‘The Princess and the Frog’

If you don’t have kids at home, this probably isn’t on your movie to-do list. So grab a pen (no changing your mind) and jot it down, because this return to the liquid beauty of hand-drawn animation from Disney, with big production numbers set to a Randy Newman jazz-infused beat, is the best movie musical going. Hit a late-night screening, OK 10 is about as late as it gets, but that’s past bedtime for little ones, so you’ll find it a mostly adult affair. Settle in and consider these questions: Are you swept up by the brilliant artistry as the story unfolds -- starry-eyed dreamer, frog prince, fateful kiss, bad mojo, good mojo? Can you identify all the musical styles from traditional blues to zydeco that Newman draws on? Afterward, grab a bowl of gumbo and discuss, seriously, you’re grown-ups here.

-- Betsy Sharkey