Disney will introduce its first Latina princess, Princess Sofia, on Nov. 18 on the Disney Channel. Sofia will make her debut in a TV movie, “Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess.” The movie will kick off a regular TV series on both the Disney Channel and Disney Junior.
Disney has defended Sofia against some critics who say she doesn’t look very Latina. One blogger wrote during a recent press tour that Sofia’s mother, Miranda,had a darker complexion than other characters. “She is Latina,” said executive producer Jamie Mitchell, adding that Sofia the first Latina princess to appear in a Disney animation project.
Ariel Winter, who plays Alex on “Modern Family,” is the voice of Sofia and Sara Ramirez, who plays Dr. Celia Torrez on “Grey’s Anatomy,” is Queen Miranda. The movie is set in the world of Enchancia. Sofia is a regular girl whose life suddenly changes when her mother marries the king and she becomes a princess. Cinderella appears to give Sofia advise on a life of royalty.
The movie and show are made for children between the ages of two and seven, according to a recent NBCLatino.com article.
Disney producers aren’t pushing the fact that Sofia is Latina. “We never actually call it out,” said Joe D’Ambrosia, vice president of Disney Junior original programming. “When we go into schools, what I find fascinating is that every girl thinks that they’re Sofia.”
