CHICAGO — Don’t call “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” a reboot. According to South Side native and executive producer Ralph Farquhar it’s a revival. A revival that premiered on Disney+ on Wednesday.
“The Proud Family” animated series centers on Penny Proud, the eldest child of Oscar and Trudy Proud. Per Farquhar, the Proud series “is an irreverent look at Black family life through the eyes of a very current 14-year-old Black girl” — that life includes twin baby siblings BeBe and CeCe Proud; grandmother Suga Mama Proud, who is Oscar’s mother; uncle Bobby Proud; neighbors and friends. The show ran on the Disney Channel from 2001-2005, with “The Proud Family Movie” ending the series original run.
In “Louder and Prouder,” we pick up with the Proud family as puberty has settled among Penny and her friends — growth spurts and all. Oscar is not coping with all the ramifications that growing up entails. But Penny is doing her best with the help of her mother and grandmother, and pals Dijonay Jones, Zoey Howzer, LaCienega Boulevardez and Michael Collins. This season, Proud neighbors Maya and Francis “KG” Leibowitz-Jenkins add to the fun with their parents, Barry and Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins (voiced by Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter, respectively).
