The Spoonbills are characters featured in the 2009 Disney animated feature film The Princess and the Frog. They are a group of roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) living in the Bayou of New Orleans - prominently featured during the "Dig a Little Deeper" musical number.
Background
The spoonbills, as their names imply, are a group of anthropomorphic roseate spoonbills living in the bayou of New Orleans. Each spoonbill is identical to each other having the same appearance and they take part during the musical number "Dig a Little Deeper". The Pinnacle Gospel Choir did the voice of the singing spoonbills.
Appearances
The Princess and the Frog
When Mama Odie begins the musical number "Dig a Little Deeper" while singing front of Tiana and Prince Naveen (both in frog form respectively), the spoonbills appear replying "We don't care" after Mama Odie says to Tiana and Naveen, "We don't care". They appear again when Mama Odie transforms her pet snake Juju into a dog, a pig, a cow, and a goat respectively and while singing "Had '‘em all in here", the spoonbills drop down and reply with Mama Odie's line and as she continues singing, a flock of spoonbills flies above her while others dance together just as the spoonbills sing together in chorus with Mama Odie while singing the line "You gotta dig a little deeper" while helping Tiana find out what she needs while Ray who is holding a tambourine dances along with the spoonbills. When Mama Odie sings to Prince Naveen about the part of being rich again to know if it would make him happy again, she asks him, "Did it make you happy then?", she and the spoonbills reply "No!" just as she tells Naveen about the importance of self-control just as Mama Odie and the spoonbills sing together in which Mama Odie helps Tiana fulfill her purpose of opening a new restaurant. They are later seen opening a large thicket showing of what Tiana would see to fulfill her journey, followed by Louis joining along just as she sees hanging bottles just as the spoonbills finish singing to represent Tiana's purpose of her dream coming true. After the song, Ray tries to convince the spoonbills to join in his solo singing, but they all leave with an irritated expression.
Furthermore, spoonbills and other bayou animals are seen attending the wedding of Tiana and Prince Naveen in the bayou. As Tiana and Naveen are married together in the swamp, they suddenly transform into humans once again.
Disney Parks
Tiana's Bayou Adventure
The spoonbills were featured in concept art for the log flume ride at Disneyland at Critter Country and Walt Disney World at Frontierland respectively. However, they ended up only appearing in concept art for unknown reasons.
Gallery
