"And the beautiful princess was so moved by his desperate plea that she stooped down, picked up the slippery creature, leaned forward, raised him to her lips, and kissed that little frog… "

With this fairytale setup, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid directors Ron Clements and John Musker return to the traditional animation style abandoned six years ago by Disney and, thanks to a superb script and great musical numbers, fashion a film that could be as highly regarded as their previous hits.

The House of Mouse last used hand-drawn animation in 2004, for the underwhelming Home on the Range, but it is fitting that after the sad passing of Walt Disney's nephew Roy last December, the studio moves into the next decade by embracing its past. Ascendant while Disney's own output declined, Pixar and its towering use of new technology has since come to lead the way in the field of animation. The likes of Dreamworks and Sony can but dream of producing films comparable to Pixar's (though both Monsters vs Aliens and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs came close), and it says a great deal that Disney's return to traditional animation comes with the approval of Pixar founder John Lasseter, serving as an executive producer here.

Tony winner Anika Noni Rose leads the cast as the voice of Tiana, a beautiful young New Orleans woman who works two jobs as she attempts to raise the money to realise her later father's dream of opening their own restaurant. Tiana's a pivotal heroine in Disney history as the first ever African-American princess, though in this day and age, taking until 2010 to give an African-American female the lead isn't something Disney should shout about. In a refreshing development, however, she is also a grounded, motivated character and a fine role model for young viewers, and Rose deserves as much credit as the production team for adding such likeability to a commanding role. Bruno Campos also does hilarious work as the titular frog - formerly a swaggering prince - while Jim Cummings, Keith David and Jenifer Lewis have the talents to make their characters seem instantly part of Disney history.

With Randy Newman on board, it's little surprise the film should be as evocative as it is enjoyable and Clements and Musker's track record means that though the traditional animation is initially jarring, it swiftly amazes and feels just as magical as the Disney classics we grew up with.

So how The Princess and the Frog measure up to Pixar's greats, or its Disney forebears? With aplomb. The film's production notes refer frequently to "classic Disney fairytale storytelling" and "ageless" worlds, and it's in this appreciation of cinema history that the film succeeds. Unlike the weakest Disney efforts, or CGI also-rans of the noughties, The Princess and the Frog shies away from pop culture references - very few Pixar efforts contain anything that could damagingly date the movie - in favour of a timeless, exuberant and heartwarming tale. The blues and ragtime songs fitting to the film's Jazz Age-New Orleans setting keep audience's feet tapping throughout while parents' only complaints at the story's promotion of self-reliance and ambition would be aimed at the genuinely frightening scenes featuring the movie's voodoo-using villain Dr Facilier.

Disney devotees will also notice some clear nods to past classics but for the most part, this ride down the bayou is a vibrant and witty reminder that the work of the human hand can still touch the heart, even in the age of 3D.