Way back at the Disney Investor Day in 2020, it was revealed that Walt Disney Animation Studios was working on a brand-new animated spin-off series of the Walt Disney Animated classic, “Princess And The Frog”, called “Tiana” for Disney+.

This new long-form musical-comedy series features the extraordinary entrepreneur who’s now the princess of the kingdom of Maldonia. The all-new adventures explore both Maldonia and Tiana’s beloved hometown, New Orleans.

However, since that initial announcement over five years ago, we’ve heard very little about the project, though Disney did confirm at last summer’s D23 Ultimate Fan Event that it was still moving ahead with the series.

Today, THR has reported that Walt Disney Animation Studios has cancelled the “Tiana” series as part of the studio’s new strategy, which is moving away from making long-form original animated content for Disney+.     So far, the studio has only released a few projects like “Iwaju”, “Baymax”, and “Zootopia+”, as the studio has only been focused on movies for a long time.

Their sources have stated that despite best efforts, including several changes to the creative team, Disney couldn’t get the “Tiana” series to where it needed to be given production costs.

A Disney spokesperson confirmed that due to the project’s cancellation and a shift in strategy, some layoffs would also be made at its Vancouver studio. It was also revealed that Disney has scrapped an unannounced animated feature-length project that was supposed to be heading straight to Disney+.    

This change in strategy also follows Pixar’s decision to refocus on theatrical film releases rather than on shows like “Dream Productions” or “Win Or Lose.”

At the same event back in 2020, Disney announced it would be making a new animated series following their smash-hit movie, “Moana.” However, Disney decided to change its strategy, instead reformating the “Moana” series into a movie, which went on to become “Moana 2” and make over a billion dollars at the box office last year.

However, Disney won’t be making the same shift with “Tiana.” They are apparently in early development of a separate short-form special inspired by “The Princess And The Frog,” though no details have been revealed. It will be directed and written by Joyce Sherri and also directed by Steve Anderson.

Roger’s Take: This is yet another project that was announced at the Disney Investor Day way too early, when it seemed like nothing was really ready to be revealed to the public. Disney has had so many failed projects get off the ground, and that’s why we are seeing Disney be much more selective in making announcements about new projects.

With regard to the animated short, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is some of the animated series which has already been created, possibly with a script, some animation, voiceover work, etc, that they feel they can scrap together a decent short with and make use of all that development.

I’m also not surprised with Walt Disney Animation Studios pulling back on making new animated projects for Disney+, since making films is where Disney excels and ultimately make more money from.  Animated shorts are a nice way to extend franchises, but the real money for Disney is in making theatrical movies, which can launch a franchise where they can make money off in many other areas, such as at theme parks, merchandise, and video games etc.

What do you think of Disney pulling the plug on the “Tiana” Disney+ series?  Let me 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

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