Anika Noni Rose has
"Princess Power"
by Lynn Barker
 In the hit musical film, the Dreamgirls were played by Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson and Broadway veteran, Tony award winner Anika Noni Rose. Now, the talented singer/actress takes on the voice and singing role of Princess Tiana, the first African-American Disney princess in the new, animated classic The Princess and the Frog. Set in colorful New Orleans in what looks like the 1920's, the classic tale of a cursed prince, turned into a frog by magic and released from the spell by the kiss of a princess, gets a topsy-turvy turn and it's all set to some wonderful, Randy Newman music.
We had a heartwarming chat with Anika in the Disney Studios' animation building in Burbank, Ca. recently and found her to be so very inspirational, especially for young people. We learned what she thinks about the beautiful hand-drawn animation in the film, about her disappointment as a child that there weren't any African-American animated princesses and the responsibility she felt for stepping into those shoes. We also got her advice for teens who have a big dream like her character Tiana does in the film. Draw a mental picture of this beautiful woman in a beige silk dress and high copper sandal heels. Anika's voice is smooth velvet whether she's chatting with us or singing....
AGW: Anika, with this film being such a landmark, starring the first African American Disney princess, what did you think the first time you saw the character fully animated?
Anika: There were a couple of first times. The first time I saw it in color, we were doing the Toy Fair in New York and I sang (a song from the film) for the first time publicly. We were doing a sound check and they said 'We have a little something to show you.' When they hit 'play' and I saw Tiana's face (as she was) hanging off the side of that balcony, I couldn’t even breathe. I just started to cry! Even talking about it now (I get emotional). It was the most amazing, awesome experience. I don’t even know that I have real words for it. This is something that I’ve always dreamed of doing. I didn’t dream of (voicing) a princess. I could have been a dandelion. I thought, 'so, this is what it's like when your dreams take off and become bigger than what you had imagined'. It’s amazing.
AGW: When you were a little girl, did you ever wonder why there were no African American animated princesses?
 Anika: I don’t remember wondering that. I was just watching the movies and enjoying them. But I do remember wondering to myself, one day, 'Will there ever be a Chocolate Brown?,' after seeing Snow White. But, I didn’t necessarily feel deprived. When you’re a child, you don’t know. I do remember, very strongly, seeing Charlayne Woodard in a production on TV, called "Cindy", and it was Cinderella. She was fantastic and I was shocked because it just wasn’t something that I thought was the norm.
AGW: What do you want to say to all the little girls and young women out there for whom you’re now a wonderful role model?
Anika: That’s difficult. I think it’s wonderful. I’m honored that people would think of me as a role model. On the other hand, I think it’s dangerous to choose a person and lift them up so high. I’m going to take a role that somebody doesn’t like, at some point. They’re going to be like, 'She was awful!' and think bad things. But, if you can separate those things and think, 'Wow, I like the way she’s handled her career and I like the way she handles herself, as a person', then I think that’s amazing and I hope that it does push other children to look up and say, 'See that star up there? The one you can barely see, that twinkles really small? That’s the one I’m gonna grab,' and they do it. But, if they want to see Tiana as a role model, I think that’s brilliant.
AGW: As the first Disney animated feature with an African American princess, what do you think this film will mean to people?
Anika: I think that it will mean different things to different people, depending on what time they grew up in. For my nephew, it will be the norm. He will think nothing of it. It will be his first princess, period. For my mother, it will be something she’s been waiting for, and it’s her child, no less. For my grandmother, it will be something that she never thought would happen. Each person that sits in that theater will have a different journey that they’re bringing to the story, and it will make the story different for them. I think that’s something that’s really beautiful about this. Disney is Americana, and we’ve opened a new chapter in Americana. It’s been here for a very long time, but hasn’t necessarily been shared. So, in that respect, it’s just another step in the completion of the story of what America is.
AGW: What a beautiful thing to say. And the movie looks great too. What did you think of the hand-drawn animation?
Anika: As a Disney geek, the thing that hand-drawn animation does in this movie, that I haven’t seen since the CGI has come out, is that when you look at the bayou, you can see the humidity in the air. It is hazy, warm, moist and thick with it. That’s something that Disney specifically does by hand, with their color palette, that other people don’t do and that CGI hasn’t quite managed to hit. When you’re watching a fairy tale, you’re not looking for reality. You’re looking for softness and for a suspension of your disbelief, so that it takes you into your dreamland. That’s what hand-drawn animation does, when I watch it.
AGW: Let's talk your Tiana journey. Were you worried you wouldn't get this role?
Anika: I was afraid to want it as much as I did. I just felt like it was mine so, to have that verified and passed on to me, was an amazing experience.
 AGW: So it was a tough competition for the role?
Anika: Oh my gosh yes! I had to compete against the whole world, but do I think about that? No because it doesn't matter who you're competing against. For me, I'm competing against myself. When I'm in that (recording) booth trying to get a role, I'm not thinking about who else is trying to get the role. I can't anticipate what they're going to do or try to be better. I can only be me. So, I'm competing with me to do the best thing that I can do that day and to take it higher than the last time I did it. That's how I walk into an audition.
AGW: Very healthy attitude! How did you decide what tone or type of voice to present for Princess Tiana?
Anika: You know, I could hear the voice (in my head) when I was reading the script. I could hear in my mind what she sounded like. It was a very esoteric thing. While reading the script, it was clear to me what this young woman sounded like. It wasn't like I tried a whole bunch of different voices.
AGW: How long have you been working on laying down your voice track for this?
Anika: They've (the animators) been working on it for a very long time. I've been working on it for about two and a half years. I auditioned for the first time, the December that Dreamgirls came out (2006). My second audition was the day after the L.A. premiere. I was very busy.
AGW: Was it difficult to stay focused on the Princess back then with all the excitement over Dreamgirls?
Anika: No. When you want something, you stay focused.
AGW: When you get a chance to do a Disney animated film, it goes on for eternity and it immortalizes you. Was there a virtue you focused on for Tiana that you want to be remembered for?
Anika: She is such a determined young woman. She is intelligent and she makes things happen in her world. I really would like for people to know that dreaming has a purpose. It's not just what you do when you're sleeping. It doesn't happen unless you put your best foot forward. It's just who she is and I think that's a really wonderful character trait for young people to have.
AGW: The ability to work to make your dreams come true?
Anika: Yes. You can't sit back and decide 'I wanna be in the NBA'. 'So you gonna do that from your room?' (we laugh). Or, 'I'm gonna start up the next Google'. Well, then you need to write a program or two. You can't just think about it and say you want to do it and have it in the air. You have to find your way to it. Sometimes, it's little steps, sometimes huge steps. Sometimes it takes forever and sometimes it's like 'Can you believe it? It's here!' But, it's about you making it happen for yourself.
pictures
courtesy of and copyright Walt Disney Pictures, 2009 |
