The Frog Prince

This limited animation adaptation of the popular Grimm's fairy tale about a bratty princess who's won over by a frog (prince) is disappointingly wooden. Neither Princess Leonora, whose loss of her precious golden ball, sets the story in motion, nor the frog, who retrieves the ball and exacts a promise from the princess to sup and sleep over at the castle, have the extra dimension of charm necessary to make them likeable and sympathetic characters. And the filmmakers, who have religiously avoided either good animation or imagination, try to fill the gaps with endless meaningless chatter. Shelly Duvall's live-action Fairie Tale Theatre version of this is better, by far. Not recommended. (Available from most distributors.)