Anika Noni Rose, Voice Of Princess Tiana, Breaks Silence On ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’ Controversy
Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Princess Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog,released a statement on her her Instagram about the role she has played in Disney’s decision to make modifications to the design of Tiana for the character’s cameo in the upcoming Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Rose says that she was surprised when she first saw the cg version of the character, and noted reactions online and her DMs, before deciding to reach out to the studio.
She was invited to the studio three weeks ago to meet with the Ralph Breaks the Internet crew, as well as animator Mark Henn, who was the lead animator of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog. During the meeting, Henn showed her “the steps they were taking to bring those things back that got lost in the move from hand drawn to cgi,” such as the character’s richer skin tone and rounded nose.
“It was important to me to hear what Disney had to say,” Rose said, “and to have an open dialogue about legacy and representation. They did not have to make time to give me a presentation on the process, but I’m very glad that they did.”