Whoopi-Goldberg Movie Reviews

The Frog Prince is a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a spoiled princess who learns the true meaning of friendship. What's different about this production is its ethnic perspective. Narrator Robert Guillaume and voice talents Sinbad and Danny Glover speak in a folksy, ethnic dialect that lends a whole new perspective to the story. The animation, too, has an ethnic slant, with the main characters portrayed almost as caricatures.

Princess Ebony has everything a princess could possibly want, but longs for some subservient, worshipful friends her own age. King Niger attempts to pacify his daughter by constructing a nugget court (a game that bears some resemblance to rugby) and bequeathing her a golden nugget ball that's been in the family for generations. The game entertains the princess for a while, but when the Jester challenges the Princess to a real game, she throws a tantrum and loses her valuable ball down a deep well. When an idiosyncratic frog offers to retrieve the lost ball in return for her friendship, the Princess agrees, but has absolutely no intention of keeping her promise. King Niger learns of his daughter's unfulfilled promise, realizes how spoiled and self-centered she has become, and vows to remedy the situation by insisting that she honor her promise to the frog. The princess endures the frog's company for a day, and is driven to a desperate act, the results of which teach her the true meaning of friendship and humility. For a very different look at this same classic tale, try the non-animated Frog King in the From the Brothers Grimm series by Tom Davenport. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

This installment in HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child series shifts the familiar Grimm story to Latin America. Instead of asking, "Nibble, nibble like a mouse, who's been nibbling at my house?" the Witch says, "Qué pasa, qué pasa, someone's nibbling on my casa!" The half-hour show boasts simple, appealing character designs with dark skin and black hair, and bright watercolor backgrounds. Voice actors Christopher Montoya and Chrissy Padilla make Hanselito and Gretelita appealing, resourceful children: When they're caught by the Witch, Hanselito offers to work to pay for what they've eaten off her house. Rosie Perez clearly enjoys herself as the Witch, "Susannah from Havana," half-speaking, half-singing a mixture of English and Spanish. Her mini-production number with Tito Larriva is the high point of the story. The filmmakers don't shy away from the ending: Gretelita shoves the Witch into the oven. But it's done in a comic way that removes any feeling of violence. The animation and Liz Torres's vocal performance are so over the top, the Stepmother feels nastier than the Witch. But small children are more likely to focus on the bright colors and upbeat song than on nuances of character. (Ages 5 and older) --Charles Solomon

Jack and his mother live on a farm where they are struggling to make ends meet. The mother decides that selling their beloved cow Bessie is the only way to earn enough money to sustain them. On the way to town, Jack happens upon a man who trades him five magic beans for the cow. Needless to say Jack's mother is less than pleased with Jack's trade and throws the beans outside. We all know what happens next. This lively retelling of the classic fairy tale is courtesy of the "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" series from HBO. The vocal talent of Robert Guillaume, Harry Belafonte, Jackee Harry and Tone-Loc gives the European fairy tale an African American slant (the giant's bellow is "fee-fie-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an African"), but the moral never changes: need is one thing, greed is another. Ages 4-9, but adults will be entertained as well. --Peggy Maltby-Etra