Princess Tiana has been a beloved and constant staple for many Disney fans since The Princess and the Frog premiered in 2009. While many fans have loved and enjoyed the aspiring chef-turned-princess, she holds a special place in the hearts of young Black children (and adults). She was the first Black princess in a Disney film (predating Halle Bailey's Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid). Since then, she’s appeared in multiple Disney content with Dreamgirls alum Anika Noni Rose providing her sweet southern accent. A decade out from the underrated Disney animated classic, Rose opened up about voicing the Disney princess and what the role has done for representation.
A Dreamgirls reunion happened as Rose was being interviewed on The Jennifer Hudson Show. The former co-stars reminisced about their time on the Oscar-nominated musical before their conversation turned toward her historic role in the Disney animated feature. While the character was special to millions of young Black girls, Jennifer Hudson asked the Tony-winning actress what being Disney’s first Black princess meant to her. In her words:
It is still one of the most amazing things [,and] it remains that. The fact that Princess Tiana will be there long after I'm gone, that she will be part of Americana, in a space that I don't think any of us thought we would be able to take up. It says a lot to children, it says a lot to little Brown children definitely. That they can be princesses, that they have no doubt about it anymore. It says to their friends that don't look like them that they can be princesses, and there's no question about that. There's no more pulling out your yellow towel and wrapping it around your hair so you can feel like a princess. It's a different time.
Princess Tiana was a nice change up from the more traditional Disney princesses as the first African American lead. Compared to other princesses, she came from humble beginnings and worked as a waitress before marrying Prince Naveen. It allowed young Black girls to see themselves in the Disney canon after being consumers for decades. Of course, Tiana wasn’t the first BIPOC Disney princess as Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan were already part of the Disney fairytale legacy. But audiences had never seen a Black princess before The Princess and the Frog was released. So, Rose, and Princess Tiana, in turn, fulfilled a necessary need and want for Black Disney fans.
While viewers love Princess Tiana, the film’s announcement was met with pushback from the Black community over the original story and character description. Tiana (originally named Maddie) was set to be a chambermaid rather than a skilled chef. The inclusion of Dr. Facilier and New Orleans being the film’s setting faced some of the gripes against the original concept. Eventually, Tiana’s name and occupation were changed.
When the Disney animated film premiered in 2009, it served as a return to 2D animation after the House of Mouse ventured into 3D territory. The 49th Disney animated film not only returned to traditional animation but the Broadway-style musical of the Disney Renaissance. Rose’s Princess Tiana was surrounded by an all-star voice cast, including John Goodman, Oprah Winfrey, and Oscar nominee Terrance Howard. The Princess and the Frog went on to gross $271 million worldwide and scored multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Animated Feature. Voicing the Disney princess led to Rose being named a Disney Legend in 2011.
The character is scheduled to receive a Disney+ animated series entitled Tiana, which will premiere on the streamer in 2024. Fans will be able to interact with the Disney princess in real life as Splash Mountain is rethemed to reflect The Princess and the Frog. Until the spinoff series and the theme park ride premiere, there are other ways to revisit Princess Tiana and her various appearances, including Ralph Wrecks the Internet, through a Disney+ subscription. You can also see where the Disney animated film ranked amongst the Disney Princess movies.
