Disneyland’s VP of marketing discusses the importance of Princess Tiana

Sybil Crum is vice president of marketing and commercial strategy for Disneyland. She helped lead the marketing strategy for Disneyland, including their newest ride, Princess Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This was one of her proudest moments as she got to bring to life one of her favorite movies, “The Princess and the Frog,” and actualize a princess that looked like her. While at Disneyland, Rolling Out caught up with the Disney executive to hear why Princess Tiana is so important.

Why does Princess Tiana resonate with people so deeply?
Tiana is a princess for everybody, and while her race is Black, [she’s] first of all an American princess. [When] I think about her values like being resilient and working hard and having strong character, that’s something everybody wants for their child, whether for a girl or a boy. We can use that now more than ever. So, I wanted to make sure that people understood that there was something for everybody. There were universal aspects of her story that we could all lean into and get excited about.

What can people expect from Princess Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
What I love about our experience here at Disneyland is that you get to experience the city in New Orleans Square, you get to experience the country and bayou country, and you can see … the convergence of both. [The] attraction is really … the end cap of her story. We started off with Eudora’s Chic Boutique, her mom’s boutique. We shifted into Tiana’s Palace, which has some of the best food at Disneyland. And now having the capstone of her adventure, where [she’s] brought this dream to life, literally from what was a dream and is now a reality, and her adventure is just an amazing way for her legacy as a princess to continue.

What do you think will catch people off guard during the attraction?
I think there are a few deep cuts for me. … What I love about what [Imagineering] does is that it’s multisensory. … I see a lot of stuff when I walk in, but then I hear the sights and sounds and then I smell the beignets. It is multisensory. … You can taste and feel the energy and the excitement. And when that music starts playing, little zydeco, a little blues, a little jazz, … [you’ve] got to move your feet. Being in California, there are a lot of people who’ve never been to New Orleans. So they will get to experience the culture of New Orleans, the food, the music, what makes it so vibrant and unique, simply by immersing themselves in New Orleans Square Bayou country, and especially in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. … We love transporting people to stories, real or imagined.

What does it mean to you that Disney is embracing a Black princess?
Walt Disney said in 1955 when he dedicated Disneyland park [that] Disneyland will never be finished as long as there’s imagination still left in the world. We want people to always know that there’s something here for you. And no matter what dimension you are or how you see yourself, you are welcomed here. You are embraced, and you are invited. … What it means for me is to be a part of a legacy of a man who, like most of us, is imperfect, but who wanted to bring a perfect vision to life that was invitational and aspirational, but also makes people feel like I can actually experience the stories that I love.