Elena of Avalor is the New Disney Princess in Town!
Move over Elsa and Anna of Arendelle, there's a new princess in town - a Latina princess that is. Disney recently announced that their kid-friendly channel, Disney Junior, will soon debut it's new princess named Elena of Avalor.
The 16-year-old princess who is inspired by Latin cultures will be introduced in an episode from the popular Disney Junior show, Sofia the First, before she will debut with her own animated series named Elena of Avalor. The new Disney princess film will debut in 2016.
"Our creative team has delivered a universal story with themes that authentically reflect the hopes and dreams of our diverse audience. What excites us most is the chance to use distinctive animation and visual design to tell wonderful stories influenced by culture and traditions that are familiar to the worldwide population of Hispanic and Latino families and reflect the interests and aspirations of all children as told through a classic fairy tale," Entertainment Weekly quotes a statement from ," Disney Junior Worldwide Executive Vice President and General Manager Nancy Kanter.
According to an article in Us Weekly, the new Princess Elena is a "confident and compassionate teenager in an enchanted fairy tale kingdom inspired by diverse Latin cultures and folklore. She's bold, caring, funny, and clever" and is the ascendant to the throne in the fairy tale kingdom of Avalor." She will be voiced by Young & Hungry's Aimee Carrero.
Originally, Princess Sofia was intended to be the first Hispanic Disney princess but there was a misunderstanding with Alex Nogales, President and CEO for the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), playing a role in clarifying the issue. In fact, according to the network Sofia was of mixed heritage.
In spite of the mix-up, Nogales shares that he is quite please about the new Disney princess. According to a report by Fox News Latino, "We are very happy about it. We all know that Latinos consume media, we all know they are the biggest consumers of this kind of media - so it makes sense, right?"