Disney Animation had announced in 2004 that Home On The Range would be the studio's last 2D animated film entry to their pantheon of animated features, due in part to the extremely successful CGI Animated Pixar films. However, after the company's acquisition of Pixar in early 2006, Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, the new leaders of the animation department, decided to re-open the door to Disney's tradition of hand-drawn animation. Ron Clements and John Musker, directors of the very successful 2D Disney films The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules, were brought in to write and direct Disney's first new, hand-drawn, family musical in almost five years, The Princess and the Frog, opening in theaters on November 25th. The film takes a slightly different look at the classic fairy tale, now set in turn-of-the-century New Orleans, featuring a multi-cultural cast and a Princess who also becomes a frog. We had an opportunity to speak with the directors of the film Ron Clements and John Musker, the film's musical composer Randy Newman, and actors Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Jennifer Lewis and Keith David about the new Disney movie, the return to hand-drawn animation and the appeal of a multi-cultural cast. To watch our exclusive interview click on the video clip below.

Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical The Princess and the Frog, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of films The Little Mermaid and Aladdin comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. The Princess and the Frog marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman. Starring Anika Noni Rose, Oprah Winfrey, Keith David, Jennifer Lewis, John Goodman, Bruno Campos, Michael-Leon Wooley and Terrence Howard, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, The Princess and the Frog opens in theaters on November 25th.