Carter’s colleague Carmen Smith, also a Black woman and the senior vice president of Executive Creative Development, Content and Inclusive Strategies at Walt Disney Experiences, spoke about how important it was to them to see Tiana’s story come to life. She told us that she knew, even in the early stages of developing the character, that Tiana’s “story had a bigger destiny.” Of course, Princess Tiana was inspired by legendary New Orleans chef Leah Chase also known as the “Queen of Creole Cuisine”. Smith described Chase as “The iconic figure of New Orleans who imbues all of the attributes of kindness, warmth, community, family and a great source of inspiration for all of us.” When Chase was still alive (she died at 96 in 2019), she spoke to Oprah.com about when Disney first approached her to adapt her life into Tiana’s story. “They had a Cinderella, they had a Snow White, they had all types of little white princesses, so I guess the makers thought that it’s about time we show a Black princess,” she said. “And that is the cutest thing, and they have done it in such a beautiful way.”
