‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ Show Creators Hit New Heights in Their Third Season

The Proud Family has been a popular and impactful part of the animation scene ever since it debuted on Disney Channel in 2001. Created by Bruce W. Smith (Bebe’s Kids) and exec produced by Ralph Farquhar, the hilarious coming-of-age show chronicled the adventures of 14-year-old Penny Proud and her family. The show’s reboot, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder(created by Wiliams and Farquhar) continued to win hearts and new audiences when it premiered on Disney+ in early 2023.

This week, in time for the show’s Season 3 premiere on Wednesday (Aug. 6) , we had a chance to have a quick chat with the dynamic duo of Williams and Farquhar to get the skinny on what’s in store for Penny and her friends and family. Here is what the two brilliant gentlemen had to say:

“We’re still The Proud Family, and we’re not changing for anybody. We’re a voice that represents Black families. We’re very clear about that, and we don’t back away from that.”

— Ralph Farquhar

Animation Magazine: It’s great to see the Prouds back in some wild adventures and poignant emotional moments this season. Can you give our readers a sneak peek of what to expect?

Ralph: It’s definitely an exciting season as we see the evolution of the Proud family. Specifically, we go to places we’ve never been before. We start off in France, and literally go around the world in our first two episodes. We have some interesting twists. I guess you can say it’s even kind of like The Swiss Family Robinson in a way!

Bruce: Yes, we go to many different places and meet a lot of different new characters along the way. We has come episodes that are just pure fun romps, and we also have others that speak to today’s climate. We always try to find comedy in everything. We always say that it’s like you are invited to this family’s cookout: All these things are centered around us and the Blackness of the show.

Does that mean it cost more to produce the show as well?

Bruce: The evolution of the show means that we try to add as much quality to the story as possible: The stories are quite challenging, and I love it when the craft is challenged, so we have to step up visually as well. We have some great scripts coming down the pipe thanks to Ralph and the crew, and we want the show to look as equally ambitious as our storytelling. That’s really the bottom line.

Ralph: No cost was spared! This is the big-budget Prouds!

Bruce: Ralph buys a first-class ticket wherever he goes! We do have an episode where we discover a future version of a specific character, and that’s fun because it’s the future and the past at the same time, so you get to visualize Emilyville, California, where they live.

What would you say was the most challenging aspect of bringing this third season of show into focus?

Bruce: I don’t know if it was toughest part of it, but we’re so familiar with the show and these characters that we know that we can go a lot of places that we haven’t gone before, but we’re still familiar with the ground that we laid before us. As artists, we all like challenges — from the writing all the way down — and our characters have proven they have grit and they have enough moxie to take on the challenges. Our characters really kind of tell us the types of stories that that can sustain, and we just have such great actors — Kyla Pratt, Jo Marie Payton, Tommy Davidson, everyone. They really are great actors, comedic actors who also have great gravitas so they can do drama. We give them a chance to flex. It really helps us understand exactly where the show can go.

Ralph: One of the things that we did in this season that I think we’ve never done before is to really show the emotional maturation of Penny Proud. In the season ending (it’s a cliffhanger), we break emotional ground that we’ve never done with Penny before. It’s all about her relationship with her boyfriend Kareem. That’s kind of exciting. I think people are going to be like, “Oooooohh, I remember when I had to tell my boyfriend that.”

When the show came back a few years ago, we were experiencing a different social climate. It seemed that we were all moving towards more diversity and representation, and now, in 2025, we’re living in a very strange and different moment in our social and political climate. I mean, just look at what’s happening to the funding for PBS. What is your take on this?

Bruce: Well, listen: For us, we’ve always wanted to paint a spectrum of Blackness for our TV audience, from day one, which was some 20 years ago. Because we never really had that opportunity before. When you watch other television shows, we usually had that one on the show to represent everything. That never happens, so we were all were rooted in the idea of a diverse cast and characters. That was nothing new for us, so coming to this season, we just continue to tell stories for people who aren’t seen normally.

Ralph: Look, it is crazy what is going down with PBS. All we can do is uphold our end in terms of how the show we make, the message of inclusion and just being kind to one another. That is so important especially as it relates to young people — heck, for adults too. Adults need to relearn how to be civil, right?

Bruce: Yes, empathy, Ralph. It’s relearning things too, because it feels like we’re being programmed to not have empathy and understand, you know, the idea of kindness. That is what will save humanity, and it’s like we’re being taught to forget about.

Ralph: When The Proud Family first premiered back in 2001, there were no Black family animated shows on TV. I don’t know what’s on today, but I don’t think it’s much — certainly not much that attempts to say and do what we do. We’re still The Proud Family, and we’re not changing for anybody. We’re a voice that represents Black families. We’re very clear about that, and we don’t back away from that. Look, it takes two years to write these episodes. So hopefully, when the shows that we are working on now will air, things will be a lot better!

Where is the animation being produced this season?

Ralph: We’re working with Mercury Filmworks in Ottawa and Snipple Animation Studios in the Philippines. Our Canadian and Filipino brothers and sisters do such fantastic work on the show. They are our peeps there.

Bruce: Of course, the work starts here with our amazing art director Eastwood Wong, and he has a great team under him, which includes our directors Rudi Bloss and Latoya Raveneau. Our show is truly inclusive and by that I mean that our crew reflects what you see on the screen. That’s very intentional and it’s a really valuable asset because it keeps it fresh.

What do you hope the audience will take away from the third season?

Bruce: Well, our audience has always been the ones who understand exactly what the show is. They stick with us and know exactly what to expect: the tone, the jokes, the stories, the characters and everything is already set. The new audience is people peeking in and understanding what our core audience is talking about on Twitter [now X] and on Instagram. That’s how you gain your audience.

Ralph: You know, our big attraction is that our show is funny. I guarantee that you’re going to fall out of your chair at least three or four times an episode. That’s what we deliver and that’s how we bring in new folks. People love comedy, and they love a show where the characters don’t take themselves too seriously. So, for Season 3, look for more of that.

We just had a screening for a group of influencers this past Friday, and I have two points that I have to get off my chest about that:

• We had the best cinnamon rolls ever made from Bad Ash Bakery in Pasadena!
• Bruce and I had never seen the show screened with an audience before, outside the crew. This was crazy! People were falling off their chairs. So, we think season three is really going to be poppin’!

The third season (nine episodes) of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder premieres today (August 6) on Disney+. Check out first-look clips from the season premiere launch in our previous post here. The fourth season is already in the works and will debut in 2026.