The Proud Family is getting “louder and prouder” as Disney+ sets a revival of the series featuring its original voice cast.
The new version, officially titled The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, has gone into production at Disney Television Animation, eighteen years after the show’s debut, Disney announced Thursday.
Proud Family’s first run on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005 was groundbreaking for an animated series, with the show receiving accolades for its messages of cultural diversity and inclusion. The original series’ creative team, creator/executive producer Bruce W. Smith and executive producer Ralph Farquhar, return to the helm along with Calvin Brown as co-executive producer and story editor.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, an all-new Original Series, is coming soon to #DisneyPlus! And the best part? The original cast is reprising their voice roles. pic.twitter.com/zsfIQXd0b4
— Disney (@Disney) February 27, 2020
The returning original voice cast from Proud Family includes Cedric the Entertainer (Uncle Bobby Proud), Kyla Pratt (Penny Proud), Tommy Davidson (Oscar Proud), Paula Jai Parker (Trudy Proud), Jo Marie Payton (Suga Mama), Karen Malina White (Dijonay Jones), Soleil Moon Frye (Zoey Howzer) and Alisa Reyes (LaCienega Boulevardez).
In a joint statement to the media, Smith and Farquhar said, “In our minds, the show never really went away, as we still had tons of stories left to tell. It’s the perfect time to bring back this show, and we can’t wait to take fans, old and new alike, on this journey with us.”
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The duo has stayed busy over the years on a number of Hollywood projects with Smith fresh off directing Hair Love, which won the Oscar for best animated short. Meanwhile, Farquhar picked up an NAACP Image Award nomination for best comedy series writing for Real Husbands of Hollywood.
Disney executives are beaming over the revival. “The show’s humor and relatable stories are as relevant with audiences today as ever,” said Agnes Chu, senior vice president of content at Disney+.
“The genius of the original Proud Family series was that, under the guise of a family comedy, it provided a brilliant social commentary on our life and times. With this new series, Bruce and Ralph will once again challenge everyone to think differently about the world we share,” said Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer at Disney Channels Worldwide.
