The Proud Family returned with its reboot in February 2022 after 17 years since its cancellation, with the series’ villain, Wizard Kelly, still part of the show.
The Proud Family still stands as one of the most iconic Disney cartoon animated series to date. The animation was the first cartoon series that featured an African American family sharing the lived experience of many Black nuclear families.
Initially airing between 2001 and 2005, it was concluded with a meant-for-television film, without any reason given for the cancellation of the popular series at the time.
The animated series has been subsequently revived and rebooted in 2022, featuring all their beloved characters including the main villain of the series, Wizard Kelly, who is believed to have been fashioned after basketball legend Magic Johnson.
What is The Proud Family?
First premiering on the Disney channel in September 2001, The Proud Family was a pioneer at the time of its premiere, as there had never been an animated series like it before.
Created by Bruce W. Smith and Doreen Spicer, the premise of the series was, “Follow the adventures and misadventures of Penny Proud as she does her best to navigate through the early years of teend-dom.” In the title role was child star at the time, Kyla Pratt.
To date, the original theme song, which was written and led by Solange Knowles, and Destiny’s Child, is still a popular jingle.
The Proud Family: Wizard Kelly, the cancellation, and the reboot
One of the most mysterious characters in The Proud Family is the main antagonist of the series, Wizard Kelly. This is since fans have rarely seen the antagonist’s full face throughout the original and rival run of the animated series.
Wizard Kelly is the successful and lifelong arch-nemesis of Oscar Proud. He owns most of Wizville, and his antagonistic relationship with Oscar began after he missed a shot back in high school, which gave Wizard his fortune shot.
In the series, he has a knack for forgetting people’s names, most especially Oscar’s, who he refers to as Oliver, when he is not trying to deflect trouble to his arch-nemesis.
Interestingly, it is a longstanding assumption that Kelly is inspired by NBA legend, Magic Johnson, because the character’s name is derived from Magic Johnson’s wife’s maiden name, Earletha “Cookie” Kelly, along with the fact that Wizard’s wife’s name, Gingersnap, is derived from Cookie.
Episodes Wizard Kelly’s face is shown in The Proud Family
In the show, Wizard Kelly’s face is never truly fully exposed. Therefore, there has always been a fascination with how the character’s face looks. To date there have only been two times that the series revealed Wizard Kelly’s face, namely:
- Penny Potter: Episode 20 of season two in 2003. The premise was, “Sugar Mama’s older sister Spice comes to visit, and she has the power to move things and tries to get money off Oscar. In this episode, we learn that Suga Mama and Spice hate each other.”
- The Proud Family Movie: Released in 2005, Wizard Kelly’s face is shown in the scene where they are swept away in the peanut butter.
Why was The Proud Family cancelled?
To date there has been no reason given by the Disney Channel for the decision to cancel The Proud Family in August 2005, following the 29-episode season two conclusion.
The cancellation was affirmed by the release of The Proud Family Movie for television at the same time in August 2005.
In light of the show’s revival, the co-creator of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Ralph Farquhar, stated, “From the moment we stopped doing the original version, we had been campaigning to bring it back.” Adding, “We weren’t quite sure why we ever even stopped.”
Why did Disney reboot The Proud Family?
In February 2022, Disney Plus premiered the first season of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. The rebooted anime series saw many of the beloved characters return except for Sticky, who left for Japan in the first episode.
The premise of the new series is, “The daily life of Penny Proud as she hilariously navigates growing up in a rambunctious house with a loving mom and an overly protective father.”
Moreover, Ralph Farquhar went on to tease the premise of season one, stating, “That was the big thing we wanted to focus on in this first season — the LGBTQ consciousness we’ve all achieved in the ensuing 20 years when we first premiered. It was something quite frankly back then we weren’t encouraged to talk about.”
The reboot also introduced its first gender fluid character, Michael, ironically played by E.J Johnson (Magic Johnson’s son).
Final thoughts
When The Proud Family first premiered in 2001, it marked a first in television history as it was the first cartoon with a leading and all-Black cast depicting the average African American family.
The initial run ended after 52 episodes, two seasons, and a meant-for-television conclusive movie.
However, in February 2022, the series returned, and this time around Disney Plus aims to be more inclusive and show more representation of minorities in their programming.
This means not only does The Proud Family return, but antagonist Wizard Kelly, who is believed to have been inspired by Magic Johnson, will return as well.