Posted in: Disney+, Movies, TV | Tagged: the princess & the frog, tiana

Tiana Star Rose Posts After Series News Hits: "Yesterday Was a Doozy"

Tiana star Anika Noni Rose took to social media shortly after the news hit that Disney had shelved The Princess and the Frog spinoff series.

On Monday, the news hit that the animated series spinoff of the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog had been canceled – a little more than four years after the project was originally announced. The streaming series "Tiana" was set to focus on Disney's first Black princess and would've seen Anika Noni Rose reprising her lead role. Reports from sources were that the series went through several creative changes during development, but it could not reach a place where it was felt the cost could be justified. Though details weren't provided, there are reportedly plans for the Disney Princess to be featured in a short-form special inspired by the original film, with Joyce Sherri expected to direct and write and Steve Anderson also expected to direct.

As you can imagine, Rose would be one of those individuals impacted the hardest by Disney's decision – and it appears she offered some insight into how she's taking the bad news. After initially sharing a screencap of a post that included a report of "Tiana" being canceled and an individual's reaction to it, Rose shared a phone number for a service that offers a "mental health pick-me-up" by having kindergarten students offer positive, encouraging words. "Might just call today. Yesterday was a doozy," Rose added to the screencap.

Here's a look at what Rose shared on Instagram Stories shortly after the news that The Princess and the Frog animated spinoff series "Tiana" had been shelved:

The news is part of Disney's larger shift in animation philosophy moving forward, with Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar no longer focusing on developing long-form episodic programming. Translation? More films, less shows. The move is expected to result in layoffs in the Vancouver studios and also include the cancellation of an unannounced feature-length project that had been earmarked for Disney+. For Pixar, it would seem that Dream Productions and Win or Lose will be the first and last animated series from the successful studios for the foreseeable future.

Ahead of the show's debut in February, the news hit that Disney had removed a transgender storyline from Win or Lose that was originally planned for the animated series – a move that was not received well by many online. Though the character remains in the Pixar project, several lines of dialogue referencing gender identity were reportedly edited out. "When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline," Disney shared in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter back in December 2024 when asked to confirm reports that the change was being made to the animated series.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!