BY MEANNA SMITH

In November of 2021 during the Walt Disney companies investor day event, Walt Disney Animation Studios announced the release of a new series titled “Tiana” which will be a sequel series of the 2009 animated Disney film “The Princess and the Frog”.  

“Tiana” is set to release in 2023 and will premiere on Disney Plus. The series will be a musical comedy series written and directed by Stella Meghie and produced by Jennifer Lee. Meghie stated that “writing at disney animation was a dream before I even knew it was possible.”

The only concept art released for the new series which shows Tiana traveling on a boat while running and holding a suitcase. (Walt Disney Studios)

Because the series is a sequel of “The Princess and the Frog”, it will pick up where the movie ended, meaning there is a very low chance of a content shortage for this series. So far, Disney has given fans a short synopsis for the upcoming series, stating “This series follows newly crowned princess of Maldonia on a new adventure, but her New Orleans past isn’t far behind.”

The new series will be the princess’s first adventure since 2009 and will offer fans a chance to see how she is managing her new royal title as princess of Maldonia as well as running her restaurant and navigating marriage. When asked what being the voice of the first black princess meant to her, Anika Noni Rose, voice actor of Tiana in the new series, has said that “it says a lot to little brown children definitely, that they can be princesses, and that they have no doubt about it anymore.” 

One of the most important aspects of this series is the representation of a black princess outside of just a one hour and thirty minute movie. Although the movie did offer representation, Disney fans are hoping to see more of Tiana as a human rather than the animal form she portrayed during the majority of the movie. The return of princess Tiana allows black Disney fans and young black children to have the representation that hasn’t been widely offered by Disney.

Since the announcement of “Tiana”, the upcoming series has received strong support and excitement from fans. Fans have not been given an exact release date for the series, however, “Tiana” offers a large fan base and a plot that many fans can’t wait to watch.