Princess Tiana of Maldonia (née Tiana Rogers) is the protagonist of The Princess and the Frog (2009) and a character who makes appearances in many of the Disney theme parks, along with being the titular character of Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
History[]
Background[]
Origins[]
Tiana was born to couple James & Eudora Rogers and grew up in New Orleans during the early 20th century. Her father taught her how to cook and gave her a love for the craft and hardworking ideology in the process. As a child, Tiana developed a friendship with wealthy girl Charlotte La Bouff who her seamstress mother often made dresses for.
James taught Tiana that good food brings people together, and asked her to promise him to never lose sight of what's really important. James also shared his dream of opening his own restaurant with Tiana, giving her a piece of paper with art representing his dreams and dubbing the future restaurant as "Tiana's Place". Tiana and her father participated in and won several cooking competitions. The father-daughter duo won the 23rd annual Gumbo cook-off.[1]
Tiana's father would join the army in World War I where he died in battle. Tiana carried on his dream dedicating herself to opening their restaurant.
The Princess & the Frog[]
To get by and raise money for her father's restaurant, Tiana worked as a waitress at a restaurant called Cal's and day-shifts at a restaurant called Duke's. In 1926, when Charlotte and her father hosted the visiting Prince Naveen of Maldonia along with his manservant, Lawrence, Tiana told Charlotte that the best way into a man's heart was through his stomach. Inspired by this, Charlotte hired Tiana to cater Naveen's welcome party with a massive amount of beignets to assist Charlotte in wooing Prince Naveen.
The amount of money which Charlotte offered was enough for Tiana to buy property to make her father's dream a reality. Tiana arranged to acquire an old riverside sugar mill from Fenner Bros Realty, and gave Eudora a tour of the unfurnished building. However at the party, the Fenner Bros revealed that they decided to sell the property to a man who doubled her offer, with the brothers also hinting that the decision was biased by Tiana's race. When Tiana found out about this, her costume from the party got dirtied, causing Charlotte to take her to her bedroom and give her a princess dress.
In an act of desperation, Tiana wished upon the Evening Star to get her restaurant. Moments later, she was faced by a frog who spoke and claimed to be Prince Naveen of Maldonia, transformed into a frog by the Voodoo practitioner Doctor Facilier. Naveen offered to buy Tiana her restaurant if she kissed him, hoping it would turn him back human like in the fairy-tale of the Frog Prince. However, as Tiana was not a princess this instead transformed Tiana into a frog as-well. In the ensuing chaos, Naveen and Tiana got snared on balloons which then took them to the bayou outside of New Orleans where they got lost.
In the bayou, the pair met the alligator Louis who wished to be human so he could play jazz music. Naveen persuaded Louis to guide them to Mama Odie, a Voodoo practitioner in the bayou who could turn them human. After Louis got them lost, they were guided instead by the Cajun firefly Ray. who believed the Evening Star was his firefly love Evangeline, as well as his family with Louis still accompanying. The group went to see the Voodoo Queen of the bayou, Mama Odie, in hopes of becoming human but she insisted they use introspection to learn how to change their ways and grow as people instead. Regardless, Odie informed the group that Naveen could cure them all by kissing Charlotte before midnight on Mardi Gras as she was princess of the festivities until the party ended.
While stowing away a riverboat on their way to New Orleans, Naveen realized that he had fallen in-love with Tiana and began courting her while Tiana was unaware of this. Once at Mardi Gras, Ray revealed to Tiana that Naveen loved him while Naveen was captured by Doctor Facilier who planned on using his blood in a talisman to shape-shift a traitorous Lawrence into Naveen's form so that he could marry Charlotte and inherit the LaBoef fortune. The talisman was taken by Ray and rushed to Tiana in a cemetery to keep from Facilier before Facilier killed Ray.
When Tiana threatened to break the talisman, Facilier put Tiana in an illusion where she was human again and in her restaurant, but without Naveen. Facilier offered Tiana a bargain in which she would hand over the talisman for her dreams to come true, only for Tiana to refuse and try smashing the talisman. However, Facilier's shadow caught the talisman and brought it back to Facilier who turned Tiana back into a frog and pinned her down. However, Tiana used her tongue to take back the talisman and break it, resulting in Facilier's "Friends on the Other Side" to appear to collect on his debt and kill him.
After this, Naveen found Charlotte so she could kiss him and marry him under the condition that she give Tiana her restaurant. Tiana interrupted however as she loved Naveen more than she wanted her restaurant. Charlotte was moved by their fairy-tale romance so decided to kiss Naveen and pay for Tiana's restaurant regardless. However, it was too late and the kiss did not work. Tiana and Naveen later got married as frogs as officiated by Mama Odie, with their marriage kiss turning them both back as it made Tiana a princess.
