After Disney Suddenly Canceled The "Princess And The Frog" TV Series, Anika Noni Rose Expressed Her "Disappointment"

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12-03-2025

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It's been 16 years since The Princess and the Frog first hit theaters in 2009. The hit Disney film notably revolved around Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), Disney's first Black princess.
Since then, the characters from the beloved New Orleans-set film have popped up in various Disney properties, like Rose reprising her role in 2018's Ralph Breaks the Internet and in the book Tiana's Perfect Plan, which Rose wrote. Jenifer Lewis, Michael-Leon Wooley, Bruno Campos, and Rose also recorded new moments for Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride, which replaced Splash Mountain in Disney World and Disneyland.
However, one upcoming project fans were especially excited about was Tiana, a Disney+ series that would act as a sequel to the beloved 2009 film. At the time, the series was announced alongside a Moana TV show, Zootopia Plus, and Baymax, which would all be sequels to their respective hit movies.
Disney
Since 2020, those projects have all changed immensely, with the Moana TV show turning into Moana 2. Meanwhile, Zootopia+ and Baymax! were released as a series of shorts with only six episodes each. Zootopia will also now be getting a feature film sequel, which will hit theaters in 2025.
But, Tiana continued to seemingly be moving ahead in the five years since it was announced. In 2023, Variety reported that Joyce Sherri had been hired as lead writer on the series, and Rose and Oprah Winfrey were expected to reprise their roles as Tiana and Eudora, Tiana's mother, respectively. The show's description read: "Tiana sets off for a grand new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia, but a calling to her New Orleans past isn't far behind."
Then, last week, it was reported that Tiana had been canceled by Disney, with Deadline confirming the news. While Disney did not respond to a request for comment, sources reportedly confirmed to the outlet that Walt Disney Animation "will be providing long-form content for Disney+" from now on. Apparently, Tiana will be reworked into a special event for Disney.
Disney / Everett Collection
The move from Disney+ shows to "long-form content" is no surprise, considering Disney films — namely sequels or continuations of beloved franchises — continue to dominate the box office, with Inside Out 2, Moana 2, and Mufasa pulling in big box office numbers in 2024.
Inside Out 2 alone grossed a whopping $1.6 billion worldwide.
Shortly after it was announced, fans quickly shared their disappointment:
Rapunzel got a whole series with 3 seasons but Tiana can't get 8 fucking episodes????? Not even an special????? https://t.co/5jBEoi31cN
— Startboii (COMMS OPEN) (@Startboii1) March 3, 2025
Disney / Via x.com
but they can green light 200 sequels of toy story and frozen? pic.twitter.com/q1uS3yBF75 https://t.co/M4SPirdr7J
— leo ✮ (@quaketano) March 3, 2025
Fox / Disney / Via x.com
Also, many pointed out that every other Disney princess has gotten a sequel movie or TV show, except Tiana and The Princess and the Frog:
This was a chance for the first black Disney princess to truly have a moment & further develop her character & not be a damn frog the whole time.....
Moana's show can get turned into a sequel but Tiana's show just gets cancelled.... let that fcking sink in. https://t.co/G3dXPphsQg
— Elizabeth🦇Invincible Era (@Elizabeth_JxJ) March 3, 2025
Disney / Via x.com
And now, Anika Noni Rose has issued a statement on her Instagram about her disappointment with the show's cancelation after years of development and hard work, saying she has been "getting loads of messages expressing kindness, support, and overwhelming disappointment."
"I too am deeply disappointed that the continuation of Tiana's journey in series form has been cut short," Rose began. "The series was a long time coming, and a lot of beautiful work was put into it by all of the creatives involved, including – but not limited to – long time champion Jenn Lee [Disney Animation chief creative officer], our wonderful writer/director Joyce Sherri, some fabulous animators, and an amazing music team."
She continued, saying, "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 you beautiful, loving, loyal fans who've been championing not just the series, but a Princess And The Frog sequel, tune in."
"And when I say tune in, I mean, tell your friends, family, coworkers, baby sitters; all all the people you know who have loved Princess Tiana, Naveen, Louis, Charlotte, Mama Odie, and the magic they've created together over the years, and make sure you are watching. Show your love and your desire in the numbers. Make that desire an undeniable and real thing."
Rose concluded her statement by saying that they will be "continuing to work hard to bring you the most beautiful content we can." She thanked everyone for "the love you have shown" on social media and for "every one of you who has lifted [her] heart in this space over the years and made it possible for Princess Tiana to still be such a vibrant, impactful presence."