The takes place in 1920s New Orleans, Louisiana. The story is of a hardworking waitress named Tiana who dreams of owning her own restaurant. After kissing a prince who has been turned into a frog by an evil witch doctor, Tiana becomes a frog herself.
The creators of The Princess and the Frog chose, during its development period in the 2000s, to set the film in New Orleans. They also chose to set it during the era of Jim Crow and barely touch upon the racial implications of the time.
It's no wonder that the Disney princess who loves to sing, dance and cook hails from New Orleans. Princess Tiana introduced families all over the world to the wonder and culture that is the Crescent City. Just like Disney movies, a visit to New Orleans always has a magical journey and a happy ending.
Tiana is the protagonist of Disney's 2009 animated feature film, The Princess and the Frog. She is a gifted cook living in New Orleans during the Jazz Age, with dreams of opening a restaurant of her own.
You may already know that Disney's The Princess and the Frog drew inspiration from the true story of Leah Chase, the legendary New Orleans chef. The real chef behind Princess Tiana owned a restaurant in New Orleans, Dooky Chase's Restaurant.
His skin is brown, but he isn't African-American. "A lot of moms had issues with that," Coleman said. "It felt like it was a slap in the face to black men." Coleman asked a Disney executive if Prince Naveen was Creole and was told that his background was made up; he's whatever ethnicity they have in fictional Maldonia.
Set in the Roaring Twenties in New Orleans, Tiana is completely devoted to opening her own restaurant, a dream she shared with her late father, who died in World War I. She works two waitress jobs every day and night to earn money to make this dream a reality, leaving her no time for a social life.
Rapunzel's story takes place in Germany far in the past. The garden in the story is owned by an evil witch. Rapunzel's birth parents can see into the garden but it has a high wall around it. Rapunzel's birth mother craves the rapunzel (German for 'field salad') that is growing in the garden.
Why it matters: Princess Tiana is largely inspired by New Orleans chef Leah Chase. Her family has been actively involved in the creative process with Disney as the company expands Tiana's presence in the parks.
As mentioned above, Prince Naveen is native to the kingdom of Maldonia, where he lives alongside his parents, the king and queen, and his younger brother,Prince Ralphie.
In Disney's nearly 100-year history, there has been only one Black Disney princess — Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 animated feature starring Anika Noni Rose.
At some point, James was possibly killed in action (K.I.A.) during the war, so he probably never got to see Tiana get her restaurant. As shown briefly in the film, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (given for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force).
Maldonia is a fictional country mentioned in The Princess and the Frog. It is where Prince Naveen, his mother, father, brother and the rest of the ruling family were born. The name is a portmanteau of the real-life countries of the Maldives and North Macedonia.
The idea of making our heroine African American simply grew out of the setting and that was an integral part of the story we pitched to John in March of 2006. We all thought it was a great idea. But it wasn't until later that we fully realized the importance of this in the African American community.
They were given an official number in the franchise line-up based on the chronological order in which their films were released, starting with Snow White as the first and original Disney Princess, with Cinderella being the second, followed by Aurora and so on.
– Just as Tiana transformed an old sugar mill into her dream restaurant in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, “The Princess and the Frog,” the French Market restaurant in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park has been reimagined into Tiana's Palace.
The ninth Disney princess and the first of African-American heritage, Tiana dreams of opening her own restaurant, but an adventure in the New Orleans bayou awaits.
Le is half African-American and half Vietnamese. She and her brother, TaeVeon, were raised by a single mother, An Le. The siblings are second-generation Americans, as An relocated from Vietnam in 1975 as an infant during the Vietnam War.
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti.
Moana is set on the fictional island of Motunui in the Pacific Ocean and draws inspiration from elements of the real-life island nations of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
The Little Mermaid animation was set under the sea in the kingdom of Atlantica and its adjacent surface world, both of which were believed to be located in Denmark. It's also where author Hans Christian Andersen, who penned the original story, was from.
Bergen. The historic city of Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, inspired the look and feel of the fictional Arendelle village in the Frozen franchise. The village of Arendelle is a typical fairytale setting, with a large castle set within a traditional village, surrounded by lush green forests and sparkling waters.
5) In the film's novelization, Moana's age is given as 16. This makes her the only Disney princess to be voiced by an actress younger than herself. Moana was released on Cravalho's 16th birthday.
While in the past Disney had given movies based on fairy tales a European setting in keeping with their heritage (Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast), directors Ron Clements and John Musker decided to set The Princess and the Frog in 1920s New Orleans, creating a truly American fairy tale.
Princess Tiana is largely inspired by New Orleans chef Leah Chase, and her family has been actively involved in the creative process with Disney as the company expands Tiana's presence in the parks.
