilier persuades Lawrence to be his accomplice.

"Mama Odie: It's good to see you again, Ray. How's your grandma? Ray: Oh, she's fine. Got in a little trouble for flashing the neighbors again!"
 * His voice must be heard to really appreciate the undercurrent of rage as he says this.
 * Not What It Looks Like: When Tiana and Naveen accidentally get their frog tongues tangled up around them while trying to catch food, Ray assumes they got carried away doing something else.
 * The Noun and the Noun
 * Obviously Evil: Tall, freakishly thin, likes skulls and crossbones, has a shadow that moves independently of the one casting it...
 * Oh Crap:
 * You just know you're in trouble when your Villain Song gets a Dark Reprise. Just take a look at face at the 24-second mark.
 * One-Scene Wonder: Mama Odie has about 15 minutes of screen time, but steals the show when she first appears.
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: Dr. Facilier's name is only said once (by himself) in the movie. The other characters refer to him as "The Shadow Man". Tiana even calls him it to his face once.
 * Opera Gloves
 * Orbital Kiss
 * Orphaned Punchline:
 * Pale Females, Dark Males: Despite Tiana having a darker skin tone than Naveen, her frog form is lighter than Naveen's.
 * Parental Bonus: So much so, yet another Classic Disney Tradition!

"Naveen: I do not take advantage of women... I only give them pleasure."
 * Picture-Perfect Presentation: The "Down in New Orleans" number introducing the main characters has several, newspaper photographs turning from black and white to color and coming to life.
 * Pimped-Out Dress: Tiana's magic lily pad dress, as well as the hundreds of pink monstrosities Tiana's mother makes for Charlotte.
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: "It's not slime... it's MUCUS!"
 * Pretty in Mink: A few of Charlotte's princess dresses have a bit of fur trim, and she wears a dark pink boa when telling Tiana about the Prince's arrival. Tiana herself imagines herself in a white fox wrap with her white dress during her "I Want" Song. The temptation dream at the end gives her the same dress and wrap.
 * Princesses Prefer Pink: Invoked and averted. Charlotte wants to be a princess, so she favors pink, due to this trope. Tiana favors green and blue when she becomes an actual princess.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Tiana and Naveen as frogs against the frog hunters. Also Ray the firefly against Dr. Facilier's shadow demons
 * Plucky Girl: Tiana
 * The Power of Blood: See Blood Magic.
 * Pretty Freeloader: Best summed up in a line that was understandably cut from the film:

"Tiana: Hit it hard with two shots of Tabasco, and it's the bee's knees!"
 * Product Placement: Both in the animation, and given a line. But justified in that we are talking about Louisiana hot sauce for gumbo.

"Dr. Facilier: Don't you disrespect me little man! / Don't you derogate or deride!"
 * Properly Paranoid:
 * When, we get to see that Facilier had some damn good reasons to be so protective of it.
 * Purple Eyes: Dr. Facilier. They match his belly shirt.
 * Rant-Inducing Slight: Lawrence calling Dr. Facilier a charlatan turns the first few lyrics of his Villain Song into this.


