The
Proud Family was created by Bruce W. Smith
and followed the titular family on their daily (and sometimes bizarre)
adventures. Penny Proud (Kyla
Pratt) was the main protagonist and eldest daughter of the
family which consisted of her immature snack-inventing father Oscar (Tommy Davidson),
level-headed veterinarian mother Trudy (Paula Jai Parker),
toddler twin siblings BeBe and CeCe (both Tara Strong),
and snarky grandmother Suga Mama (Jo Marie Payton).
The series boasted an impressive list of guest-stars including Al Roker as a
wish-granting version of himself; Samuel L. Jackson
as homeless construction worker Joseph and Vivica A. Fox
as his wife, Margaret; Ashanti
as a department store manager; and Lou
Rawls as himself. Solange Knowles,
along with her big sister’s group Destiny’s
Child, recorded the series’ theme.
 |
| Meet the family: Trudy, Oscar, Puff, Suga Mama, CeCe, Penny and BeBe. |
The
Proud Family was originally intended for Nickelodeon
until it was picked up by Disney
Channel. It was the first animated Disney
Channel Original Series and the first on the channel to not
be produced exclusively by Disney’s television
animation department. It ran for 3 seasons, ending with a TV
film as the same day as its series finale. During its run, it crossed-over with
fellow Disney program Lilo
& Stitch and was spun-off into a web series called The Proud Family Shorties that starred
BeBe, CeCe and their dog, Puff (also Strong). In 2002, the series entered
syndication and was rerun as part of ABC’s
Disney’s
One Saturday Morning programming block from May until
September. Further reruns aired on BET,
Toon
Disney, The
Family Channel, Centric
and TVJ.
In 2020, Disney ordered production of a
revival series called The
Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. It debuted on the streaming service Disney+. Most of the original cast
returned except for Strong, who was replaced by Aiden Dodson as BeBe, Bresha Webb as CeCe and Carlos Alazraqui as Puff,
respectively.
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