“The Royal Welcome of Princess Elena of Avalor.” To all the misinformed, those believing & convincing others that Elena is not an official Disney princess: Disney World had a royal welcome to officially introduce her to the public and induct her into the 'princesshood'. Also, she's on TV every week & online 24/7 not because making a big screen movie of a Latina princess was beneath Disney. Disney execs decided they had such a great demand for a Latina princess from fans writing about Sophia the First, that they jumped on the quickest way to capitalize on the fans hunger for diversity (execs are about that quick cash, this time it worked in diversity's favor). NOW, SHE'S GETTING A MOVIE and haters are still devaluing Elena's worth to the Latin community by focusing on it being a TV movie and not in theatres. People have a right to their opinions and a right to complain about unjust treatment, but outright belittling & rejecting Elena's & her creators' accomplishments is equal to the injustice being complained about. Quality of art is subjective, but I believe the writing, animation, and voice talent of this show is consistently made for adults and children, not just toddlers like Sophia's audience. And, the musical numbers are Broadway worthy, yeah, I think that's where Elena could be heading, if the fans demand it & don't discourage others from keeping Elena popular simply because she wasn't introduced through a feature film in the theatres. As Latinx in the USA myself, I celebrate & cherish Elena's popularity and don't care how she came here. She's here now & contributing to pop culture everywhere thanks to Disney merchandise & marketing and the fans that buy it up. Nobody, no person in real life, and especially no pop icon animated person is perfect - there will always be things about each of us and our favorite person or show or artist that will be problematic. I'm choosing to celebrate the positive and not ignore the problem, but look for opportunities to fix the injustices going forward. May our TV screens, movie theatres, Broadway shows, YouTube videos, and playlists be filled with more Diverse Disney Princesses & Princes from this day forward.
