Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for Episodes 1-2 of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) is back, y'all! The first two episodes of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder have dropped on Disney Plus. The original series was a beloved Disney Channel classic that ran from 2001 to 2005; it was also Disney Channel's first animated series centered around a Black family as the heart and soul of the show.
We know what everyone is wondering. Does the reboot show come close to matching the iconic status of the original? Is it worth 30 minutes of your time per episode? Does it ride solely on nostalgia, or does it stand well on its own? Let's break it all down.
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'The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder' is faithful to the original series in several ways.
For starters, most of the original voice cast reprised their roles for the reboot. Penny, Dijonay Jones (Karen Malina Jones), LaCienega Boulevardez (Alisa Reyes), Zoey Howzer (Soleil Moon Frye), Oscar Proud (Tommy Davidson), and Trudy Proud (Paula Jai Parker) all sound pretty much exactly as they did in the original series.
Jo Marie Payton, fan-favorite Suga Momma Proud's original voice actress, also returned for the reboot. Suga Momma is still in love with Papi Boulevardez (Alvaro Gutierrez, also reprising his role), keeping with the running gag of the original series. Suga Momma thinks Papi is sweet-talking her when he says things in Spanish, but he's really insulting her.
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Oscar Proud is just as protective of Penny as he was in the original series (Penny is 14 again in Episodes 1-2 of the reboot, not 16 like she was in the original series finale). Basically, the dynamic between the original characters is nearly identical to The Proud Family. Trudy is still Penny's hard-working veterinarian mother who recognizes that Penny is growing up. Dijonay is still unapologetically herself, and Zoey is awkwardly geeky (and also, like, five inches taller).
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LaCienega makes her first appearance in Episode 1 with a bit of a beauty problem (her face is covered in zits and facial hair). Michael (EJ Johnson) quickly spruces up LaCienega, bringing her back to her original series classic look. That's one change from the original series: while Michael was teased for being more feminine in the original series, the show never made it clear that he was gay. In the reboot, Michael is openly gay and gender-fluid.
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The reboot is similar, but adds modern touches.
OK, so we've established that the reboot is firmly planted in familiarity so far. So what makes it a reboot? Let's start with the obvious. The animation style is different. The first episode actually has the characters acknowledge this in a way that doesn't exactly break the fourth wall, but still makes it clear that even they are aware things are different this time around.
The other most notable update for the reboot? The addition of the power of social media and influencers. Facebook wasn't created until 2004, and social media wasn't nearly as prevalent overall when the original series aired (Oscar still using a flip phone is a nice detail). However, Penny learns about the power of influence in Episode 2. After some of her social media posts go viral, Penny goes a bit power-mad with her ability to cancel people.
Penny even cancels LaCienega after the latter calls her out for it.
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The reboot's best new addition cancels Penny.
In the first episode Penny meets Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins (Keke Palmer), a girl that's clearly more socially savvy than Penny. Determined to impress Maya after she realizes Maya doesn't like her, Penny joins her at the zoo late at night. Maya wants to free a panda there (voiced hilariously by CeeLo Green) but the panda doesn't want to leave the comfort of the zoo.
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Meanwhile, in Episode 2, it's Maya that finally manages to end Penny's terrifying reign as the "Cancel Queen." She posts video evidence that Penny is a sell-out, resulting in Penny's cancellation. However, Penny realizes that she did cause way too much drama for clout, and apologizes for her actions.
Overall, the reboot authentically embraces the vibes of the original series with some modern updates. Of course, it's hard to top the original series but the Proud Family reboot is definitely worth watching. Season 1 of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder will have ten episodes in total.
A new episode drops every Wednesday on Disney Plus.
This is a reboot worth forgetting. Louder and Prouder is louder but has nothing to be proud of. Prouder lacks the nuance of the original to tackle such topics like race, gender, history and the life as a teenager in America.
It may not be the old Proud Family show, but it glowed up appropriately in the 20 years since and I hope Disney continues this show. It isn't for little kids.It's for older kids, 10 and up.But there isn't anything that kids aren't already exposed to in this series.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is an American animated television series created by Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar which premiered on Disney+ on February 23, 2022. It is a reboot of The Proud Family, which originally aired on Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005.
It's revealed that the events of the Proud Family Movie, and Dr. Carver and his clones are all just figments of Penny's nightmares, even directly calling out Penny as having had a prior dream about them where she got her drivers license. This officially means this is a continuation and not a reboot!
Co-creator Bruce W. Smith explains in a TVLine article about Sticky's departure, "For us, expanding the world sometimes means you lose characters, but you also gain more characters that help grow the show in a direction we feel is necessary for this new version.”
BeBe Proud & CeCe Proud (both voiced by Tara Strong) are Penny's troublemaking baby fraternal twin siblings. BeBe is a boy with an afro and always has a bottle in his mouth, while CeCe is a girl with brown hair and a pink dress.
Penny is the show's 14 (later 16) year-old female protagonist who is usually embarrassed by the way her father, Oscar Proud, acts. She is a normal teenager who is trying to have the life that she dreams for, despite her parents forbidding her to go on dates with boys.
Penny is a 14-year-old African-American girl of a light brown complexion. She has black eyes, a beauty mark beneath the outer corner of her left eye, and brown lips.
Penny's parents, Oscar and Trudy Proud, will also be voiced by the original actors Tommy Davidson and Paula Jai Parker. Davidson started off his career as a stand-up comedian before making television appearances.
The Gross family is entirely blue, including their clothes, excluding Mrs. Gross in the latter case; she is Jamaican, wears an orange floral outfit, and has her hair in dreadlocks with a hairclip. The reason for the Gross clan's blue skin is because they cannot afford lotion, and work in the hot sun all day.
LaCienega appears to be very conceited, but deep down, she's sensitive, unsure, and a bit jealous of Penny because she's a grounded individual. Penny is usually stuck with her and they consistently fight one another.
It is implied that Sticky has a crush on Penny. Sticky's similar to Cornelius Fillmore from Fillmore! and Eddie Thomas from That's So Raven, all of whom are portrayed by Orlando Brown.
Maya initially has a strained relationship with Penny and claims to not like her based on the assumption that because of Penny's group are superficial, inconsequential, and self-absorbed. She assumes that Penny and her crew view themselves as "smarter" and "cuter" than everyone else.
Penny's parents Oscar and Trudy will be voiced by original cast members Tommy Davidson and Paula Jai Parker. Penny's parents, Oscar and Trudy Proud, will also be voiced by the original actors Tommy Davidson and Paula Jai Parker.
Regular cast members Kyla Pratt (Penny Proud), Tommy Davidson (Oscar Proud), Paula Jai Parker (Trudy Proud), Jo Marie Payton (Suga Mama) and Cedric the Entertainer (Uncle Bobby) have all reprised their roles for the second season of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
There isn't anything for parents to look out for, but you should know that real-life family, teen and societal issues are discussed and may initiate conversations with viewers. I rate The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder series 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for kids ages 10 to 18.
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