Anika Noni Rose Speaks Out After Disney Cancels ‘Princess and the Frog’ TV Series

Anika Noni Rose is breaking her silence after Disney canceled Tiana.

On Tuesday, March 11, the actress, known for voicing Princess Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, addressed the entertainment giant’s decision to axe its plans for an animated series based on the beloved New Orleans-based character.

“Last week an announcement was made regarding the cancellation of the series, Tiana,” she began in a statement shared on Instagram. “I’ve been getting loads of messages expressing kindness, support and overwhelming disappointment.”

Rose admitted, “I too am deeply disappointed that the continuation of Tiana’s journey in series form has been cut short,” adding that the highly anticipated series adaptation had been a “long time coming” and involved “a lot of beautiful work” by talented creatives.

“As hurtful as it is for anything you’ve put your heart and soul in to be prematurely ended, my hope is that when what is now to be a ‘Tiana Special Event’ airs that all of your beautiful, loving, loyal fans who’ve been championing not just the series, but a Princess And The Frog sequel, tune in,” she continued.

The voice actress asked fans to tell friends, family, coworkers and even babysitters who have been fans of the original movie to “show your love and desire in the numbers” and “make that desire an undeniable and real thing.”

“Until then, we will be continuing to work hard to bring you the most beautiful content we can,” she added, before thanking her fans for their continued support.

Earlier this month, PEOPLE confirmed that Disney had scrapped Tiana, an animation series originally planned to center around the characters from The Princess and the Frog.

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Though the series has been shelved, the studio is working on a separate short-form special inspired by the original movie. Details are still under wraps, but the short will feature all-new storytelling with Joyce Sherri writing and directing alongside Steve Anderson.

The move is tied to Disney’s shift in animation strategy and its plans to move away from creating long-form streaming content.