Actress Anika Noni Rose lends her voice to the newest Disney heroine in "The Princess and the Frog." The Tony-Award-winning actress is thrilled that her latest role will introduce her to a much younger set of fans.
"I love that -- I think that you need 10-year-olds," said Rose. "I think there is nothing like hearing wonder in a child's voice, hearing laughter, hearing a baby laugh because it's so honest and full, especially when they get that little hiccup at the end, that's my favorite thing. So I feel it's a very, very special thing to be in that position," said Rose.
The character of Tiana is a very focused, hard-working young woman. Rose had no trouble relating to her animated alter ego.
"I think that she's very much like me but not like 'little me.' Certainly by the time I was 19, I was very clear about what I wanted to do, and I think this is the character that I've played that is the most like me, which is very, very moving to me actually, because I come from like 'nowhere' America, and here I am, a Disney princess.
"Who would have thought? I didn't think at all, ever, that this is what it was going to be. I didn't think that I would never do something, it just wasn't in my scope. So my dream wasn't quite as specific. My dream was to be a Disney voice, but this is beyond even what I dreamed," said Rose.
"The Princess and the Frog" is playing exclusively at the theater at Walt Disney Studios. It opens citywide on December 11.
Disney is the parent company of ABC7.
