Had there not been a few years between the exploits of Gabby Douglas at the Olympics and the release of 'The Princess and the Frog,' we'd have believed anybody who told us that Douglas was the inspiration for Princess Tiana. She's certainly qualified to be - Douglas wowed the world when she became an Olympic gold medal gymnast in 2012, and repeated the trick again in 2016, making her one of America's all-time greats. She was one of the 'Fierce Five' of the US team, and won the press over with her stunning smile.
Looking at how similar she is to Princess Tiana, it's almost like Disney had a premonition when they were designing the character. They have the same facial structure, the same skin tone, the same hair, and the same smile. The only thing that's off-kilter is that the movie came out two years before Douglas picked up her first Olympic gold. Maybe Disney is now so rich that they've invented a machine which can see into the future?