 * Really Gets Around: Strongly implied for Naveen, as strong as one can imply in a G-rated movie. He even says at one point that he has dated thousands of women. Unfortunately, it's when he's trying to
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted with Juju the snake. Facilier has Purple Eyes. Played with. Ray's eyes don't turn red when he's enraged, but his firefly butt does.
 * Reformed Rakes: Naveen.
 * Refrain From Assuming: Without looking at the soundtrack listing, it's easy to assume that "Gonna Take You There" is actually called "Going Down the Bayou".
 * Reluctant Monster/My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Tiana and Naveen befriend Louis, a friendly alligator who only wants to play jazz on his trumpet alongside humans and not eat frogs like other swamp alligators.
 * The Renaissance Age of Animation: The film is clearly an attempt to make a film with the style and quality of writing and music of the mid 90's Disney. They even brought back writers and producers from Aladdin and other such films.
 * Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Averted with Louis, a fat trumpet-playing alligator who provides comic relief in the film, and Mama Odie's seeing-eye snake JuJu, the first time a snake had a protagonist role in a Disney film. But played straight when two evil snakes are used to bind Naveen in place while Dr. Facilier's talisman takes his blood and the gang of alligators that try to eat Naveen and Tiana.
 * Rhyming with Itself: The song When We're Human rhymes "right" (as in "my right arm") with "right" (as in "correct").
 * Rich Bitch: Charlotte is a refreshing subversion. Though she had a privileged and spoiled upbringing, she's actually a nice person. See Spoiled Sweet below.
 * Rich in Dollars, Poor In Sense: Subverted. Naveen is pretty resourceful for a guy who's been turned into a frog. But the idea behind the trope is why his parents cut him off from the family fortune. Charlotte plays it straighter. Two big fistfulls of money is what a catering job costs, right?
 * Road Trip Romance: The traditional gender role are reversed, with Tiana having the experience and skills to guide on the journey, while the Naveen more or less tags along. The end result is the same. Disney used this plot again in their following animated feature.
 * The Roaring Twenties: According to the newspaper Big Daddy reads during "Down in New Orleans", it's 1926. The date is a left ambiguous: the front of his newspaper says "Friday, April 25, 1926" (actually a Sunday), the back says "Friday, July 16, 1926", and none of the real events the headlines are referring to (including Mardi Gras) actually took place on either of those dates.
 * On the bus, Tiana is reading the April issue of a magazine, indicating that it is, in fact, April. But it could be an old one, of course.
 * Early on in the film, when Young Tiana and her mother board the trolley, a man is seen in one of the front seats reading a newspaper with the headline "Wilson Elected". It was Wilson's second term in office; he won the U.S. Presidential Election of 1916, dating the prologue as exactly ten years before.
 * Worth noting- Mardi Gras can NEVER take place in April. It can only occur between early February and early March.
 * Explanation: Mardi Gras is Fat Tuesday, basically the day to run through all your excess before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. (Lent being the extended period of time prior to Easter Sunday). For a Mardi Gras to take place in April is to have an Easter in June (or maybe even July).
 * Running Gag: "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Prince Naveen!" [freaked out girl slams a book on him and from crumpled lips, he finishes] "...of Maldonia."
 * The many many Shout Outs seem to be this due to just how numerous and obvious they are to people who can recognize them.
 * Scary Black Man: Averted. Dr. Facilier's menace does not come from him being physically imposing...but don't think, even for a minute, that he isn't menacing.
 * The Scottish Trope: The animators clearly did some research on Vodou imagery, but refused to use actual symbols for Dr. Facilier's Instant Runes, and instead used fake ones that kept the style.
 * Sealed with a Kiss
 * Senior Sleep Cycle: Mama Odie falls asleep in the middle of talking with Naveen and Tiana.
 * Setting-Off Song: "Gonna Take You There."
 * Shadow Discretion Shot: Played with, and Played for Laughs. It looks like Big Daddy is going to give Little Charlotte a stern talking to because she's so spoiled, but then he produces
 * She's All Grown Up: Charlotte.
 * Shipper on Deck: Ray for Tiana and Naveen.
 * Of course, Dr. Facilier's pushes for the (disturbing) Lawrence/Charlotte ship, going so far as to bet his on it.
 * Shout-Out: Charlotte's dance scene with 'Naveen' closely resembles the dances Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty had with their Prince Charmings. The reason for these dances being duplicated in previous films was to save time and money but this time it's deliberate.
 * When Ray goes up to be a star with Evangeline, it brings to mind the song in Peter Pan, "The Second Star To The Right".
 * Shown Their Work: Disney chief John Lasseter, the Pixar head whose brainchild it was to bring back 2D animation, insisted on setting the film in New Orleans. When he found out Disney Renaissance directors Clements and Musker had never been to The Big Easy, he paid them to visit the post-Katrina city three times. Their research strongly influenced the plot as well as the look: Tiana's character was based on a person they met who dreamed of opening a restaurant.
 * Clements and Musker researched voodoo for the movie. However, they insisted on not using actual voodoo symbols, only fake ones for fear of conjuring spirits (or angering actual voodoo practitioners).
 * The music (by New Orleans native Randy Newman) is extremely location-specific and culture-specific, to the point that viewers unfamiliar with bayou music said it didn't sound catchy enough.
 * Shrinking Violet: Ray thinks Evangeline is one of these.
 * Simpleton Voice: Although Darnell (the big frog hunter) talks like this, his vocabulary is surprisingly more expansive than that of his father and brother, with the use of words such as "insolence" and "suspicious".
 * Sissy Villain: The creepiness of Charlotte being seduced by a guy in disguise is downplayed by making Lawrence as Naveen extremely effeminate.
 * Slap Slap Kiss: Tiana and Naveen.
 * Slapstick Knows No Gender: Played with. None of the female characters run into any slapstick, least of all Tiana... as a human. When she's a frog, all bets are off and everything is Played for Laughs - in fact, within her first few minutes as a frog involves a madcap, slapstick rich chase sequence.
 * Sleep Mask: Charlotte uses one.
 * Smarter Than You Look: Raymond, who from his appearance and mannerisms looks like he's missing a few brain cells, but is actually one of the more competent characters in the film. Though somewhat subverted when it's discovered who his true love is.
 * Mama Odie seems completely senile at first, but she's very wise and clever - she just went a little strange from all the voodoo.
 * Smug Snake: Dr. Facilier.
 * Soul Jar: Dr. Facilier's amulet, though probably not granting him immortality, as in the traditional definition of this trope, still fits since he appears to have sold his own soul to the Friends on the Other Side for the source of his powers.
 * Smug Snake: Dr. Facilier.
 * Soul Jar: Dr. Facilier's amulet, though probably not granting him immortality, as in the traditional definition of this trope, still fits since he appears to have sold his own soul to the Friends on the Other Side for the source of his powers.

