

Rose described the recording process as "very solitary work" that required her to do much research. "To be perfectly honest, I thought it was for me from the moment I got the audition." Rose was also fairly confident in the role. I don't think the cultural significance hit me until later". Rose told The Root that the film "wasn't really pitched to me that way. When the film was brought to her attention, she was drawn to it more by its "story of the young woman" than by the fact that she would be voicing Disney's first African American princess. After enduring three auditions, the role ultimately went to American actress and singer Anika Noni Rose, with whom Hudson and Knowles co-starred in the musical film Dreamgirls.Ī long-time fan of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Rose had always wanted to voice a Disney animated character. Ron Clements and John Musker, who once worked as animators on The Fox and the Hound, and known for their works like The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules, decided not to hire "big stars" to voice the film's main characters because "it can help with the identification of that animated character with the voice if you don't get an instant mental picture of the real actor." Several well-known African American actresses and singers had expressed an interest in voicing Tiana, among them, recording artists Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys, as well as actress and fashion model Tyra Banks.
#Anika noni rose movie
Henn was also inspired by studio employee Jaimie Milner, a film intern who was working in post-production." The fact that Tiana is African American was "never a big issue" for Henn when it came to animating her, but drawing her as both a human and a frog proved difficult." Tiana appears in the movie in different forms - she's a little girl, she's an adult human, and then she's a frog." "When animating Tiana, Henn was inspired by voice actress Anika Noni Rose, borrowing from her dimples and left-handedness. Describing Tiana, Henn said that she is following "a new trend in our princesses," likening her to Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Henn was hired by John Lasseter because he had animated nearly every Disney Princess since The Little Mermaid's Ariel. Mark Henn served as the supervising animator for Tiana. Disney spokeswoman Heidi Trotta later stated, "Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney's rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity." This reworking of the story itself was greatly inspired by the life story of New Orleans chef Leah Chase, and she, in turn, would contribute to the "Tiana's Cookbook" that was published when the film came out. However, public criticism eventually caused her character's name to be changed to Tiana and her job, a waitress. Early in development, Tiana was originally called Maddy and worked as a chambermaid in the La Bouff household. Tiana made history as the first African-American princess in the Disney Princess franchise. In a twist of fate, she kisses a frog and goes on an adventure through the New Orleans bayou. She works hard to try to make that dream come true. 8.1 The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimmīackground Official Description Tiana dreams of opening her own restaurant.

While she hopes this new show will continue beyond the first season, she's also thrilled by her next project as the voice of Disney's first black princess in the long-awaited film, The Princess and the Frog. there are times when that really works in your favor," she tells NPR's Michele Norris.Īfter earning a Tony award for her work in the play Caroline, or Change, Rose drew critical acclaim for her portrayal of "Maggie the Cat" in the recent Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I think I've over the years been able to release some of it. In her role as Grace Makutsi, Rose is a very able assistant: She is a perfectionist's perfectionist, a personal trait the actress says she brings to the character.
#Anika noni rose series
1 Ladies' Detective Agency.īased on 10 books written by British author Alexander McCall Smith, the series is set in Botswana and the women of the detective agency not only solve mysteries, but they also help people find their better selves. Scott, who plays Precious Ramotswe, and Rose in her role as Makutsi, are Botswana's only fictional female detectives.Īctress Anika Noni Rose plays opposite Jill Scott, the soul singer turned actress, in the new HBO miniseries The No.