After this, Tiana and Naveen travelled back to New Orleans where they got married as humans. Louis threatened the Fenner Bros into giving Tiana the property to her restaurant, which she opened as "Tiana's Palace" rather than "Tiana's Place". The restaurant became very popular and well-received.
Bayou Adventure[]
After the success of Tiana's Palace, Tiana assisted her mother in opening up a dress-shop called "Eudora's Chic Boutique" at 35 Royal Street in New Orleans Square. Tiana would spend time in the store and sell her gourmet goods there.
In 1927, Tiana founded the employee-owned business "Tiana's Foods". The headquarters purchased for the headquarters was a salt mine which previously belonged to the Southern Dome Salt Company. Tiana and Naveen would live in an estate near this headquarters called "Fleur du Bayou" (French: Flower of the Bayou). Tiana's Foods would gain a certificate of recognition from the New Orleans Square Chamber of Commerce.
Tiana and Naveen arranged "A celebration of family and friends of New Orleans" on February 27, 1927, which they needed a band for. Because of this, Tiana and Louis explored the bayou with various guests in log-boats in search of animal musicians for their "Bayou Community Band". In the bayou, Tiana found the animal band Zydeco Rainbow and Rara Fauna whom she recruited. After this, Mama Odie shrunk their guests down to enter the Ranitas Verde Club, a miniature nightclub run by frogs who Tiana then invited to the band.
Mama Odie restored the guests to their normal forms and sent them over a waterfall in the bayou. The logs then arrived at Tiana and Naveen's home of Fleur du Bayou for a party where the Bayou Community Band performed alongside Louis, Naveen on ukulele, and his brother Prince Ralphie on the drums. Partygoers at this celebration included Eudora, Charlotte, Big Daddy La Bouff, the King & Queen of Maldonia, Mama Odie and Juju.
Appearances[]
Disney Cruise Line[]
Oceaneer Club[]
There is a cookbook written by Tiana appearing in Captain Mary Oceaneer's library.
Tiana's Palace[]
This is themed to being Tiana's restaurant.
Disneyland[]
Critter Country[]
Tiana's Bayou Adventure[]
New Orleans Square[]
Tiana and Naveen can often be found in this area.
Eudora's Chic Boutique Featuring Tiana's Gourmet Secrets[]
This is a dress-shop run by Tiana's mother with art and photos of Tiana as a child, and references to her life.
Tiana's Palace
Tiana's Palace[]
Shanghai Disneyland[]
Enchanted Storybook Castle[]
There is a mosaic of Tiana and Naveen's bayou wedding. There is a sculpture of Tiana kissing Naveen as a frog.[2]
Walt Disney World[]
Disney's Port Orleans Resort[]
In the backstory of this resort, the riverside resort was created by Tiana and Naveen where they hosted various princess friends.[3]
Disney Springs[]
Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail[]
Posters are along the trail advertising, "Bewitching Bayou Beignets" while another has silhouettes of of Louis and Ray to the "Bug & Gator Jazz Festival".
Magic Kingdom[]
Fantasyland[]
Princess Fairytale Hall[]
There is a portrait of Tiana in the hall.
Frontierland[]
Critter Co-Op[]
Inside this gift-shop, there is a painting of Tiana cooking bayou for the Bayou Community Band.[4]
Tiana's Bayou Adventure[]
Tiana’s Bayou General[]
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom[]
Tiana was an ally in the Frontierland/Liberty Square missions.
Trivia[]
- The entrance to Fleur du Bayou sometimes has the message "WELCOME To all who come to this happy place" referencing Walt Disney's opening day Disneyland speech.
- In Tiana's office, there is a shelf with a figure of a rabbit near a figure of a bear and wooden carving of a fox. This is a tribute to the characters Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, who appeared in Tiana's Bayou Adventure's predecessor Splash Mountain. Small steamboats on this shelf may also be a reference to the Zip-a-Dee Lady which appeared in Splash Mountain.
- Tiana's Bayou Adventure identified Tiana's family with the surname Rogers.
Gallery[]
Voice Sounds[]
References[]
- ↑ https://blogmickey.com/tianas-bayou-adventure-project-tracker-model-concept-art-details/
- ↑ https://d23.com/the-many-stories-of-shanghai-disneylands-enchanted-storybook-castle/
- ↑ https://www.onlywdworld.com/2014/03/disneys-port-orleans-riverside-resort.html
- ↑ https://attractionsmagazine.com/tianas-bayou-adventure-merchandise-gift-shops/