Move over Pocahontas and Mulan. Sofia está aquí.
Disney's
first Latina princess, featured in the movie "Sofia the First: Once Upon
A Princess," has received backlash as well as support from media
outlets, especially the Latino community. Is Disney's new princess a
milestone for Latinos or a culturally irrelevant character?
Disney's spokeswoman provided a recent statement to CNN to help clarify what exactly makes "Princess Sofia" Latina:
"The
range of characters in 'Sofia the First' -- and the actors who play
them -- are a reflection of Disney's commitment to diverse,
multicultural and inclusive storytelling, and the wonderful early
reaction to 'Sofia' affirms that commitment. In the story, Sofia's
mother, Queen Miranda, was born in a fictitious land, Galdiz, a place
with Latin influences. Miranda met Sofia's father, Birk Balthazar, who
hailed from the kingdom of Freezenberg, and together they moved to
Enchancia, where Sofia was born."
"Sofia the First" is a
television movie and series set to debut November 18 on the Disney
Channel and Disney Junior, aimed at children ages 2-7. Sofia is a
regular little girl whose life changes when her mother marries the king.
Ariel Winter from "Modern Family" will voice Sofia and Sara Ramirez
from "Grey's Anatomy" will voice Queen Miranda.
When news first
hit in December 2011 that Disney was going to introduce its new and much
younger princess, there was no mention of Sofia's Latina background,
let alone that her mother was from "a place with Latin influences,"
until this week.
Yet this week, Disney announced that Sofia was indeed Latina.
As
reported by Entertainment Weekly, a blogger on a press tour of the
movie's production offices asked why Sofia's mother, Miranda, had a
darker complexion than the other characters.
That led to the big reveal: "She is Latina," said Jamie Mitchell, executive producer.
According the the vice president of Disney Junior original programming, "We never actually call it out."
"It's sort of a matter-of-fact situation rather than an overt thing."
However,
this isn't the first time there is controversy surrounding one of
Disney's princesses. In 2009, "The Princess and the Frog" received
criticism from parents and the media for being set in New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina, it's voodoo references and Disney's first
African-American princess, Tiana, falling in love with a Caucasian
prince. Most agree Princess Tiana was a step in the right direction, but
many said there was still work to be done.
Some Latinos
applauded Disney's new milestone and welcomed her with open arms on
Twitter stating, "#Disney comes out with its first "#Latina Princess."
Its about time. It is 2012. #Hispanics" and "#Disney finally comes out
with a #Latina princess"
Some criticized what they saw as a lack of cultural signifiers or ethnic identity in the Sofia character.
"If
Disney were truly to finally step out and directly cater to the Latino
community that has been crying out for decades for a Latina princess to
represent our girls," said Ana Flores, blogger for Spanglishbaby, "She
would be as Latina as Tiana is black or as Pocahontas is
Indian-American."
Alex Nogales, president and CEO for the National
Hispanic Media Coalition, a nonprofit organization that promotes Latino
equality in the entertainment industry, believes the Latino community
needs more heroes right now that are very identifiable.
"Latinos
are taking the blame for everything that is wrong with America. This is
not a time to pussyfoot around. If you're going to promote this to the
public, and Latinos in particular, do us a favor and make it a real
Latina."
