Walt Disney Animation Studios is making a new The Princess and the Frog special, and it will have new songs and members of the film’s original voice cast. Jared Bush, the studio’s chief creative officer, confirmed the project to Collider in an interview at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival in Georgia, which runs through October 31.
The special is already in active production. It will be a complete story rather than an ongoing series, and Bush described it as something closer to a television special. Collider reports it is headed to Disney+.
“Well, there is something we’ve actually been working on. It is a special set in the world of The Princess and the Frog. We are really moving on that right now. So, that’s actually in active production. That will be out to people soon. New songs. Original cast. It is pretty spectacular,” Bush said.
What We Still Don’t Know
Bush did not say when the special will premiere or how long it will run. Disney also has not said which original cast members are coming back or what the story is about. “Soon” is the only timing he offered.
The 2009 film featured Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, Keith David as Dr. Facilier, Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis, Jennifer Cody as Charlotte, Jim Cummings as Ray and Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie. Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman and Peter Bartlett rounded out the cast. Randy Newman wrote the original songs, and two of them, “Almost There” and “Down in New Orleans,” were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Disney has not said who is writing the new music.
Seven of those voice actors reunited at Magic Kingdom in 2024 to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ahead of its opening. The attraction replaced Splash Mountain at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
A Long Road Back To The Bayou
Tiana’s next screen adventure has taken years to come together. Disney first announced Tiana, a musical series for Disney+ with Rose returning in the title role, in December 2020. The studio shelved that series in March 2025 as Walt Disney Animation stepped away from longform streaming shows.
At the time, a separate Princess and the Frog special was reported to be in early development, with Joyce Sherri attached to write and direct and Stephen Anderson also directing. Bush’s comments add the first real details: new songs, returning cast members, and a full musical story rather than a set of shorts. Disney has not said whether Sherri and Anderson are still directing.
The special is not the only Tiana project at Disney. A live-action Tiana movie is also in development, with Colman Domingo and Robert O’Hara in talks to co-write.
Where To Watch The Original
The Princess and the Frog opened in theaters on December 11, 2009, and is streaming now on Disney+. Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, it marked Disney’s return to hand-drawn animation and introduced Tiana, Disney’s first Black princess. The film earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Animated Feature.
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