Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Princess Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, is speaking out after Disney canceled an upcoming TV series based on the film.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday (March 11), Rose addressed Disney’s move to pull the plug on an animated series called “Tiana” centered around the company’s first Black princess.
“Last week an announcement was made regarding the cancellation of the series, Tiana,” Rose said. “I’ve been getting loads of messages expressing kindness, support and overwhelming disappointment.”
Rose admitted that she was “deeply disappointed that the continuation of Tiana’s journey in series form has been cut short.” The actress noted that the series had been a “long time coming” and involved “a lot of beautiful work.”
“As hurtful as it is for anything you’ve put your heart and soul in to be prematurely ended, my hope is that when what is now to be a ‘Tiana Special Event’ airs that all of your beautiful, loving, loyal fans who’ve been championing not just the series, but a Princess And The Frog sequel, tune in,” Rose said.
Rose urged the fans of Princess and the Frog to “show your love and desire in the numbers” and “make that desire an undeniable and real thing.”
“Until then, we will be continuing to work hard to bring you the most beautiful content we can,” she said.
Rose’s statement comes after Disney announced that it was shelving “Tiana” earlier this month amid a shift away from producing original long-form content for streaming.
Disney said it’s still developing a separate shortform special inspired by The Princess and the Frog. The project is currently under early development and is set to feature all-new storytelling based on the film, with Joyce Sherri and Steve Anderson directing.
Several social media users condemned the animation studio’s move to scrap the long-form series based on Disney’s iconic Black princess, especially amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate DEI.
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