In August 2023, claims spread on social media platforms that Disney animated movie "The Princess and the Frog" was receiving a live-action remake.
"A live-action remake of 'THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG' is reportedly in early works at Disney," a Twitter post said on Aug. 4, 2023. Attached to the post was an image from the film that showed its two main characters, Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. The post cited a YouTube video from "The DisInsider" as the source for the news.
A live-action remake of 'THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG' is reportedly in early works at Disney.
(via @TheDisInsider | https://t.co/MLQMV7H0uZ) pic.twitter.com/yC2cf2VUu3
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) August 4, 2023
Keith David, who played the movie's main antagonist Dr. Facilier, responded to the post on Twitter, stating he did not know if it was true and that he had not been approached to play the role again by Disney in any such remake of "The Princess and the Frog":
I'm not sure if this is true, but I do know that @Disney has not asked me to reprise the role of Dr. Facilier!??♂️ https://t.co/VkCHeJYqro
— KeithDavid (@ImKeithDavid) August 7, 2023
We found other Twitter posts about the claim that cited the YouTube video as its source. We also found posts about the claim that cited "The DisInsider" as its source on Facebook, as well as TikTok posts about the claim that included the Twitter posts that cited "The DisInsider" as the source for the news. In addition, unofficial fan site Disney Plus Informer wrote an article about the claim that cited the video as its source.
No evidence was provided in the YouTube video that a live-action remake of "The Princess and the Frog" was in the works at Disney at the time of this writing. We reached out to Disney about the claim and will update this fact check if we hear back.
"The DisInsider" described itself in its Twitter bio as "exclusive daily Disney news, secrets, and insider access." The YouTube video in question was dedicated to a live-action remake of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," which was announced in 2019 and is reportedly stuck in "limbo" due to story issues. The video was titled, "'Hunchback of Notre Dame' and What We Know so Far."
The sole mention we found of "The Princess and the Frog" in the video was at 3:40, when it said:
But don't fret, Disney still has multiple remakes being developed, including "Lilo and Stitch," "Moana," "Hercules," "Aristocats," "Bambi," "Princess and the Frog," and "Tangled."
There is no evidence that a live-action remake of "The Princess and the Frog" is being made by Disney. No reputable publications have confirmed that a live-action remake of the film is in development at the time of this writing, unlike other movies listed like "Lilo and Stitch" and "Moana."
When we reached out to "The DisInsider" about the claim, editor-in-chief Skyler Shuler said "The DisInsider" was "basically the source of the claim," and that it should have been clarified by their "YouTube guy." (The person named at the beginning of the video was Derek Cornell, who was listed as the co-founder of "The DisInsider" on their website.)
It was previously reported by Essence that an animated series would be developed based around the character of Princess Tiana. An animated series is not the same as a live-action remake, and thus is not evidence to support the claim about a remake. (At the time of writing, the status of the animated series was unknown. We also reached out to Disney about the project and will update this fact check if we hear back.)
Other movies listed in the YouTube video as examples of live-action remakes being developed by Disney contained no evidence behind the claims. For example, no reputable publications have reported a "Tangled" live-action remake is in development at the time of this writing.
As there's no evidence that a live-action movie remake of "The Princess and the Frog" is in development, the video cited as the source for the claim provided no proof for the claim, and no reputable publications have confirmed such a movie is in development, we rated this claim as Unfounded.
We've previously written about other rumors surrounding live-action remakes of Disney movies, including a satirical claim that Jada Pinkett-Smith had been cast in a live-action remake of "Tangled."