Nearly a year after airing season one, Disney+ is ready to make some noise again with the return of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder season two. The new season will continue to follow 14-year-old Penny Proud and her family as they face unprecedented challenges.
The Disney+ original series, created by Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar, returns with modern themes and characters, and like season one, will continue to engage generations in “uncomfortable conversations.”
“What’s cool about being able to tackle these various subject matters is the tone and realness of the show,” Smith tells Royaltee in a virtual interview. “We always discuss real-world topics and personal ideas which affect the evolution of the show.”
New topics the show will touch on include autism, activism, racism, reparations, and interracial dating. Because no subject is off the table, that is where the fun comes in when figuring out how to structure a story. Penny and her squad usually end up in a mess and find a way to bring the story full circle while addressing the issue at hand.
Watch the trailer below:
Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, voiced by Keke Palmer, is a social activist and daughter of two adoptive fathers, and the newest addition to Penny’s friend group. Maya uses her unique background to bring mature and insightful perspectives to the show and season two will highlight more learning lessons for her voice to be heard. Her character has significance to the show that captures the essence of the woke Gen-Z demographic.
“Maya rounds out the crew as a sense of consciousness that Penny thought she was and she wasn’t,” Smith says. “Throughout the show, you’ll notice she’s always carrying a book that deals with a deep dive of being Black or the elements around her. You really start to understand more about who she is, and you’ll see that in the Juneteenth episode.”
Farquhar says the Juneteenth episode is clearly one of their best episodes.
“The challenge was how do we take this topic and make it digestible and different in terms of storytelling in the eyes of kids,” says Farquhar. “It’s an episode that will promote conversation amongst parents and their kids, black and white. I think we really cracked the code on this one.”
We’ll also see more of Penny finding her voice in this coming-of-age series. When she thinks she has it all figured out it’s the people around her that reign her in. She actively works to debunk the belief that her generation is lazy, which leads her into trouble.
“Penny starts feeling herself so to deal with this dynamic we see a lot of her and Maya collaborating,” Smith says. “She’s not always put together well but she learns as she goes. Her resilience is what makes her likable.”
Previously, we’ve seen her lash out against her father over boys and appropriate clothing. Although their bickering is quite common, for the first time, we’ll see her face the consequences of her actions against Suga Mama in season two.
“Penny Proud is a good girl but does a lot of not-good girl stuff which keeps her interesting,” Farquhar said. “She starts talking back and has to go live with her Suga Mama which is something in itself.”
Familiar favorites will be joined this season by iconic celebrity guests to look out for such as Normani, Storm Reid, and Gabby Douglas.
Season two of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is streaming now on Disney+.
