The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is an American animated sitcom created by Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar that 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, ignoring the events of The Proud Family Movie. Set in the 2020s, the series retcons the original series as also having taken place in the 2020s (rather than the 2000s, as originally intended).
In April 2022, Disney+ confirmed that the show's second season was in production, which premiered on Disney+ on February 1, 2023. The series made its linear premiere on January 7, 2023 on Disney Channel, and on Disney XD on January 8, 2023.
The series follows Penny Proud, still a 14-year-old middle school girl and her family, as they navigate their lives in the 2020s. Suga Mama returns, as do Michael, Dijonay, Zoey, and LaCienega. Two new kids, Maya and KG, along with their adoptive gay fathers, try to adapt to life in Smithville (renamed Emilyville after the season 2 finale, "Juneteenth").
In August 2019, Tommy Davidson stated that The Proud Family would be revived for a third season on Disney+.
On January 1, 2020, the original series began streaming on Disney+, and shortly thereafter Disney executives approached Farquhar and Smith about reviving the series On February 27, 2020, the show was formally ordered on Disney+. The original cast (minus Tara Strong, due to casting restrictions and Orlando Brown, due to his judicial processes) reprised their roles, and Keke Palmer voiced a new character introduced to the series named Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, who is a 14-year-old activist. Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter also voice her adoptive parents, Barry and Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins, and EJ Johnson replaced Phil LaMarr as Michael Collins. In July 2021, Canadian studio WildBrain stated that they would be engaging in animation services for the series, while it is produced by Disney Television Animation, a studio not involved with the original series. The executive producers of the series, Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar, said that the "show never really went away" and called it the "perfect time to bring back this show". Screen Rant argued that the revival will break down barriers through the inclusion of multicultural families and characters belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.
On September 15, 2021, more cast members were announced, including Asante Blackk as Penny's new boyfriend, Kareem, Artist "A Boogie" Dubose as Maya's gamer brother Francis "KG" Leibowitz-Jenkins, along with returning cast members Raquel Lee Bolleau as Nubia Gross and Marcus T. Paulk as Myron. Additionally, some celebrity guest voices include Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Tiffany Haddish, Lena Waithe, Debbie Allen, James Pickens Jr., Marsai Martin, Jaden Smith, Glynn Turman, Lamorne Morris, Brenda Song, Tina Knowles (whose daughters performed the original show's theme music), Eva Longoria, Al Roker, and Bretman Rock. Guests for season two will include Chance the Rapper, Gabrielle Union, Normani, Leslie Odom Jr., Anthony Anderson, Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Jane Lynch, Holly Robinson Peete, Maury Povich, Storm Reid, Courtney B. Vance, and Liana Mendoza. The show also has Aldis Hodge returning as Frankie and Patricia Belcher as Principal Hightower.
On November 12, 2021, it was announced the series was scheduled to be released in February 2022. On January 14, 2022, the series was given a release date of February 23, 2022. Eastwood Wong is the art director for the series, while Calvin Brown, Jr. is co-executive producer and story editor.
Before the show's premiere, Ralph Farquhar explained that the show will be more direct in discussing relevant social issues rather than using "coded language" as in the original show. He also explained that the introduction of LGBTQ+ characters is the "biggest change" people can expect to the show. Farquhar revealed that in The Proud Family, they had to use "code to talk about if Michael was gay, to talk about sexuality" and to be "sort of underhanded about it". He said this changed with The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. The biggest changes to the show were "gender identity, obviously racial identity and quote-unquote wokeness", and said that sexuality can be "sort of in your face with it a lot more", manifesting itself in the storytelling. Bruce W. Smith also said that the show has more than "just one gay person...representing the entire LGBTQ+ spectrum" and said that it is "not fair" to only have one LGBTQ character in the series.
On February 17, 2022, Farquhar said that the show will portray more than "one view of Blackness or a Black family." Smith argued that the series is "blazing a path...[in] this animated sphere", saying it has parts of the horror, sci-fi, and Western genres.
On April 18, 2022, Disney+ confirmed the show's second season was in production. It was also reported that the second season would feature guest stars such as Normani, Leslie Odom Jr., Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, and Maury Povich.
The second season premiered on February 1, 2023 on Disney+ and March 4, 2023 on Disney Channel.
In June 2023, it was announced that the series was picked up for a third season. As of April 2025, the premiere date of the third season is not currently known.
R&B singer Joyce Wrice sings the theme song for the series. A digital soundtrack for the series became available on February 25, 2022. Composer, songwriter and producer Kurt Farquhar who composed and wrote the theme song of the original series returns as the songwriter and composer for this series.
"Gas Station Nachos", performed by Bobby Proud (voiced by Cedric the Entertainer) in the episode "Get In", was released as a single on digital music platforms on March 25, 2022, with a lyric video posted to the Disney Music Vevo channel. "I Sold Out, I'm Not a Sellout", from the episode "When You Wish Upon a Roker" and performed by guest star Lamorne Morris, was released similarly on April 1, 2022.
According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 6 critics gave the series' first season a positive review, with an average rating of 7.50/10.
Lapacazo Sandoval of the Los Angeles Sentinel said the series is filled with "sparkling dialogue" and "colorful colloquialisms" known by Black households. Jessica Curney of The Michigan Daily said that the show "doesn't miss a beat" but that those used to the original show may take time getting used to the series due to change in story art and tone. Even so, Curney stated that the show is still wholesome while catering to modern sensibilities, teaching life lessons to viewers, especially the younger generation of viewers. Bustle stated that the series is reason to have a Disney+ subscription, while praising the series for its new characters, changed theme song, and guest stars. Some fans, however, sent the creators near death threats and warned them to not change the theme song from the original series. In contrast, Taylor Lyles of IGN reviewed the first two episodes of the series 7 out of 10, and said the revival retains the charm of the original while focusing on new trends like smartphones, social media influences, and cryptocurrency. They also stated that although attempts at being hip "fell flat", the revival generally makes changes but for the better, while remaining goofy and funny, and shows a "lot of potential."
Leigh Ann Jackson of the New York Times argued that the series revived a "beloved animated series" for a new generation, updating the themes from the original to trends of the 2020s. Stephanie Snyder of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars and said the series had "life lessons and lots of laughs" which provokes "heartwarming nostalgia" for those who watched the original series. While the animation system, soundtrack, and modern jargon and slang were praised, it was noted that there are stereotypes, but they compel viewers to reflect, and stated that the series offers representation of a Black family on television like its predecessor. Nadira Goffe of Slate criticized the series, calling it "seemingly nostalgia-baiting revamp", voicing disapproval of the changed theme song, dialogue with modern slang, and stated that the series is not for old fans, but for a new audience instead. They also criticized the series for abandoning "many things that made it special" in the first place while praising it for its "beautiful, vibrant, and still entirely in tune" animation.
The second season of the show attracted some controversy for its themes particularly a performance scene which stated that "slaves built this country", advocating present-day reparations, and the season 2 finale episode, entitled "Juneteenth". However, others praised the season for its depiction of autism and Maya's character as adding a "layer of skepticism to the storylines". Rendy Jones of Them said the series "upped the ante" from season one, focusing on "virtually unspoken topics" not touched by other all-ages animation, noting the original series also "dared to air social commentary" pertaining to Black culture, praised the season two finale as a "surprisingly urgent and LGBTQ+-inclusive story", and said the episode will "stand the test of time".