From an exclusive Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride to an inspired-by-the-film Tiana’s Palace restaurant, The Princess and the Frog fans are in for a treat this year. But the fun doesn’t stop there; it only gets better as Princess Tiana’s television series is set to debut soon on Disney+. With the revelation of a first look at the series and further confirmation that the original voice actress, Anika Noni Rose, will reprise her role as the princess, the public holds its breath in anticipation of the show’s release.
Following its precedent, Tiana is going to be an all-musical animated production directed and written by Stella Meghie, a Canadian filmmaker of Jamaican descent most notably known for her works in Jean of the Joneses, The Photograph, Grown-ish, and Insecure — all of which involve exceptional Black ladies as the female lead and are positively received by the critics. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the fate of the story of a Black woman as inspiring as Tiana is in good hands.
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Set to take place after the events of The Princess and the Frog, Tiana will follow the titular character’s new adventure as the Princess of Maldonia. Even though there probably won’t be much of a period gap between the film and the series, it’s been a whopping 14 years since the former hit the big screen. So, it goes without saying that the fans’ excitement is sparking high. Aside from the fairly obvious expectation of the return of the classic 2D hand-drawn animation style, there are other significant facets fans would like to see in the series of Disney’s sole Black princess.
Tiana’s Life Balance
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In the movie, a tad of talent, a dash of hope, and a whole cup of hard work are Tiana’s recipe to cook up her dream as a restaurateur into reality. Without a doubt, her aspiration comes true, and she finally gets the fruition she so desperately wanted, yet thanks to a little mishap that turned her into a frog, Tiana also attained what she needed: love with a man who cares for her deeply, Naveen, the Prince of Maldonia. However, marrying him certainly wasn’t the end of her story, as she now also bears the title of a princess and all the duty and responsibility that comes with it.
Juggling the three personas as a wife, a chef, and a statesperson is undeniably a massive challenge for any individual, even for the persevering and hardworking ones like Tiana. Since it is a prevalent issue these days, it would be nice if the creators could reflect it as an essence in the protagonist. Now, that’d surely be appreciated by working wives and female audiences alike. Delving into Tiana’s relationship with her royal in-laws would be a compelling advancement to witness too. In short, any development with Tiana’s character is most welcome. After all, it will make up for the extensive time she was a frog, which is a notorious quibble among the fans.
The Familiar Faces
There are all kinds of lives in the bayou Tiana and Naveen encountered as frogs in the film, each one memorable, and therefore, highly expected to appear in the show. Louis, the first creature to befriend the human-turned-frogs, is a neurotic alligator gifted with stellar skills in trumpet playing and aspires to be a jazz musician, that is, without scaring the crowd. Then, there’s Mama Odie, the eccentric yet warm 197-year-old blind voodoo priestess who lives in a boat in a tree in the deeper part of the Louisiana swamps. She emits a Fairy Godmother-like presence to Tiana and Naveen and guides them to “dig a little deeper” and find the true values in life. In coherence with her vision loss, she keeps Juju, a loyal nonspeaking companion of a snake, by her side to help her navigate the path she walks on. And though Ray the firefly is gone, the appearance of his massive illuminative family would be a sensible touch to honor the fearless beetle with the biggest heart.
Let’s also not forget the people closest to Tiana before her amphibian transformation occurred. Eudora, Tiana’s mother, is a loving and nurturing maternal figure to her daughter, even with her already blossoming adulthood. She also happens to be “the finest seamstress in all of New Orleans," as claimed by Big Daddy La Bouff, the doting father of Tiana’s best friend, Charlotte. As the only offspring of a man with a vast fortune, Charlotte is spoiled, self-centered, and shallow, but never snobbish. Unusual character, indeed. Yet that’s precisely why her personality would make it all the more reason to develop her further in the series, be it her falling in love with a commoner or perhaps even finding independence — anything except the absurd bit where she intends to pursue a romance with Naveen’s grade-schooler brother because it would be unsightly to behold for sure.
More Historically Correct Plot Elements
The criticism directed at the original feature was primarily centered around the distortion in the portrayal of the Southern United States during the Jim Crows laws. The depiction of racial segregation in the film was subtle, if not superficial. The wealthy white La Bouffs and Tiana’s family have an openly amicable relationship, whereas, in the past, the reality was nowhere near close to that. The population was under a strict order of separation to situate the African Americans in the lowest rank of society and to coerce them to remain far from contact with those of Caucasian ancestry.
Truth be told, it is odd how the filmmakers selected New Orleans in the ’20s setting specifically yet overlooked one of the most major injustices towards the Black community. Should they choose to continue implementing the same locale and period in the series, hopefully, this time, they’ll keep some sense of accountability to portray the social affairs of the Black people more accurately, considering how likely of an education Tiana will be to the younger viewers.
