Tiana

Oh my word... it's Princess Tiana!

Tiana is the first African-American Disney Princess and is the second official Disney Princess that is American (her story is set in New Orleans, Louisiana).

Tiana getting ready to kiss frog prince Naveen

The Princess and the Frog is based off of The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker published in 2002.  In The Frog Princess there is a clumsy princess who has magical powers and is being forced to marry a stuck up prince. She runs away to a swamp where she meets another prince whom she loves but he is a frog. To change him back, she kisses him but turns into a frog herself.  The two then go on a quest to find the witch who originally put the spell on the prince.  They reverse the spell and live happily ever after.

Original Story

As you may or may not have guessed The Frog Princess is based off of a fairy tale story The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm. In this story, a spoiled princess makes friends with a frog who magically transforms into a prince (it's the other way around in The Princess and the Frog). Modern versions say the prince transforms when the princess kisses him but the Brothers Grimm love to make everything gruesome.  The frog actually transforms when the princess throws it against the wall in disgust (a common folkloric trait of undoing shapeshifting magic), other versions say the frog stayed on her pillow for a night.

Fun Fact:
Many high profile celebrities were considered for the voice part of Tiana such as Jennifer Hudson, Tyra Banks and Alicia Keys.  Anika Noni Rose finally won the part in 2007.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen