Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2010

©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Disney returns to its roots with this old-style, hand-drawn animation and, amid so many empty, SFX-driven offerings these days, that’s kind of nice. As is the fact that it features Disney’s first black princess. It would have been even nicer, though, had it included an ounce of originality. Let’s go down the checklist: plucky heroine, hunky male lead, evil magical villain, fun animal sidekicks, even a fairy godmother. And don’t forget the forgettable Randy Newman songs every 15 minutes. Bottom line: while I applaud this reaffirmation of traditional animation, this is probably too bland for parents.