The Proud Family was one of the Disney channel's most prized original series. Not only did the show feature a Black family - one of the first mainstream, animated series to do so - but it also aimed to focus on family values and highlight societal issues like bullying and sexism.
While The Proud Family Movie served as a finale to the original Disney channel show, nostalgic fans kept its legacy alive by watching reruns and binging the series once it became available on Disney+, while eagerly awaiting its reboot. In February, The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder was finally released, which not only introduced many new aspects but also reminded fans of some key moments from the original.
Reverend Haygood
In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Reverend Haygood from the original's "The Camp, the Counselor, the Mole, and the Rock," makes a quick cameo in the reboot's "It All Started with an Orange Basketball," as the coach of one of Oscar's rival basketball teams.
While this cameo does little to serve the plot, it adds to the continuity of the show and its setting, linking the past with the present. It also sets precedent for the return of other, minor secondary characters in future episodes, such as Sir Paid A Lot and Peabo in "Get In."
Oscar & Wizard Kelly's Rivalry
One of The Proud Family's continuing subplots was the ongoing fuel between Penny's dad, Oscar Proud, and the famous millionaire, Wizard Kelly. Although Oscar's disdain for Kelly is shown many times in the series, the episode "It All Started with an Orange Basketball," directly references the events of "One in a Million."
After Oscar places a basketball bet against the Wizard, he states that if he wins he gets to momentarily have back all that he lost to him including his ex, Ginger Snaps. This is an important reminder for viewers, as this rivalry shapes much of Oscar's personality and explains his incessant - albeit misguided - chase for success and fame, having always regretted losing all those years ago.
LaCienega's Feet
Penny and LaCienega's frenemy relationship stands unchanged in the reboot. From light quips to trying to steal her boyfriend, LaCienega hasn't had much character development yet. However, despite her insistence that she is perfect, the series reminds viewers that she does have insecurities that drive her behavior.
Two of her insecurities are her big feet, first shown in the original's "Love Thy Neighbour." This callback directly includes a scene from the original clip, replaying her humiliation and showing off the newly amped animation style. Not only does this reference show LaCienega's flaws, but it also drives the plot further as Penny muses about the new kids facing a much worse form of bullying.
Al Roker
In The Proud Family episode "Tween Town" and later "Twins to Tweens," Al Roker was introduced as the devious wish-granter who cannot be trusted; although he fulfills Penny's wishes, it always comes at a price. In the reboot's "When You Wish Upon a Roker," he plays the same trickster role, although this time Penny's own mistakes leave her trapped in her college life.
While Roker's third appearance is a treat for fans of the original, it also goes to prove Penny is still the naive and stubborn girl she was in the original. While she may have hit puberty, she still has a lot of growth ahead of her. In the meantime, she has her family and friends to help her through Roker's tricks, as they always have.
Big O
While Oscar Proud constantly comes off as strict and annoying, he once was a chill, laid-back teenager living his dream. A skilled basketball player and smooth talker, Oscar was known as the "Big O" back in his glory days. In "When You Wish Upon A Roker," Penny finally gets to meet this side of her dad.
This callback not only establishes Oscar as a complex character, rather than just a two-dimensional parent, but it also shows Penny that her father can be seen as a friend, rather than an enemy. Oscar is once again redeemed as Big O as he makes the shot to get Penny out of Roker's prison world, yet another reference to his original blunder and subsequent win in "One in a Million."
Frankie's Sexism
Some bullies never learn, and it appears The Proud Family's Frankie is one of them. In "She's Got Game," popular jock Frankie was shown as being one of the people against Penny's fight to play on the football team, but by the end of the episode has learned his lesson.
However, in the reboot's "It All Started with an Orange Basketball" he seems to have reverted back to this same sexist mentality as he says to Penny, "you may have been all right in football, but there's no way a girl's gonna beat me in basketball." Not only does this reference resurface his mean personality, but it also re-establishes that Penny can always achieve what she wants and works for, despite the haters.
Dijonay & Sticky
One of the running gags of the original The Proud Family was Dijonay's infatuation with the disinterested Sticky. While Sticky makes it abundantly clear that he does not return her feelings - oftentimes proving he feels exactly the opposite way - Dijonay is still head over heels for him.
The reboot's pilot, "New Kids on the Block," calls back to Dijonay's craze for Sticky, going so far as to blame it for him moving from their town. Not only does this reference remind viewers of Dijonay's tendency to fall intensely and obsessively for others (as seen in her re-directed love for the newcomer, KG), it also expertly explains the absence of Orlando Brown's series regular, Sticky, from the reboot.
Team Players
Penny has exceptional basketball skills, something that initially gets overlooked by Oscar in "It All Started with an Orange Basketball." A shocked Oscar asks Penny where she learned to play, and she reminds him that he taught her as a toddler, after which he promptly recruits her to play on his team.
While Penny's skills were never addressed in original episodes like "One in a Million," Oscar's love for basketball and prior skill towards it are mentioned numerous times. Just as Oscar gets Penny to play for him, Penny too once asked Oscar to take the million-dollar shot for her. These callbacks reinforce how much trust and love there is between the father-daughter duo.
LPDZ
The girl group formed by Penny and her girlfriends, LPDZ, was first introduced in the episode "A Star is Scorned." Although they rose to stardom as a group, in the original, Penny decides to pursue a solo career and becomes a diva in the process, eventually losing both her friends and fame.
The group is first shown as an Easter egg in Oscar's Snackland diorama in the reboot's "Father Figures," and finally makes a full-fledged comeback in "Snackland." Once again, the series uses LPDZ to emphasize the importance of diverse friendships and inclusion, this time having Penny fight for acceptance within the group after being kicked out for her deep voice.
Penny's Speeches
"I hate when Penny gives one of her AOC-Megan-Rapinoe-Ilhan-Omar-power-to-the-people speeches," Dijonay grumbles in "Father Figures," as she goes to help Penny talk to the Gross sisters. And she's right - Penny does often deliver powerful, leader-like speeches to her friends and the people, a pattern that is nothing new to the reboot.
Whether it was her catchy song about stopping rumors or her impassioned voice against segregation, the original series made sure to create a Penny Proud that stood up against injustice and was often a moral compass for those around her. In reminding audiences of her speeches, the reboot ensures that it will still keep the integrity and essence of the original The Proud Family at its core.