Walt Disney Studios will sashay down Bourbon Street for its 2009 release of The Frog Princess, a return to traditional hand-drawn 2-D animation for the studio.

Dick Cook, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, and John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Disney and Pixar Animation Studios unveiled plans for the new musical at the Mouse’s 2007 annual stockholders’ meeting in New Orleans yesterday.

The Frog Princess is based on an original story written by the same duo behind Disney hits The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, John Musker and Ron Clements. The pair are also directing the feature that tells the story of Maddy, a young African-American girl living upon the banks of the Mississippi river and a mysterious singing crocodile. According to the producers, a heavy dose of jazz and Cajun music, love and voodoo spells will weave its way through the fantastical story.

New Orleans native and Academy Award winning composer Randy Newman will lend his talents to the project, writing original songs and composing the score. Of course, expect a full-on promotion, marketing and consumer products push to accompany the film’s theatrical release.

It was also announced that the studio has begun pre-production on Toy Story 3 and is expected to release the full length CGI feature in 2010.