What Year Does Disney's Princess and the Frog Take Place?

Disney storytelling takes us to wonderful, imaginary places and times and helps us fall in love and find new friends in unexpected places.

©Disney

Sometimes, we visit lands and times far away, like the enchanted forests of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. And sometimes, these films tell stories of familiar places and times, like the Victorian setting of Lady and the Tramp.

As we prepare for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, we’ve been watching (and rewatching) The Princess and the Frog to get in the mood and make sure we know every single character by name and their most iconic and even unique quotes. This film is set in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is filled with the culture and history of jazz music and spicy, southern soul food.

We follow Tiana from her childhood, playing dress up and listening to fairy stories with her best friend, Charlotte La Bouff, and the film follows Tiana into her young adulthood and the wild adventures she goes on when she meets up with a royal frog in need.

©Disney

Now that we know a little more about the film and where it takes place, you might be wondering when it is set. We were curious, too, so we took to the screens with our magnifying glasses to find out. At the three-minute and forty-two-second mark, you see Tiana and her mother, Eudora, board a trolley car. In the street car is a man reading a newspaper with the headline, WILSON ELECTED!!! This is in reference to President Woodrow Wilson, who was elected as president in 1912.

©Disney

If Tiana is about five years old in this scene, and we assume that she is about 19 years old when we see her again as a grown young lady, waiting tables and dreaming of her restaurant, Tiana’s Place, then we can see that the film takes place between 1912 and 1926.

©Disney

Further down in the newspaper is a headline, “Musker Named Softball Player Of The Year,” which is a nod to the director and writer, John Musker. Is this a reference to his renowned softball prowess or an inside joke? We may never know, but we always love a good easter egg!

Tiana at 1900 Park Fare

So, there you have it! When Princess and the Frog starts, it begins in 1912 and takes us all the way through to 1926 when Tiana and Naveen have their happily ever after.

Keep following AllEars for more news and updates on Disney films and the coming opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure