Disney Pulls Plug on 'Tiana' Series Amid Shift Away From Animated Episodic Content
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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'It's really important for us to have these types of festivals and these types of spaces [and] that we can look to each other, to celebrate each other and work with each other, and not look for permission from anyone else outside of what we're doing,' he said. 'Creatives from the entire diaspora that are coming together to celebrate and recognize one another.' If you go: What: American Black Film Festival When: June 11-15 Where: Miami Beach Convention Center, O Cinema, Lyric Theatre, New World Center - Performance Hall, Cost: Screenings range from free to $16; Remaining festival passes are as low as $680; Community Day is free Info:
