In true Disney fashion the New Orleans gave a kickoff for their latest traveling exhibit fit for a princess in the great hall of the New Orleans Museum of Art decorated like a royal party for its annual Odyssey Ball.

On Friday, Nov. 13, NOMA and Walt Disney Studios showed off the “Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studios” featuring more than 600 original artworks of Disney classics.

The exhibit is exclusive to New Orleans and opens with the new Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog” which is set in New Orleans.  It consists of seven themed rooms that feature original animation cells from Disney classics including “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” all the way to “Beauty and the Beast.”

These artworks feature original sketches of the characters as well as the thought process of their creation. In some of the sketches you can see how they went from one look to another, such as in  “The Little Mermaid,” Ariel was originally blonde but then later changed to a redhead.  They also describe how they went from the ordinal telling of the fairy tale to the Disney version we know and love today.

It also shows how the animators put all of the components together to make the finished product. The last room is dedicated to Disney’s latest princess movie, “The Princess and the Frog.”

A trip down this memory lane serves up nostalgia like no other for some of Disney’s honored classics.  The kickoff also featured a 30-minute screening of the new movie, which is Disney’s first theatrically released 2D animation movie since 2004’s “Home on the Range.”

The movie is loosely based on the life of New Orleans native Leah Chase, who owns Dookie Chase’s restaurant downtown.

Tiana is a waitress from New Orleans who is saving up to live her father’s dream and open her own restaurant.  After the Prince Naveen of Maldonia comes to town, a Voodoo witch doctor turns him into a frog. After wishing upon a star for a prince, Tiana kisses Prince Naveen, but unlike the classic telling of “The Frog Prince” Tiana turns into a frog herself.
Within in the first 30-minutes the movie showcases much of what New Orleans has to offer.

The accents are authentic, the music sounds like a Sunday second line and the scenery shows an authentic French Quarter from the ‘20s. Food also plays a prominent role in the movie from beignets to gumbo.

Though the first 30-minutes is just a tease and cut off as soon as Tiana turns into a frog, it left the audience wanting more.

This classic fairy tale with a twist brings back many of the elements from Disney classics, such as “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

The animation is colorful and striking. The movie includes musical numbers and of course, the ignorant sidekick for comic relief.

“The Princess and the Frog” opens nationwide on Friday, Dec. 11.

The “Dreams Come True” exhibit runs at the NOMA until March 14, 2010 and is free to all students.

John Adams can be reached at [email protected]