Disney Pulls Plug on 'Tiana' Series Amid Shift Away From Animated Episodic Content

04-03-2025

In a heartbreaking update to fans of the Louisianian culinary prodigy turned- amphibian-turned-princess, Walt Disney Animation Studios has officially abandoned its Tiana animated series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. An unnamed animated feature set to go straight-to-streaming has also been cancelled."Tiana" was set to be a follow-up to Disney's 2009 animated feature "The Princess and the Frog," a film focused on the story of Tiana, Disney's first Black canon princess. The series would have seen Anika Noni Rose reprise her role as the titular character, and, like its feature counterpart, would likely have showcased music inspired by the characters' New Orleans roots.Sources involved in development allege that, even through various staffing changes, the series wasn't able to reach a satisfying point in development to justify its production costs.Disney's animation studio is now said to be developing a short-form project inspired by "The Princess and the Frog." It's unclear whether or not this will be a direct continuation of the beloved love story of Tiana and Naveen, or an all-new twist on the classic Grimm Brothers' tale. Joyce Sherri, the lead writer and director of the now-cancelled "Tiana" series, is also attached to the new short-form special as writer and director, along with co-director Steve Anderson.The decision to rework or cancel these particular projects reflects the studio's pivot away from developing animated long-form content for streaming. Just last year, Pixar announced that it would deprioritize longform episodic content for Disney+ after releasing "Win or Lose" and "Dream Productions" on the platform.Another animated series announced at the same time as the Tiana series was "Moana," a series follow-up to the 2016 hit movie of the same name. The series was reconfigured into the 2024 theatrical feature release "Moana 2," which went on to net the studio $1 billion at the global box office. Moreover, Pixar's "Inside Out 2" was 2024's highest-grossing film by a long shot — putting a fine point on why the studio may be prioritizing their animated theatrical releases for at least the short-term future.
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Sarah Jessica Parker Teases Potential Return For 'Hocus Pocus 3': 'We Would Like to Do It'

Yahoo

an hour ago

Yahoo

Sarah Jessica Parker Teases Potential Return For 'Hocus Pocus 3': 'We Would Like to Do It'

Sarah Jessica Parker Teases Potential Return For 'Hocus Pocus 3': 'We Would Like to Do It' originally appeared on Parade. If Hocus Pocus 2 proves anything else, it's that the famously whimsical Sanderson Sisters always find a way to return to the mortal realm. With 29 years passing between the release of 1993's cult favorite Hocus Pocus and its eventual 2022 sequel, many are wondering what the future holds for Disney's trio of mischievous magical practioners. In a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen this past Sunday, Sarah Jessica Parker herself chimed in on Hocus Pocus 3's slow development, as well as her own enthusiastic take on the upcoming sequel. Taking a question from two callers asking about the film, the 60-year-old Parker shared a small but important update on Hocus Pocus 3, telling the audience, "No more developments, other than we would like to do it." Previously, Disney had green-lit a third entry in the series for production based on the success of 2022's Hocus Pocus 2. Though news about the long-awaited sequel have remained relatively, we know that the film is likely to premiere as a Disney+ exclusive, and that both director Anne Fletcher and write Jen D'Angelo would return for the project. Chiming on the third film's ongoing development, And Just Like That...'s main star revealed, "We would like to do it, and we've been having some conversations." Both the original Hocus Pocus and its sequel follow the unlikely return of the Sanderson Sisters: a coven of witches from 17th century New England who find themselves resurrected in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts. Brilliantly played by Parker and her co-stars Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy, all three actors have voiced their desire to return to the film, with the 79-year-old Midler specifically citing the character of Winifred Sanderson as one of her favorite on-screen roles. "I think if they're gonna, they oughta because time is not just marching. Time is barrel-a**ing to the finish line," Midler said when asked whether Disney was making a third film. "Get us while we're still breathing, I mean, God!' Sarah Jessica Parker Teases Potential Return For 'Hocus Pocus 3': 'We Would Like to Do It' first appeared on Parade on Jul 14, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword

'Daredevil: Born Again' 'very likely' to return for season 3, says star — what we've heard about the show's future

