Over four years after it was first announced, Tiana, an animated spin-off TV series based on The Princess And The Frog, has been cancelled at Disney+.
In an ongoing bid to reduce costs, Disney has decided to cancel Tiana, a long-in-the-works spin-off series based on 2009’s The Princess And The Frog.
Announced in 2020, Tiana would have seen actor Anika Noni Rose return to play the title princess, with production in the works at one of Disney’s studios in Vancouver. Sources at more than one outlet – namely The Hollywood Reporter and IndieWire – have reported that there had been creative changes made behind the scenes on the production, however, and rising costs prompted Disney to permanently shelve it.
The decision over Tiana appears to be part of a wider change in strategy when it comes to shows and movies destined for Disney+. A so far unannounced and untitled animated feature, also destined for Disney’s streaming platform, has also been shelved.
Disney’s successes with certain cinema releases over the past year, coupled with the sheer expense of creating enough output to entice subscribers to Disney+, appears to be behind this change in strategy. As those above outlets note, Moana 2 was once intended to be a streaming series before the decision was made to turn it into a film for cinemas; critics weren’t too rapturous, but audiences flocked to see it. The animated sequel made over $1bn worldwide.
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Back on streaming, the huge success of animated series Bluey, whose episodes tend last for eight minutes or less, has also prompted a change in thinking at Disney. Although Tiana is effectively scrapped, the company is instead said to be working on a separate ‘short-form’ special, also based on The Princess And The Frog.
Elsewhere in Disney animation, the company has Zootopia 2 scheduled for a cinema release in November 2025.
