Tiana (Disney+ Series - 2024)

DCBaker

Premium Member
Original Poster
Variety is reporting Joyce Sherri will be the lead writer and director for the Tiana series on Disney+. Variety also reports the series is launching in 2024.

"The “Tiana” animated series in the works at Disney+ has enlisted Joyce Sherri as the show’s lead writer and director, Variety has learned exclusively.

The musical project was originally announced in 2020 during a Disney investor day. The series has previously been described as a followup to the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog,” which introduced the character of Tiana. Anika Noni Rose will once again provide the voice of Tiana. The series was originally expected to debut in 2023 but is now said to be launching in 2024.

Sherri’s most recent TV writing credit was on the Netflix horror miniseries “Midnight Mass” from Mike Flanagan. She has also written and directed short films like “Beauty,” “Forever,” “Down, Down, Baby” and “The Family Romance.” She also won the 2020 Slamdance screenplay competition for her feature, “Sweet Sixteen,” and was selected for the 2021 Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive.

She is repped by Gersh, Untitled, and Del Shaw Moonves.

The official description for “Tiana” states that the show will follow the title character as she “sets off for a grand new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia, but a calling to her New Orleans past isn’t far behind.”

Walt Disney Animation Studios will produce “Tiana,” as the studio previously made “The Princess and the Frog.” Nathan Curtis will produce, with Jennifer Lee and Stella Meghie executive producing. Meghie was previously attached as the writer and director of the series, but remains onboard as an EP."

 

Ghost93

Well-Known Member
I wonder why Stella Meghie is no longer the lead writer. And are they implying that they just started writing? I would have thought most of the animation was completed at this point!
 

Tha Realest

Well-Known Member
It’s been awfully quiet on this project. Next month there’s a D23 event that features
-TBA sneak peek
-15 year lookback at PatF
-celebration of the culinary delights of New Orleans
-Return of Keith David
-Disney Archives look at New Orleans and Disney history

…and nothing on the Tiana TV series that’s been in production for years.
 

TsWade2

Well-Known Member
It’s been awfully quiet on this project. Next month there’s a D23 event that features
-TBA sneak peek
-15 year lookback at PatF
-celebration of the culinary delights of New Orleans
-Return of Keith David
-Disney Archives look at New Orleans and Disney history

…and nothing on the Tiana TV series that’s been in production for years.
I have a bad feeling it might be cancelled, but I hope I'm wrong.
 

peng

Active Member
Some tidbit from the DisInsider article that the Kingdom Hearts movie was mentioned: this series is also being considered to become a movie. I also remember seeing some job postings for 2D animators for Vancouver 1/2 a year ago, but I doubt its going to be fully 2D because WDAS is allergic to it (mostly from the idiotic "we didn't use 2D because of camera angles" interview from Jenn Lee and the rather depressing interview Mark Henn gave a few months back). The description of said position said that most of the work is going to be for draw overs/pencil tests, so I am not getting my hopes up, but if it does somehow become a 2D feature, I will be a happy man.
 
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TsWade2

Well-Known Member
Some tidbit from the DisInsider article that the Kingdom Hearts movie was mentioned: this series is also being considered to become a movie. I also remember seeing some job postings for 2D animators for Vancouver 1/2 a year ago, but I doubt its going to be fully 2D because WDAS is allergic to it (mostly from the idiotic "we didn't use 2D because of camera angles" interview from Jenn Lee and the rather depressing interview Mark Henn gave a few months back). The description of said position said that most of the work is going to be for draw overs/pencil tests, so I am not getting my hopes up, but if it does somehow become a 2D feature, I will be a happy man.
As much as I appreciate Disney is hiring 2D artists, but I don’t know if I want to believe that rumor. So, I’ll take it as a grain of salt. Also, it’s not because their allergic to 2D, that’s a dumb thing to say! They’re just too scared to use it right now.
 

peng

Active Member
As much as I appreciate Disney is hiring 2D artists, but I don’t know if I want to believe that rumor. So, I’ll take it as a grain of salt. Also, it’s not because their allergic to 2D, that’s a dumb thing to say! They’re just too scared to use it right now.
I honestly didn't know where the rumor of Tiana being 2D came from, personally I think its wishful thinking, I assumed it was going to be 3D from the get go. Disinsider is frequently wrong (only thing they got right from the rumors going into the 2022 D23 expo was that WDAS was going to release an original movie in 2023) and I honestly don't believe a KH movie is happening either after the KH tv show that was rumored in 2019ish failed to surface.
 

peng

Active Member
Today, you can take a 3D animation; convert it into 2D cell shading; and, I'm sure there are AIs that can clean it up to make it more look like traditional 2D styles.

BatB ballroom scene used 3D.
I'm expecting it to be some cheap looking cel-shaded 3D animation at this rate. And yes, I know basically every Disney animated movie since the Black Caldron used it in some way. There isn't a 2D production pipeline in place at WDAS and if Tiana was 2D animated, they would make a huge deal about it, like what happened when Princess and the Frog originally released and for Once Upon a Studio.
 

peng

Active Member
I was considering linking that article, it's really sobering and painted WDAS making a new 2D film as basically impossible. Honestly feels like there were more ambitious hand drawn projects being considered (mostly as Eric Goldberg implied as such in interviews) but were shut down for some reason and I don't blame Henn for retiring as outside of Parks stuff, pencil tests and the occasional short, not much is being done on the 2D front there. I can still see 2D shorts coming out from time to time, but theatrical 2D is dead and buried at Disney.
Here's an article detailing what Mark Henn said about Hand Drawn animation at Disney after he left the studio:

 

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