Tiana

Tiana is a fictional character in Walt Disney Pictures' 49th animated feature film The Princess and the Frog (2009). Created by writers and directors Ron Clements and John Musker and animated by Mark Henn, Tiana, as an adult, is voiced by Anika Noni Rose, while Elizabeth M. Dampier voices the character as a child. She will appear in the Disney+ series Tiana, which is set to debut in 2024. She is loosely based on two princesses: Princess Emma, the heroine of E. D. Baker's 2002 novel The Frog Princess, and the princess from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Frog Prince", which inspired Baker's novel. The character also was inspired by famed New Orleans chef Leah Chase. Tiana is depicted as a hardworking waitress who dreams of opening her own restaurant. She finds her progress stalled when she transforms into a frog after desperately kissing a prince who has been turned into one by an evil witch doctor. Tiana has been mostly positively received with critics praising her personality and values. However, the depiction of Tiana and her community has been criticized for lacking "emphasis on racial issues". The decision to depict the two main characters, Tiana and Naveen, as frogs for the majority of the film has also caused controversy, with some saying that it downplays the characters' identities. She is the ninth Disney Princess and is known for being the first African American princess in the Disney Princess franchise.