She finds her progress stalled when she transforms into a frog after desperately kissing a prince who has been turned into one by an evil witch doctor.

Co-directors Ron Clements and Musker were then hired to lead the studio in yet another attempt at adapting the fairy tale, choosing 1920s New Orleans as its setting.

The idea of making our heroine African American simply grew out of the setting and that was an integral part of the story we pitched to John in March of 2006.

[10] Clements elaborated, "There's a woman in New Orleans named Lee (sic) Chase who was a waitress and ultimately opened a restaurant with her husband … we met with her and we talked with her and she went to kind of into her story, her philosophy about food, which is a big element of the movie.

[14][15] As the film's writers and directors, Clements and Musker claim that their decision to depict Tiana as an African American young woman came naturally[6] simply as a result of the location in which the story takes place.

[16] Clements explained, "We didn't realize it was that big of a deal,"[17] and originally gave the character the French name "Madeleine"—"Maddy" for short.

[20] Vying to continue to approach the film with sensitivity, Clements and Musker sought guidance from screenwriter Rob Edwards, who is African American.

[4] In order to add emotional weight to the story, Clements and Musker placed further emphasis on Tiana's relationship with her father, James,[10] who originally "wasn't as much in the picture.

"[6] Several well-known African American female entertainers expressed interest in voicing Tiana, including recording artists Beyoncé,[21] Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys, and actress and fashion model Tyra Banks.

[22] The role of Tiana ultimately went to actress and singer Anika Noni Rose, who co-starred alongside Knowles and Hudson in Dreamgirls (2006).

[12][27] 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.

[12][30] Tiana works two jobs in order to raise enough money to turn a rundown sugar mill into a restaurant, a promise she made to her father, who was killed in World War I.

Tiana finds hope when her wealthy childhood best friend Charlotte pays her a lump sum of money to make and serve beignets at a masquerade ball she is hosting for the handsome but disinherited Prince Naveen.

Mistaking her for a princess because of her costume, Naveen promises to give Tiana the money she needs if she turns him human again by kissing him.

After reminding her of all the work she has done and the people who held her back, he shows her an image of her late father, telling her that she can make sure the dream he never lived to see come true.

Tiana and Naveen are also doing meet and greets at Walt Disney World's Liberty Square, Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris and in other parks in the Frontierland area.

[31][32] When visiting Walt Disney World visitors could originally find Princess Tiana under a gazebo at the edge of Liberty Square.

[34][35] The ride's storyline takes place after the events of the film, and involves Tiana hosting a Mardi Gras celebration.

She realizes that due to a mix-up, her celebration is missing a band, so she travels to the bayou with Louis to search for musical critters.

[36] In June 2022, Anika Noni Rose mentioned during an interview on Live with Kelly and Ryan that she has been involved with discussions with Disney on what they want the attraction to be like.

[37] In July 2022 during the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, Disney announced that the ride would be titled Tiana's Bayou Adventure, setting an opening date of "late 2024" at both parks.

Helen O'Hara of Empire wrote positively of the character, describing her as "a hard-headed heroine who works hard and displays a focus and drive".

[52] Catherine Shoard of The Guardian praised Tiana, congratulating Disney for creating "a heroine who's an actual character; a woman whose three dimensions you don't need to don daft specs to see.

[54] Carey Bryson of About.com gave Tiana high praise, calling her both "a fabulous new princess" and "a decent role model".

[58] Rachel Bertsche of O, The Oprah Magazine called the arrival of a black Disney princess "barrier-breaking" and "long overdue".

[58] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "these avowedly black people spend an awful lot of the movie being adorable, unthreatening little green creatures.

"[3] Bidisha of The Observer was fairly mixed in her review, calling Tiana a "one-dimensional" but "clever, strong woman", while criticizing the film's light-hearted plot and lack of emphasis on racial issues.

[60] On August 19, 2011, Anika Noni Rose was presented with a Disney Legends award at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, to commemorate her work on The Princess and the Frog.

[65][66] In response to this controversy, Disney invited Tiana's voice actress Anika Noni Rose and the advocacy group Color of Change at Walt Disney Animation Studios to redesign Tiana's appearance in Ralph Breaks the Internet to make sure she resembles more closely to her actual appearance in The Princess and the Frog; the updated character model was revealed in the second trailer.