Jumping from the stage to the world of animation, Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose takes on her most enchanting and monumental role yet: Princess Tiana, Disney's first animated black princess.

"This feels amazing," Rose, 36, told PEOPLE this week at the Manhattan unveiling of the toy line for The Princess and the Frog. "Not only is she the first black princess, she's the first American princess. So, the scope and the significance is larger than people even realize."