Millennials across the world were pretty excited when news leaked that Disney Channel's The Proud Family would be returning.
Last August, actor Tommy Davidson, the voice of Oscar Proud, revealed the series would be returning on Disney's streaming service, Disney+. Fans weren't too sure if the news was official. Tommy, who's a comedian, could've easily been playing a prank. Plus, the news was also shared on an unverified Proud Family Twitter account, which wasn't reliable.
The news led fans to speculate whether the characters aged and if so, would the hilarious Suga Mama still be alive? The show ended in 2005, so the characters could've aged as time went on. Thankfully, Suga Mama is still alive in the reboot and the characters are slightly older than we last saw them in The Proud Family Movie.
Turns out Davidson wasn't joking because Disney+ released the concept art of the reboot on Thursday, and it seems Penny Proud is a high school teen who enjoys taking selfies. Alongside the artwork included news that the original cast would be reprising their voice roles.
Reprising their Proud Family voice roles are Kyla Pratt as Penny, Tommy Davidson as Oscar, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy, Jo Marie Payton as Suga Mama, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez. Cedric the Entertainer is returning as Uncle Bobby.
Jo Marie Payton confirmed the reboot would be happening during an appearance on Strahan Sara and Keke back in November.
During the segment, host Keke Palmer asked Jo Marie if she was anything like Suga Mama and she replied, “Yeah, Suga’s large and in charge, that’s all I’ve got to say. Except for Suga Mama will be doing some new episodes come February!”
Although most of the original cast is returning, the reboot will have a new title: The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Creator/executive producer Bruce W. Smith and executive producer Ralph Farquhar, who led the original series, are leading the series' revival, reuniting them with Calvin Brown Jr., who is co-executive producer and story editor.
"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," Smith and Farquhar said in a joint statement.
The original series aired on Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005 and was praised for its messages about inclusion and cultural diversity. The show won a BET Comedy Award, two Casting Society of America Awards and an NAACP Image Award for Cedric the Entertainer, along with earning nominations from the Annie Awards, Kids' Choice Awards and others. All previous seasons of The Proud Family are currently available on Disney+.
We just have a couple of questions regarding the reboot: Will Orlando Brown return as the voice of Sticky Webb? Will Solange & Destiny's Child re-record the theme song? Will there be a new theme song? We need answers.
Unfortunately, there is no word when the show will be coming back, but needless to say, fans are excited.