Disney's latest princess is different than the rest. The House of Mouse will introduce a new princess later this month when the kids TV series “Elena of Avalor” premieres on the Disney Channel on July 22. Elena will mark Disney’s first Latina princess.
“It’s not a secret that the Hispanic and Latino communities have been waiting and hoping and looking forward to our introduction of a princess that reflected their culture,” Nancy Kanter, the Disney executive overseeing the show, told The New York Times. “We wanted to do it right.”
In 2009, Disney introduced their first African-American princess, Tiana, in “The Princess and the Frog.” Other non-white Disney princesses include Pocahontas and Mulan.
The series, the Times writes, is infused with “Latin folklore and cultural traditions. Avalor has Aztec-inspired architecture. Episodes will include original songs that reflect musical styles like mariachi, salsa, and Chilean hip-hop.”
“We brought in a whole lot of consultants to advise on everything,” Kanter said. “We wanted to make sure that she didn’t have a doll-like appearance, and we really wanted to steer clear of romance. She has male friends, as teenage girls obviously do, but we did not want it tinged with, ‘Ooh, they’re falling in love.’”
While we think it’s great that Disney is diversifying their princess roster, it’s important to remind them that not all of their female characters need to be princesses. We’d love to see Disney explore more diverse roles in addition to diverse backgrounds.
