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Robert Pattinson as Prince Naveen? Furious Fans Respond to Live-Action ‘Princess and the Frog’ Casting Theory

The Disney Princess from New Orleans, Princess Tiana, has been firmly placed in the limelight ever since her upcoming Disney Park ride (which is called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure) set plans in motion for the destruction of the classic Splash Mountain ride.

Now, Princess Tiana is making headlines again — but this time, the Disney Princess might have a live-action story on the way, and her updated tale might include someone from Twilight!

Princess Tiana frowning
Credit: POPSUGAR

As with any live-action Disney remake, the biggest issue is the casting of the main Disney Princess and Disney Prince roles.

Anika Noni Rose, the Dreamgirls actress who originally voiced Princess Tiana and sang hit songs from the movie like “Almost There,” would obviously be a likely candidate for the role.

This young singer, who has specifically expressed an interest in the Disney Princess role (and who also showed off her singing abilities in her own rendition of “Almost There” recently) would also seem like a great candidate.

anika-noni-rose-at-everything-everything-movie-screening-in-los-angeles
Anika Noni Rose Credit: hawtcelebs.com

The Original Tiana, or Zoë Kravitz?

However, there is one potential casting that has Disney fans and Disney Princess fans up in arms: the casting of Twilight actor Robert Pattinson as Prince Naveen and Big Little Lies actress Zoë Kravitz as Princess Tiana.

Fans were already reacting badly, for the most part, to the idea of yet another live-action Disney remake.

“We have enough live actions movies,” one angry Disney fan wrote on Twitter. “They need to come up with new ideas instead [of] doing so much live actions it’s giving lazy and nobody is creative.”

Another person succinctly put their request another way, simply writing the following: “Disney stop.”

princess-tiana
Princess Tiana Credit: Disney

Is This Lilo & Stitch All Over Again?

The casting of Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen was always going to be a tricky endeavor, since Disney fans are keeping a sharp eye on Disney’s casting choices after the “whitewashing” disaster that was this recent Lilo & Stitch casting.

If Prince Naveen had been a white European character like he was reportedly originally intended to be — with inspirations from actors like Brad Pitt and Cary Grant — then the casting of Robert Pattinson might have made sense.

However, Disney went in a different direction with the Maldonia-based Disney Prince (just as they went in a different direction with several other problematic aspects of the movie), and now Disney fans certainly do not seem to see Pattinson as a viable option for the role.

Actors Who Are “Damn Near White”

When asked about alternative suggestions for the role of Princess Tiana, “the millions of dark skin women who act” were quickly pointed out. Former Disney Channel actress Skai Jackson was also put forward for the role, despite some recent controversies.

“Stop letting the media only push light bright women because [they’re] damn near white,” one angry Twitter user declared.

Time will tell when it comes to the live-action Princess and the Frog — and the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strikes, of course, could delay any potential remake about the New Orleans chef indefinitely!

Who would you like to see playing Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen? Would you like to see Oprah Winfrey return to her role from the original 2009 animated movie to play Tiana’s mother Eudora again, as well?

Sharon

Sharon is a writer and animal lover from New England. Sharon's two main focuses in her work are Disney's correlations with pop culture and the significance of Disney princesses (which was the basis for her college thesis). When she's not writing about Disney, Sharon spends her time singing, dancing, and cavorting with woodland creatures!

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