“The Princess and the Frog” Turns 15 – Star Anika Noni Rose Reflects on Film’s Legacy Amid Anniversary Celebration
Just a couple weeks ago, the beloved Disney animated classic “The Princess and the Frog” celebrated its 15th anniversary, and Princess Tiana-voice actor Anika Noni Rose spoke with “People” magazine reflecting on the significance behind this milestone.
“When I’m thinking of Black or brown-skinned adults, we spent so much time growing up trying to fit into another standard of beauty. And now, at this point, those children, these new children, are comfortable within themselves in different ways,” Rose said in her interview with “People.” “It’s those little waves that make changes when these kids want to be in the school play, and they want to be the princess,” she said. “Who’s going to tell them they can’t be the princess at this point? Nobody, because we see it. It’s there.”
Based on the Brothers Grimm story of the same name, “The Princess and the Frog” marked its wide release on December 11th, 2009, and received sweeping praise when it first came out, ultimately earning three Academy Awards nominations. Set in the 1920s Jazz Age of New Orleans, the fairytale centers on Tiana, an ambitious 19-year-old who dreams of honoring the memory of her late father by carrying out his lifelong goal of opening a New Orleans restaurant. The film was groundbreaking in a number of ways, primarily for being the first ever Disney animated film to feature a Black American character (aside from certain stereotypically racist depictions like the character Uncle Remus in the 1946 movie “Song of the South”), as well as being the first hand-drawn animated movie Disney (at the time) had released in five years and one of the last Disney movies to feature 2D hand-drawings in lieu of 3D CGI-assisted animation. The 2D hand-drawn technique has fallen out of favor at Disney, even though it arguably allows for more artistic expression and therefore offers a better chance at connecting with viewers, but it makes movies like “The Princess and the Frog” all the more special and crucial to carrying on the legacy of hand-drawn animation.
Against the backdrop of the 15-year anniversary, Anika Noni Rose is also actively working on and doing promo for a few other projects, both in the acting world and outside of it. A couple months ago she debuted a new children’s story she wrote inspired by the world of Tiana, called “Tiana’s Perfect Plan,” which follows the Princess as she searches for the ‘perfect ingredient’ to complete her restaurant’s Mardi Gras dish. With the book, Rose hopes to reach new audiences and spread the message that perfectionism is overrated – “the bottom line is: nothing is perfect,” as she puts it.
Rose is also making her return to Disney with a role in the soon-to-be-released “Lion King” origin story, “Mufasa,” where she voices Mufasa’s biological mother. The film hits theaters this Friday, December 20th, so keep an eye out for it.
