Everything We Know So Far About the Upcoming Reboot of "The Proud Family"
The show will be called The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
Of all the shows Disney+ has given us to ease our lockdown blues, the one we're most excited about is definitely the upcoming reboot ofThe Proud Family.
If you're unfamiliar with the animated series, it was a popular Disney Channel show that ran from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005. The revolutionary show followed the life of a Black family with the last name Proud, particularly the family's eldest daughter, Penny Proud, as she reached her teenage years.
The show's central characters, aside from Penny, were Penny's parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and grandmother Suga Mama (along with her dog Puff), as well as her group of friends Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez, and Zoey Howzer.
The show was undoubtedly ahead of it's time, tackling everything from LGBTQ+ rights, body diversity, women's empowerment, and racial stereotyping and prejudice. Penny Proud's motto of "I'm Penny Proud, I'm cute and I'm loud and I got it going on." became a rallying cry of self love for many young girls in the early 2000s. Now, with an even more progressive (if divided) world to move through, we're excited to see what Penny and her family teach us next.
Much of the original cast will return for the reboot, which has been retitled The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, including Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, Jo Marie Payton as Suga Mama, and Cedric the Entertainer as musical Uncle Bobby Proud.
There will be new cast members as well, including the talented Keke Palmer who announced yesterday that she will be joining the cast as Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, a 14-year-old activist.
According to a Press Release Disney sent to The Root: "Keke Palmer joins the cast of #The Proud Family: #Louder and Prouder as Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, a 14-year-old activist who relentlessly marches to the beat of her own drum. She is extremely mature for her age and will not hesitate to shut anyone down with her blunt honesty and wisdom. The adopted daughter of mixed race parents, Maya is new to town, and initially disassociates herself from Penny and her crew because she is skeptical about what she perceives to be the superficiality of social cliques. However, Penny eventually gains her hard-earned respect and the two become good friends."
The character feels more than fitting for Keke Palmer, who has proved herself not only to be an indomitable talent, but a powerful voice for change. The Hustlers actress made headlines in June when a video of her arguing with a National Guardsman at a Los Angeles Black Lives Matter protest went viral.
In the video, Palmer says, "You have a president that's talking about the second amendment as a use for people to use firearms against the people that are protesting," she says passionately. She continued, "You have to pay attention to what is going on. We have a president that's trying to incite a race war."
"This is when we need your help, and you all stand with the community, with society to stop the governmental oppression, period," she continued, to which one guardsman responded, "I agree."
In a world where the systemic oppression of Black people in the United States is finally becoming a hot topic of discussion and young and old activists alike are marching in the streets for change, it seems there is no better time for a revival of The Proud Family.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder does not have a release date yet, but while you wait for the premiere, you can enjoy yesterday's virtual reunion of the The Proud Family cast, which took place as a part of the NAACP's Arts, Culture & Entertainment Festival.