After reading this week's articles and viewing the movie The Princess and the Frog, I could not help but wonder at their connection. In the article "What Makes a Repulsive Frog So Appealing: Memetics and Fairy Tales," Zipes argues that "The Frog Prince" enlightens its audience on mating strategies and courting practices across cultures. He also explains that the austere father of the story embodies the Grimms' moral code. In this tale, "the frog knows that the only way to court and bed the princess is through the authority figure of her father." The moral of the story is derived from the fact that the daughter actively rebels against her father by following what is best for her (refusing the frog in its animal form), and ironically ensuring that she follows through with her father's initial wish. This inability to woo the princess in the frog's present form, as well as the father's influence, are the vital components to this story.
Neither of these are present in The Princess and the Frog, a supposed variant of the fairy tale. Rather than waiting for the frog to become a prince, she ends up falling in love with him in his frog form. Furthermore, her father is not even alive during any of her encounters with the frog. However, everything that happens to the princess could be seen as a result of the father's wish, since the wish of opening her own restaurant was the father's wish as well.
The Princess and the Frog claims to be based, if only loosely, off the brothers' "The Frog Prince". However, if the themes explored by Zipes are what make the story appealing and applicable, where does this new movie fit in? If it even is considered a fairy tale would it be grouped with The Frog Prince? What do they have in common besides a frog to human transformation?
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