Princess Tiana (The Princess and the Frog)

Set in 1920s Jazz Age New Orleans, Tiana's story centers on her life as a dedicated, hard-working waitress working double shifts to save money for her dream restaurant, Tiana's Palace. Her pivotal moment occurs during a masquerade ball hosted by her wealthy friend Charlotte La Bouff. After an accidental mishap ruins her original dress, Tiana changes into a borrowed blue princess gown and tiara. While making a wish on the evening star on the balcony, she meets Prince Naveen of Maldonia, who has been turned into a frog by the voodoo shadow man Dr. Facilier. Mistaking Tiana for a real princess, Naveen convinces her to kiss him to break the curse. Instead, the kiss turns Tiana into a frog as well, sending the pair on a wild journey through the Louisiana bayou to find Mama Odie and break the spell before returning to human form.

Tiana's appearance in The Princess and the Frog is a landmark moment in animation history, officially introducing the Disney Princess franchise's first African-American princess. Unlike traditional fairytale heroines, Tiana redefined princess archetypes through her fierce work ethic, practical self-reliance, and financial drive as an entrepreneur. Inspired in part by legendary real-life New Orleans chef Leah Chase, her story emphasizes that while wishing upon stars is a start, hard work and true personal connections are necessary to achieve one's dreams. Her appearance transformed the modern Disney canon, eventually leading to dedicated theme park expansions—such as Tiana's Palace Restaurant and Tiana's Bayou Adventure—and ongoing appearances across literature and video games.

Supervising animator Mark Henn designed Tiana by drawing direct inspiration from voice actress Anika Noni Rose, borrowing her facial dimples and left-handedness. As a 19-year-old human, Tiana has dark red lips, brown eyes, dimples, and dark frizzy hair. Throughout her appearance, she wears multiple distinct outfits reflecting her journey: her working-class yellow Duke's Café uniform with white apron, a borrowed icy-blue masquerade ballgown with opera gloves and a tiara, and a 1920s white flapper-style gown with a fur boa during Dr. Facilier's illusion. Her signature marketing look is her iconic lily pad ballgown: a strapless, sparkling green and light-yellow gown featuring soft petal-like tiers, accompanied by matching green evening gloves, a green tiara, a blue diamond necklace, and an elegant updo. In frog form, she is rendered in a light green shade with diamond patterns on her back, retaining her brown eyes and eyeliner.