It marked Disney's brief return to traditional animation, as it was the mainstream animation studio's first traditionally animated film since Home on the Range (2004). Clements and Musker, directors of Disney's highly successful films The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), and Hercules (1997) returned to Disney to direct The Princess and the Frog. The studio returned to a Broadway musical-style format frequently used during the Disney Renaissance and features music written by composer Randy Newman, well known for his musical involvement in Pixar films such as the Toy Story franchise.