Tiana had been all set to make its debut. It had been all set to become the TV series sequel to The Princess and the Frog (2009) when it would’ve made its way into Disney+ for streaming…eventually. All we had was a “coming soon” when we looked it up on Disney+, but at least we were looking forward to it. Not least of which is because it would’ve been the first Disney series starring an African-American princess. It also would’ve been a return to traditional hand-drawn animation for a series that would’ve been exclusive to Disney+. And it would’ve been a very long wait after Disney had announced it back in December 2020, which would’ve further amped up the hype.
Alas, now that will never happen. The Hollywood Reporter has just announced that Disney is officially shelving Tiana. All development on it will be stopped, with some layoffs happening at Disney’s Vancouver studio as a result of this “shift in business strategy”. All in spite of efforts to keep production going, including by making several unspecified changes to the “creative team”. Not only that, but another unannounced feature-length film will also join Tiana in oblivion. Disney isn’t giving us any details about this unknown film, but it’s not a surprise. After all, Disney did announce that they would no longer prioritize longform content for Disney+ anymore.
Fortunately, it may not be the end for Tiana completely. The Hollywood Reporter does mention that Disney is working on a “separate short-form special inspired by The Princess and the Frog“. It’s currently in early development so details about it are sparse. However, perhaps it could include material originally intended for Tiana? One can hope, methinks.
Disney Shelves Tiana and Other Longform Disney+ Streaming Content
Alas, even if Disney decides to salvage some of Tiana for that unnamed The Princess and the Frog short, it will ultimately not erase the fact that the series is almost certainly dead. The timing of the cancellation though is most interesting. Perhaps the political climate might’ve been a factor in its cancellation? Is Tiana as much a victim of politics as it is of cost-cutting measures? The timing does seem suspiciously coincidental, although I could just be making a mountain out of a molehill here.
What do you all think? Are you all disappointed by the cancellation of Tiana before it can even begin? If you have any opinions on the subject, please share your thoughts with us below in the comments section.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
