Disney has scrapped their “Tiana” Disney+ series but is working on a separate short-form “The Princess and the Frog” special.
‘Tiana’ Series Canceled
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney canceled the “Tiana” series as well as an unrelated, unannounced feature-length project that would have gone straight to Disney+.
Disney announced the “Tiana” series during their 2020 investor day. They shared a first look (the above image) on Disney+ Day 2021. The series was originally slated for a 2023 premiere but was layer pushed to 2024. A release year was eventually removed entirely to just say “Coming soon.”
“Tiana” would have followed “the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia on a new adventure, but her New Orleans past isn’t far behind.” It was to be directed and written by Stella Meghie with Anika Noni Rose reprising her role as Princess Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog.”
THR’s sources close to the streaming series said that “Tiana” could not get where it needed to be given production costs, despite changes to the creative team.
Disney is still investing in “The Princess and the Frog,” though, following Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom last year. Walt Disney Animation Studios has a short-form “The Princess and the Frog” special with a new story in early development. Joyce Sherri and Steve Anderson are attached as directors, with Sherri also writing.
Disney+ launched in November 2019 and with people soon after stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney executives pushed the streaming service to create original content in its early years. But Disney is no longer prioritizing such long-form streaming shows.
“Moana 2” was originally to be a streaming series, also announced on investor day 2020, but was reworked into a movie. The decision paid off as the flick grossed over $1 billion. “Moana 2” will be on Disney+ later this month.
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