Tiana (Disney)

Tiana (Disney)

Tiana is a fictional main character from Walt Disney Pictures' forty-ninth animated feature film The Princess and the Frog (2009). Created by directors Ron Clements and John Musker and animated by Mark Henn, Tiana is voiced by American actress and singer Anika Noni Rose. American actress Elizabeth M. Dampier provides the voice of a young Tiana.

Based on the heroine of E. D. Baker's novel The Frog Princess, which was inspired by the Grimm fairy tale "The Frog Prince", Tiana is a hardworking waitress who dreams of opening her own restaurant. Her progress is stalled when she kisses a prince who has been turned into a frog and becomes a frog herself. The ninth Disney Princess, Tiana is the first to be of African American heritage.

Reception towards Tiana's character has been mostly positive, with critics praising her determined personality and strong values. However, public reaction towards her ethnicity has been rather mixed, further driven by speculation and controversy. While some critics met Disney's decision to make Tiana their first black princess with praise, others scrutinized it, questioning the studio's reasoning behind it.