Sources told THR that “Tiana ultimately could not get to where it needed to be given production costs” despite several turnovers on the creative team since the show was first announced in 2020. However, the studio is reportedly working on a new short-form Princess And The Frog special from writer-director Joyce Sherri, co-directed by Steve Anderson.
During the pandemic (and under the leadership of ex-CEO Bob Chapek), the entertainment conglomerate prioritized making original content for its new streaming service Disney+ to attract subscribers. But the studio’s strategy has since changed, and clearly an emphasis on theatrical is a lucrative move in the animated sector after 2024’s big hits with the sequels for Moana and Inside Out. The latter was the highest grossing film of the year and, at the time, the highest grossing animated movie ever. (It was recently dethroned by the Chinese film Ne Zha 2.) Current CEO Bob Iger previously said that certain brands’ focus on streaming and series “diluted focus and attention” from those brands (including Marvel Studios). Pixar has already pivoted away from episodic content after dropping its latest show Win Or Lose (and not without controversy).
A spokesperson told THR that there will be layoffs at the studio as a result of this latest shift in strategy. Pixar laid off 14% of its workforce last year before Inside Out 2 premiered; the company laid off another several hundred employees in fall 2024 as a “cost-saving initiative.”
