Much to the disappointment of the House of Mouse’s fans, Disney has become somewhat known for its live-action remakes and, unfortunately, specifically known for executing several of them poorly. While the phrase ‘Disney movies’ once immediately brought vibrant, unique animated films to mind, these days, the association of disappointing remakes is almost as strong. Thus far, those have included the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which frustrated fans with many of its changes, such as having Nani leave Lilo in the end, and live-action Snow White, which is perhaps the single most controversial and criticized of all.
Even live-action Moana, which has only just hit theaters, is already being met with backlash. With that context, it might seem like the news that Colman Domingo is reportedly working on a live-action Tiana movie, inspired by Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, is bad news. However, as viewers are already making clear online, this live-action Disney movie has the potential to be very different, not only because of its unique approach but also because of the movie’s ability to right a major wrong in the original film—one that fans have been unhappy with for years.
This Tiana Movie Wouldn’t Follow The Live-Action Remake Formula
Disney’s live-action remakes have frequently found themselves in a catch-22 of their own making. When the movies make changes that are too significant, such as in Snow White and Lilo & Stitch, audiences push back against the movie for undermining its source material. However, when movies are simply beat-for-beat remakes in live-action, audiences say that there was no point in remaking the film in the first place. According to reports, though, this upcoming Tiana movie would be avoiding this issue entirely because it isn’t actually a remake.
Per Deadline, Colman is working on “an original live-action feature about Princess Tiana.” This suggests that, rather than remaking The Princess and the Frog in live-action, Colman is crafting a brand-new spinoff story focused on Tiana (whether that will be set before or after the original movie remains unknown for now). This new movie therefore has already avoided one of the most significant pitfalls of Disney’s live-action remakes, but it’s also offering something even better than that. As fans have pointed out online since the news broke about this Tiana movie, this new film can finally fix a major Princess and the Frog problem.
Namely, The Princess and the Frog was a thrilling new addition to the Disney princess movies in part because it was finally going to give viewers a Black princess as a lead. This was representation that was coming far later than it should have, but it nevertheless was an exciting moment in the larger franchise. That only made it that much more disappointing when the plot meant Tiana actually spent most of the movie as a frog. Fans have long voiced frustrations with this choice, and now, the Tiana movie could actually give this character the screen time she (as herself) deserved.
One on the topic is full of comments to that effect, with many sharing hope that this movie will indeed correct that issue in The Princess and the Frog. One commenter writes, “I hope they do adapt princess and the frog, just with more time for human Tiana,” to which another commenter replies, “Tiana with more human time would be fantastic and actually make sense to adapt LA.” Another comment expresses the same sentiment, saying, “Better than her turning into a frog! I’m excited.”
Other comments also directly highlight that this decision may be in part because of the backlash to The Princess and the Frog, with one person writing, “I wonder if it’s because Disney doesn’t want to make a film where Tiana and Naveen spend most of the movie as frogs, which caused controversy and I think would be even more controversial now.” Audiences may never know if that is indeed the reason why, but this Tiana movie could be a rare much-needed live-action addition to Disney.
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