Composer Randy Newman and the Classic Sounds of New Orleans Celebrated on New Walt Disney Records Soundtrack The Princess and the Frog

BURBANK, Calif. — Walt Disney Records will release the soundtrack for The Princess and the Frog, available digitally and in stores on November 23, 2009. The Princess and the Frog marks the return to traditional hand-drawn 2D animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman. The Walt Disney Pictures film takes place in New Orleans, whose sounds of jazz, Zydeco, blues and Gospel present the perfect musical setting for the film. Multi-platinum, 3-time Grammy Award-winning Def Jam recording artist Ne-Yo contributes “Never Knew I Needed,” the featured end credit song of the film. The soundtrack features performances by Dr. John, the film’s Anika Noni Rose, Jim Cummings, Keith David, Michael Leon-Wooley, and Jenifer Lewis, with performances on trumpet by Terence Blanchard.

Ne-Yo made headlines one year ago when his most recent RIAA platinum album Year Of The Gentleman debuted at the top of the Soundscan and UK national charts. The album went on to generate a league-leading total of five Grammy Award nominations – with its #1 R&B smash single “Miss Independent” winning in the Best R&B Song (songwriters award) and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance categories. Year Of The Gentleman followed up Because Of You (released May 2007), which won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and In My Own Words (February 2006) – both of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

Academy Award® Winner Randy Newman is one of America’s greatest singer-songwriters and film composers. He began writing songs as a teenager and became known for his caustic wit and wry turn-of-phrase. This sense of humor and ironic sense of timing has proved the perfect match for film. Beginning with 1995’s Toy Story, Newman’s work for Walt Disney has helped to create such beloved films as Monsters, Inc, Toy Story 2 and 3, Cars, and A Bug’s Life. Nominated an impressive 17 times, Newman won an Oscar® in 2002 for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc.

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 The Little Mermaid and Aladdin comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), 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.

Click here to see the soundtrack contents