African-American characters in Disney first

Last update: Thu Nov 26 2009 21:19:09

Latest Headlines:

African-American characters in Disney first

Thu Nov 26 2009 21:19:09

African-American characters in Disney first "The Princess and the Frog" is an updated fairy tale featuring for the first time an African-American princess leading the cast of voice characters in an animated Disney film.

Set in New Orleans amid the swamps of Louisiana, the movie stars actors Terrence Howard and Anika Noni Rose. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey even has a small part.

Rose, a Tony Award-winning singer and actress, plays Tiana who is an independent and ambitious young woman and the latest addition to the Disney royal court.

"I really loved this. I really loved doing it," smiled the 37-year-old. " And I think that as an actor it can only help you be better, because you are working with the handicap of no body."

Terence Howard plays her father, James: "Well, just to work with Disney Pictures, you know, that's a highlight in any actor's career," said Howard, 40. "To have participated in a landmark film, is another attraction. To have a wonderful message that you deliver, and to be immortalized inside the Disney vaults."

The film celebrates iconic Mardi Gras images - from a jazz-loving alligator to a voodoo villain to a Cajun firefly and pop star turned Oscar-winning film composer Randy Newman was hired to provide the musical backdrop for the film.