That's a legitimate Voodoo fetish. A skilled bokor (witch for hire) can trap souls in a ouanga (spirit talisman) to fuel his own magic. However, he can only hold onto the spirits for so long, because all souls belong to Bondye (the one true God) and have to go back to him. It's still considered dark magic because you're interfering with them going to the afterlife. "That's an echo, gentlemen. Just a little something we have here in Louisiana, a little parlor trick. Don't worry."
 * Southern Belle: Charlotte.
 * The Southpaw: Tiana is meant to be left-handed, as a Shout-Out to her voice actress, Anika Noni Rose. (Close viewing, however, reveals that she's more ambidextrous than anything else).
 * The Speechless: Juju, even though all the other animals can talk.
 * Spoiled Sweet: Charlotte, Tiana's best friend since the two of them were small children. She's shallow and spoiled but still willing to
 * : Gender Flipped.
 * Squee: Ray lets out one of these when he begins to gush about Evangeline.
 * Also Charlotte, when she's telling Tiana about Price Naveen coming to the costume ball.
 * Louis pulls the biggest squee-face an alligator can when
 * Stars Are Souls:
 * Stealth Pun: The firefly's name is Ray which would be an Incredibly Lame Pun except for the fact that he's the most hopeful and bright-spirited character in the cast, and he
 * Even better, Dr. Facilier's name is a pun on "Easy" which references The Big Easy, but also ...one who makes things easy. Lawrence takes him up on that offer, and finds to his dismay that taking the easy way is not the same as the right way. The core Aesop of the movie is "Work hard to Earn Your Happy Ending, because wishing can only take you so far. The villain of the movie is a magician who relies on his friends' magic to accomplish his goals. What better name for the villain than Dr. "Person Who Makes Things Easier"?
 * Especially since he promotes this attitude to others. The title "Doctor" is descended from a medieval title denoting a license to teach. Dr. Facilier doesn't just take the easy way, he tries to teach everyone else to take it too.
 * Tiana's name is one letter away from Tiara. Hmm... Her name also literally means "Princess".
 * The realtors shared the joint costume of a donkey. The ye olden term for donkey is 'Jack ass', as seen in the second film the studio made. Guess how they treat our heroine. Go ahead, guess. Bonus points because the one in the head tried to break the news to her gently the hind one interrupted and put it bluntly.
 * Louis is a jazz playing alligator. "Gator" was a slang term for jazzman in the 20s. To be more specific, Louis is a trumpet playing Gator, combine that with "gator" being a slang term for a Jazzman and you get a multi-layer reference to Louis Armstrong. These are far from the only similarities the two share.
 * A throwaway line at the masquerade party was Big Daddy calling one of the party goers "senator". Said party goer was in a devil costume.
 * Suggested By: The film in relation to the source novel.
 * Supernatural Is Purple: Purple is used repeatedly to represent Facilier, because of the Mardi Gras colors, it's the most "unnatural." Mama Odie, however, is associated with gold.
 * Supreme Chef: Tiana, of course.
 * Survival Mantra: Just before she kisses Naveen, Tiana keeps telling herself "Okay, Tiana, you can do this, you can do this, its just a little kiss, a little kiss..."
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial

