Which Disney princess’s film is based on E. D. Baker’s novel The Frog Princess? Tiana is the princess at the center of The Princess and the Frog.
Disney’s 2009 animated film was loosely inspired by Baker’s 2002 children’s novel, The Frog Princess, which itself reworks the classic Frog Prince tradition. The film changes the setting and characters substantially, moving the story to New Orleans during the Jazz Age and introducing Tiana, an ambitious young woman who dreams of opening her own restaurant.
After Tiana kisses Prince Naveen, who has been transformed into a frog, she becomes a frog herself rather than restoring him immediately. Their journey through Louisiana’s bayous brings them into conflict with the shadowy magician Dr. Facilier and eventually leads them toward love, self-knowledge, and their shared ambitions.
Tiana is notable as Disney’s first African American princess. The film also drew on jazz, Creole-inspired imagery, and New Orleans culture, so it is not a direct screen version of Baker’s novel.