A young Helen Hunt goes down Nellie Olsen territory in this expanded version of the Grimm Fairy Tale, so wicked that she's willing to kill a frog to get her way. He's no ordinary frog. He's man sized (yet not dangerous like other man sized frogs in the movies), and after befriending Hunt's awkward younger sister (Aileen Quinn), he shows how noble and helpful he can be, all because of her loyalty and sincere friendship. John Paragon is fun in his frog makeup, with his gymnastic style dancing standing out in his musical numbers.
The story surrounds which one of the sisters is actually a princess, and it's never explained if one of them was actually adopted, but they have absolutely nothing in common as sisters. Quinn, dressed up to look like Disney's Snow White, sounds just like she did as Annie, and gets some good songs, maybe not Broadway quality, but certainly easy to listen to. Clive Revill as their uncle is appropriately bumbling, getting a nice number as well.
Definitely made for the kiddy crowd, adults can enjoy it if they are in the right mood, although it's definitely juvenile in structure. In fact, it looks more like a TV special than a major motion picture, similar in many ways to the 1965 small screen version of "Cinderella". I wasn't overly coated by sugar with this either, and Hunt's sneering character helps it from becoming cloying. A few goofy moments that sometimes make musicals cloying doesn't take away the fun.
The story surrounds which one of the sisters is actually a princess, and it's never explained if one of them was actually adopted, but they have absolutely nothing in common as sisters. Quinn, dressed up to look like Disney's Snow White, sounds just like she did as Annie, and gets some good songs, maybe not Broadway quality, but certainly easy to listen to. Clive Revill as their uncle is appropriately bumbling, getting a nice number as well.
Definitely made for the kiddy crowd, adults can enjoy it if they are in the right mood, although it's definitely juvenile in structure. In fact, it looks more like a TV special than a major motion picture, similar in many ways to the 1965 small screen version of "Cinderella". I wasn't overly coated by sugar with this either, and Hunt's sneering character helps it from becoming cloying. A few goofy moments that sometimes make musicals cloying doesn't take away the fun.