Anika Noni Rose reveals she met with Disney to correct Princess Tiana’s Wreck-It Ralph look

Princess Tiana has been in the spotlight, with Disney correcting the princess to look like her original self after many complaints. The princess’ voice actress, Anika Noni Rose, was among the people who spoke with Disney to make that change.

Conversations about the importance of representation in film have become more prominent in the past few years. While Disney still has a ways to go with representation in its films, they have made some strides recently to show more diverse characters in their animated films with movies such as Moana and The Princess and the Frog.

Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog will also have a cameo role in Ralph Breaks the Internet (the internet loved the scene of all the Disney princesses together having a sleepover), but, Disney did get pushback for how Tiana was portrayed.

Her skin was noticeably lighter and her features were sharper than the original character, and Disney was accused by many of making Tiana look whiter. Disney has since said that they will be reanimating Tiana for the movie.

In the aftermath of the controversy, the voice actress for Tiana, Anika Noni Rose, has spoken up her involvement in restoring Tiana back to her original look. On Instagram, she explained how important it was to her that Princess Tiana was animated in a way to reflect her original design, and how she was able to talk to the studio and explain her thoughts.

In the Instagram post, she writes:

"I was able to express how important it is to the little girls (and let’s face it, grown women) who felt represented by her that her skin tone stay as rich as it had been, and that her nose continue to be the little round nose that [animator Mark Henn] so beautifully rendered in the movie."

Rose also talked about how she wanted to have a respectful dialogue with Disney about what was going on. She appreciated that they took the time to listen to her thoughts and respect her input on Princess Tiana:

"It was important to me to hear what Disney had to say, 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. I also appreciate that this far into the process Disney had enough care and respect for all who love Princess Tiana and her legacy to spend the time and money to make the adjustments necessary."

We are glad that Disney is reanimating Tiana to reflect diversity and authenticity. Ralph Breaks the Internet is set to arrive in theaters on November 21, 2018.