The multitalented Oprah Winfrey is lending her voice to a cartoon princess’ mother in the upcoming Walt Disney animated film “The Princess and the Frog.”

Oprah Winfrey will voice Eudora, the mother of Princess Tiana, the first black princess to appear in a Disney animated film. In the story, the princess lives in the French Quarter of New Orleans and, as befits a princess, falls in love. She will be voiced by Anika Noni Rose (of “Dreamgirls” fame).

John Musker and Ron Clements (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Hercules”) have written the script and are directing.

The cast includes Angela Bassett, John Goodman, Keith David and Jennifer Lewis.

Academy Award winning songwriter Randy Newman, who has worked on the soundtrack of animated films such as “Cars,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story” and “Monsters, Inc.” (the last one earning him an Oscar in 2002 for best original song), has already written six new songs for “The Princess and the Frog.”

The announcement was made today at the Walt Disney Studios’ Showcase in Hollywood.

Oprah Winfrey has previously lent her voice to Gussie the Goose, in 2006’s “Charlotte’s Web” and to Judge Bumbleton in 2007’s “Bee Movie.”

The Walt Disney Feature Animation 2D “The Princess and the Frog” is to be released late next year, around the winter holidays. It is the first traditional animated feature film Disney has made since 2004’s “Home on the Range.”

Also announced today was that Johnny Depp has signed on to portray the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s upcoming adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” and Tonto in a remake of “The Lone Ranger.”

In addition, Disney and Pixar chief animation officer John Lasseter revealed that “Cars 2,” the sequel to the 2006 box office hit, will be in theaters one year earlier than expected, in summer of 2011, due to speedy production.