It came at the end of a two-year fight led by Walt Disney's nephew, Roy E.
This directly influenced the way the movie was developed, namely that it was a return to traditional animation.
The Princess and the Frog was first announced as The Frog Princess in 2006 (the name was later changed after criticism), and the project was born during a tumultuous time within Disney. In contrast, the movie's animation style was a throwback. Related: Why Disney Doesn't Make 2D Animated Movies Anymore In numerous ways, it was a leap forward for Disney, if a sometimes imperfect one. It was the first Disney Princess movie set in 20th century America, unfolding in 1920s New Orleans rather than in a fictional kingdom or old city in Europe. The Princess and the Frog was monumental in other ways, too.
Not only was Tiana the first Black Disney Princess, but she was also the first one to have a paying job and work for a living, as well as the first to be a business owner. The Princess and the Frog was unique in other ways compared to the rest of the Disney Princess films, too. It was a surprise, considering Disney announced only six years previously that 2004's Home on the Range would be its last traditionally animated movie. Unlike the rest of the company's films at the time, it was a throwback to an earlier era when traditional, hand-drawn animation was the norm, not an exception that was quickly growing more obsolete.
2009's The Princess and the Frog was, surprisingly, a traditionally animated Disney movie, not 3D.