Live-Action Fairy Tales: The Frog Prince/Princess

- March 01, 2017

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Albert Einstein: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

Fairy tales, literary nonsense, tall tales...whatever you want to call them. I'm a sucker for a wonderfully told, beautifully presented one. Especially when they come in live-action form. There's something...magical when it's done right. Some of these are taken right from the pages of a book, some are new takes on old tales. If you get surprised by a title, stop and think about it for a second. It'll make sense. :)

Did I miss your favorite adaptation? Tell me in the comments below!

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The Frog Prince/Princess

The Frog Prince was a Brothers Grimm tale about a spoiled princess and a prince cursed as a frog. In most versions, he doesn't actually have to be kissed. Rather, being thrown against a wall or sleeping on her pillow will do the trick. The prince also had a loyal servant with iron bands around his heart that would only break once his master was freed.

The Frog Princess, however, has so many origins (Russia, Italy, Greece) no one really knows where it came from. They all go something like this: There are three sons that need to marry, so they're given tasks to find a bride (shoot an arrow, fell a tree, etc). One son always ends up with a frog. Sometimes, she needs to compete with the other two brides-to-be before turning back to herself. Other times, she becomes human on a nightly basis which makes youngest son fall for her and try to break her curse.

Vasilisa the Beautiful (1940)

Based on the Princess version of the fairy tale, this is known as the first big-budget Soviet film to use fantasy elements.

Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince (1971)

The Muppet take on the Frog Prince, starring Robin, Kermit's nephew. I don't usually include Muppet features unless they also feature actual people. In case you wondered.

The Frog Prince (1988)

The Canon Movie Tales take on the story. It's a musical, of course, starring Aileen Quinn who is most famous for her role asa the title character in Annie (1982).

The Frog Prince (1988)

A German fantasy film that adapts the Brothers Grimm version.

The Frog Prince (1991)

A Czech production that is based on a modern retelling.

Kiss Me, Frog (2000)

This charming, German TV movie sets the stage in modern times and continues the story through a series of comedic mishaps.

Prince Charming (2001)

An American made-for-TV movie which starts in medieval days and continues into modern times. You've got Christina Applegate, Martin Short, Billy Connolly and Bernadette Peters I mean-fun movie, y'all. You might also recognize the Frog Prince, Sean Maguire, as Robin Hood from Once Upon a Time. It's safe to say I love this one.