Way back at the Disney Investor Day in 2020, Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee announced they would be making two new series for Disney+, “Tiana”, which is a followup to “The Princess And The Frog”, and a new “Moana” show.

Since then, we’ve not really had too much information about the upcoming series and with so many upcoming Disney+ Originals being cancelled, many fans have been questioning if these series are still happening.

And during a recent interview with Ecartelera, to promote the upcoming Disney animated film, “Wish”, Jennifer gave an update on the projects:

I love that Disney+ allows us to introduce experimentation and freshness while exploring our legacy. Combine celebration and narrative innovation. In that sense, we can play more with the Disney+ series. We’re doing the ‘Moana’ series and it’s being a lot of fun, I love it. ‘Tiana’ is a new world for her, a new direction and a new voice. I think it’s a very good platform to start playing with things that have meant a lot to many of us.

For me, it is also recognizing that there is no turning back, just moving stronger and stronger. How technology has allowed us to maintain the importance of traditional animation through artists is what excites me the most. There is a balance between the sequels and the original content. There are more ‘Frozen’ and more ‘Zootrópolis’ on the way because they invite their stories to grow, the filmmakers want to expand them.

But we also have a wonderful list of originals from the hand of a completely new, diverse and different generation of filmmakers. New types of stories. That’s why we have to continue promoting the original films. Regarding the stories of the past: if the right story appears and the right director fights for it, it will happen.

It’s good to hear that both shows are still in development, especially as “Tiana” was originally announced to be coming out in 2022.  Very little is known about the “Tiana” series, other than knowing that Tiana heads out on a grand new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia, but a calling to her New Orleans past isn’t far behind.  Anika Noni Rose will be reprising her role as Tiana in the long-form musical comedy series and the new series is being directed and written by Stella Meghie.

We don’t know too much about the upcoming “Moana” series, other than it will be a direct sequel to the animated film and will see Auli’i Cravalho reprising her role as the title character.

While the actor’s strikes may impact on the recording of any voice work, if it hasn’t already been completed, work can continue on creating these shows during the strikes, since animation is generally impacted less than live-action productions.

Are you looking forward to watching the new “Tiana” and “Moana” Disney+ shows?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

View all posts