"Ray: I'm fine. But your breath done near killed me to death."
 * Sweet and Sour Grapes: The plot.
 * Synchronized Swarming: The fireflies.
 * Talented Princess, Regular Guy: Tiana is tough, hardworking, and a great cook, whereas Prince Naveen is apparently unable to take care of himself. This is debateable, though, since he does play the ukelele and speak three languages.
 * Talking Animal: The transformed Prince Naveen and Tiana. As frogs, they can understand other animals. It's a little inconsistent, though, as regular people can also understand Louis.
 * Louis is a bit unclear, people react to him but he never actually SPEAKS to other humans.
 * Tarot Motifs: When Doctor Facilier reads Naveen and Lawrence's fortunes. . And it's not overdone, and it works! Although the Eye of Horus on the back of the cards is a bit confusing. You'd think it'd be a bit too late for Facilier to try to get protection from evil.
 * Tempting Fate: An entire musical number of it early on- "I've climbed a mountain, I've crossed a river, and I'm almost there!" Yeah, you may wanna check your map again, Tiana.
 * Those Aren't Logs
 * Throw It In: In-universe, unintentionally: the rest of the band playing at the Masquerade Ball assumes the drummer is starting in with some jazzy improv, and follow suit. The drummer was actually trying to strike a frog with his drumsticks.
 * Title Drop: Sort of, the titular princess is not an actual princess and she only becomes one for about 1 minute of the screen time. The frog is also (of course) not an actual frog, but a prince.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tiana and Charlotte.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Facilier's plan is to hand over an item to a stranger. The item in question is so astonishingly fragile that if a frog slams it on the ground, it goes to pieces.
 * That would be the case if said short balding man needed to wear said item in order for the spell to work. Near the ending of the film it clearly shows that when the necklace is taken from Lawrence, he instantly reverts to his original self. Lawrence not looking like Naveen is very unproductive for Facilier's plan.
 * Toothy Bird: Naveen still has his teeth even when he is a frog. Ray the firefly also has teeth, albeit wonky ones. The animator for Naveen said they based his design off of African species of frogs that have teeth.
 * Trailers Always Spoil: One of the last few online behind-the-scenes featurettes uploaded before the film's release gave away
 * There's also at least one trailer showing that
 * Two scenes might be more suspenseful and/or made great reveals if 1. and 2.. Though the latter might be justified, since Disney films are somewhat predictable.
 * Trick Dialogue: Ray overhears Naveen practicing a proposal to Tiana, but believes he's trying to move in on Evangeline.
 * Also, when Naveen translates Ray's endearments to Evangeline for Tiana.
 * Troperiffic: Just look at this page's Running Gag.
 * Y'know, unless you actually read everything before making it down this far.
 * True-Blue Femininity: Tiana is given a blue dress by Charlotte. This convinces Naveen that she might be a princess to break his curse.
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Ray the firefly and his love Evangeline the evening star. Hot wife, indeed.
 * The Unfought:
 * The Unintelligible: Two-Fingers, one of the frog-hunting rednecks, speaks with mumbles and grunts. Darnell and Pa have no trouble understanding him, though. In some scenes, he's only speaking very quietly rather than unintelligibly.
 * Villainous Breakdown:
 * Unfunny: Tiana, occasionally. Her status as such is actually something of a plot point - in the end it's not because she doesn't have a sense of humor or fun, it's because she's filed away that sort of thing in order to focus on her ambitions.
 * Unusual Euphemism: When Naveen crashes the Mardi Gras wedding, Charlotte exclaims, "Cheese and crackers!"
 * Villain Song: "Friends on the Other Side". Keith David should get bonus points for making this song define Crowning Music of Awesome.
 * Visual Pun: The realtor who makes a remark about Tiana's "background" was in the back-side of the horse-suit. That's right, he's the horse's ass.
 * Or they could be a donkey, making them a Jackass.
 * Voices Are Mental: Averted, though in an odd way.
 * Warts and All: Naveen to Lawrence. Boy, does he regret it.
 * Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Tiana and Naveen. Early in the film, they both think that they're better than the other.
 * With Friends Like These...: Pardon the pun, but
 * With This Ring:
 * What Happened To The Cat?
 * When the Clock Strikes Twelve: Rare example of midnight being correctly signaled by the start of the clock's strokes rather than the end.
 * White Mask of Doom: Voodoo witch doctor Dr. Facilier.
 * The White Prince: Prince Naveen, who admits to Tiana that he was rather terrified when because he never actually learned to do anything besides being a Rich Idiot With No Day Job.
 * Who's Laughing Now?: Lawrence eagerly accepts Facilier's plan as it lets him get back at Naveen for "years of humiliation."
 * Why Did It Have To Be Guns?: Ever since his bad... experience on a river boat, Louis freaks out whenever he sees a gun.
 * Also Why Did It Have To Be Frogs. Tiana is afraid of frogs, making it very awkward that she has to kiss one and then be one.
 * You Go, Girl!: Basically the plot of the movie outside the Baleful Polymorph conflict.
 * You Have Failed Me:
 * You Need a Breath Mint: Ray complains of Louis' breath while the latter is trying to revive him from having nearly drowned.


 * You Shall Not Pass: Ray bravely pulls this on the shadow demons.
 * Your Makeup Is Running: Charlotte towards the end.