Tom's Guide

3 hours ago

Tom's Guide

'Daredevil: Born Again' 'very likely' to return for season 3, says star — what we've heard about the show's future

Good news, Marvel fans: it sounds like "Daredevil: Born Again" might be sticking around. While we already knew that "Daredevil: Born Again" season 2 was happening, one of the stars believes it's likely Disney will renew the MCU for a third outing — despite what Charlie Cox has said. Lead star Cox recently made headlines after describing the forthcoming series as the "final season" of the Disney Plus show during an appearance at GalaxyCon. However, as noted by Deadline, Vincent D'Onofrio has subsequently said there's a "good chance there will be a third", in response to a concerned fan on X. Good chance there will be a 12, 2025 Sharing the clip from Cox's GalaxyCon appearance, D'Onofrio subsequently clarified that he believes his co-star simply misspoke at the event. "I believe Charlie meant the last season we actually shot meaning the second season. Yet he used the term final season so its a bit confusing," he wrote, adding: "But Charlie and I have discussed and we both agree there's a very good chance for a third season." In another post, the star did add the caveat that it's "just too early to tell. But it's very likely." Sure, it's not official confirmation from the House of Mouse, and we likely won't get definite confirmation about the show's future, but it's nevertheless reassuring news, right from the mouth of the Kingpin. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Hopefully, we get an official announcement regarding the show's future before long. In the meantime, we can look forward to learning more about the forthcoming season, which showrunner Dario Scardapane says will drop in March 2026. With Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) set to return, it's sure to be an exciting new chapter. If you're looking to see what else is still to come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Check out our guide detailing every upcoming Marvel movie and TV show now that we've entered Phase 6. And if you need something to stream while you wait for "Daredevil: Born Again' season 2 to arrive next year, check out our round-up of the best shows on Disney Plus for tons more recommendations fit for your watchlist. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.

Read the Script to One of the Best Episodes of ‘Andor' and Experience Greatness

Gizmodo

4 hours ago

Gizmodo

Read the Script to One of the Best Episodes of ‘Andor' and Experience Greatness

One of the few rare issues with Andor being as good as it is is that we're not getting more of it, in any format—but one that especially stings is that we came so close to being able to look at the scripts behind the smash-hit Star Wars series. We were on the verge of greatness, as a certain Imperial director would've put it, in 2023 when Tony Gilroy and Lucasfilm announced that season one's scripts would be published online, only for them to never arrive. Gilroy gave us an incredibly valid reason earlier this year—to avoid the scripts being fed into generative AI models—dashing our hopes that we'd ever similarly see the scripts for the then-upcoming season 2 released either. But at least on that front, there's a tiny glimmer of hope. As part of its For Your Consideration campaign effort in the upcoming TV awards season (which, of course, includes Andor and its 14 Emmy nominations), Disney's official FYC website has been updated to include a post-final production script for Andor season 2 episode 9, 'Welcome to the Rebellion', by Dan Gilroy. The episode, itself nominated in the Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series category at next month's 77th Emmys, climaxes the third act of Andor season 2, and sees Cassian assist Mon Mothma's escape from Coruscant after she delivers a damning speech in the Imperial Senate over Palpatine's role in the Ghorman Massacre. Even though we've had plenty of opportunity to watch and revisit the episode itself, reading the script offers some fascinating insight into the creative process behind Andor, and the chance to see what emotive beats and intent came from Gilroy's writing, and what flourished or was tweaked naturally through the cast's performance and interpretation of it. It's also just a remarkable reading experience too, one that captures the tension that would ultimately sizzle on screen, with a flow and pacing that, even if you're not used to reading a shooting script, glides by with a keen slickness. It's not surprising that, even among an extremely strong crop of scripts to pick from in season 2, this is the one that earned Andor the nomination. But as good as it is, it now makes Lucasfilm and Gilroy's decision to stop the release of the rest of the Andor scripts all the more heartbreaking. It would be absolutely incredible that now the show is complete to be able to either freely peruse or even buy a coffee table book collecting the 24 scripts in a single place and re-experience the journey from a perspective that we rarely get for Star Wars material. Just another thing to blame generative AI for, for now at least. You can read the full script to 'Welcome to the Rebellion' here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.