"The Princess and the Frog" Look Lovable

"The Princess and the Frog" — The spirit of Walt Disney lives on in this return to hand-drawn animation by the studio that pioneered the art form.

Photo: "The Princess and the Frog" Look Lovable

Disney has gone back to its roots with a fresh, funny retelling of a classic fairy tale and pleased critics by its perfect work.

This isn't the second coming of "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King." It's just plain pleasant, an old-fashioned charmer that's not deemed to be the next glib animated compendium of pop-culture garbage.

Updating the Brothers Grimm tale "The Frog Prince" to the Louisiana bayou in the 1920s, the film centers on a waitress (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) whose dream of opening her own restaurant is sidetracked when she encounters a smooth-talking prince (Bruno Campos) transformed into a frog.

Directors Ron Clements and John Musker ("The Little Mermaid") deliver a satisfying gumbo of snappy dialogue, lovable characters, bright-hued images and toe-tapping tunes by Randy Newman, all of it spiced up with just the right touch of voodoo peril.

G. 95 minutes. Three stars out of four, appraised by The Associated Press.