Disney is having a roller coaster ride at the box office with its live-action remakes. While Lilo & Stitch did amazingly well, Moana is currently tanking hard, as of the time of this writing. And while Mufasa: The Lion King is technically “photorealistic” and not live action, it also did well for itself. But then Snow White bombed horribly. What do you do with a track record like that? Well, apparently Disney is undeterred in some respects, as they’re planning on a live-action film about Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog.
While not the most successful or renowned film in the Disney catalog, The Princess and the Frog is notable for more than a few reasons. It was one of Disney’s last traditionally animated films and the first following the flop that was Home on the Range. It also featured a minority cast with a story based in New Orleans. Now the depiction of New Orleans with its voodoo and unsavory characters is a debate for another day. Still, it tried something different and gave us Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, the titular princess in the film.
Reports are indicating that Disney is looking to make a live-action version of it with Colman Domingo co-writing it. Teaming up with him would be Robert O’Hara, a fellow playwright who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2020. Domingo is an incredibly talented performer. Not only does he have two Oscar nominations for Best Actor, but he also has an Emmy win for Guest Actor in a Drama for Euphoria and a Tony nomination for Best Play in 2023. Needless to say, tapping him to write a film is probably a good decision.
Tiana as a character has untapped potential as well. Not to spoil the animated film, but she certainly goes through a lot at the hands of some voodoo. Ultimately, we leave her in a place where her life has taken on a new chapter. Considering this upcoming film is not a remake of the original film, but a kind of spin-off, there is plenty of room for creativity. Do we get to see Tiana’s life after the film ends? Are we going to see the events of the movie in a different way? Maybe a mix of her life before and after? We’ll leave that all up to Domingo.
The bigger issue is: with this film so early in development, will it actually see the light of day? Its future is likely going to be reliant on what happens with Disney’s upcoming slate of projects. If we see more failures like Moana, then we may not see the Tiana film come to pass. We still have the live-action Lilo & Stitch 2 to get through. And perhaps a bigger test, Tangled and its live-action remake. We’re in a place where this type of film seems to be wearing on the movie-going public. Perhaps The Princess and the Frog hasn’t been overexposed enough to where it will appeal to people. On the other hand, maybe it doesn’t have the fan base built in to elevate it to greater heights. Time will tell. That and box office receipts.
