“The Princess and the Frog,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first hand-drawn animation in five years, takes you back to the time when hand-drawn cartoon classics like “Beauty and the Beast” were nominated for an Oscar Best Picture for their excellent visuals and narrative.

It may not replicate its predecessor’s feat but “The Princess and the Frog” succeeds in putting a delightful twist on the fairy tale, thus, the jazzy feel and the relevant theme.

So instead of a faraway land where kings and queens rule, the animated movie’s setting is 1912 at the French Quarter of New Orleans—the birthplace of jazz—and heroine Tiana isn’t a damsel in distress but a dutiful daughter who works hard to fulfill her late father’s dream of owning a restaurant.

Though Tiana—who makes history as Disney’s first African-American princess—indeed meets a frog asking for her kiss to undo a voodoo spell so he can become Prince Naveen of Maldonia again, she unfortunately turns into the slimy green and warty creature, too.

Then again that’s how the initially hostile couple gets to know and appreciate each other’s true nature as they act together to get the Mardi Gras princess kiss Prince Naveen before midnight and turn them into humans again. Their plan fails but a more magical thing happens that eventually leads to the regulation happy ending.

Aside from the hand-drawn animation, “The Princess and the Frog,” of course, follows Disney’s format of showcasing lively musical sequences that Tiana and Prince Naveen perform either alone or mostly with an ensemble of colorful characters led by a trumpet-playing alligator (Louis, after jazz great Louis Armstrong), a lovesick Cajun firefly (Ray, short for Raymond), and a blind priestess-cum-fairy godmother (Mama Odie).

These characters also provide the physical humor that elicits laughter most especially from kids, who likewise respond with dread to the evil schemes of the movie’s antagonist, Doctor Facilier.

The voice cast composed of Anika Noni Rose (as Tiana), Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen), Keith David (Doctor Facilier), Jennifer Lewis (Mama Odie), Jim Cummings (Ray), and Michael-Leon Wooley (Louis) with special participation by Oprah Winfrey (Eudora, Tiana’s mother) make each character distinct and attuned to Randy Newman’s inspired music.

Directors Ron Clements and John Musker, who also wrote the screenplay with Rob Edwards, deserve a round of applause along with the numerous artists who prove that hand-drawn animation still has its timeless and enduring appeal to fans of all ages.

(“The Princess and the Frog” opens in theaters on Feb. 3.)