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Disney Defends New Hispanic-Influenced Princess After Public Backlash

New character to appear in TV movie airing next month

By MomPopCulture Oct 22, 2012 5:33PM

Disney

(AP) -- The Walt Disney Co. is defending its newest princess following a backlash over her Hispanic-influenced ethnicity.


A new character named Sofia will star in the TV movie "Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess" airing Nov. 18 on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior. Hispanic advocacy groups have questioned whether the fair-skinned, blue-eyed young princess is an accurate representation of the Hispanic population and wondered why Disney isn't doing more to promote its first princess with Hispanic-inspired roots.


Bing: More about 'Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess'


"They seem to be backpedaling," said Lisa Navarrete, spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza. "They've done such a good job in the past when they've introduced Native American, African-American and Asian princesses. They made a big deal out of it, and there was a lot of fanfare, but now they're sort of scrambling. It's unusual because Disney has been very good about Latino diversity."


Find: 'Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess' trailer


Craig Gerber, co-executive producer of "Sofia the First," clarified in a Facebook post on Friday that Sofia is "a mixed-heritage princess in a fairytale world." He said her mother and birth father respectively hail from kingdoms inspired by Spain and Scandinavia, though Sofia was born and raised in Enchancia, a "make-believe 'melting pot' kingdom" patterned after the British Isles.


Sofia is voiced by Caucasian "Modern Family" actress Ariel Winter, and her mother is played by Hispanic "Grey's Anatomy" actress Sara Ramirez.


The film and a subsequent TV series will follow the young princess as she adjusts to royal life after her mother marries the king of Enchancia.


"Sofia considers herself a normal Enchancian girl like any other," said Gerber. "Her mixed heritage and blended family are a reflection of what many children today experience."

Inez Gonzalez, executive vice president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said Monday that the organization wanted to meet with Disney to discuss "Sofia the First."

"Sofia's world reflects the ethnically diverse world we live in, but it is not our world," said Nancy Kanter, senior vice president of original programming for Disney Junior. "It is a fairytale and storybook world that we hope will help spur a child's imagination. It's one where we can have flying horses, schools led by fairies, songs that have a Latin beat and towns with markets like those found in North Africa."


Kanter added that the "Sofia the First" series set to debut next year would include storylines about a holiday called Wassailia, which is reminiscent of a Scandinavian Christmas; and the characters would go on a picnic in Wei-Ling, an Asian-inspired kingdom.


Marcela Davison Aviles, president of the Mexican Heritage Corporation, said that calling Sofia a Latina princess is "not an accurate use of the term as many in our community understand its meaning." Davison Aviles has worked with Disney on the TV series "Handy Manny," which features a bilingual Hispanic handyman character. She added that "Disney leadership embraces the complexity, diversity and beauty" of the Hispanic community.

"I'll bet folks at the company are using this as a teachable moment to improve on that effort," said Davison Aviles. "I'm looking forward to meeting Sofia and to Disney's future efforts to illuminate our diverse melting pot, including the varied colors which thread our tapestry of Latino identity."


Over the past two decades, Disney has introduced such culturally diverse female protagonists as Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Merida and Tiana, the African-American princess from 2009's "Princess and the Frog." Disney's 2000 animated film "The Emperor's New Groove" and its subsequent spin-offs were set amid the Incan Empire in South America.


"Little girls look to these characters to see themselves represented," said Navarrete. "If they don't see themselves, it makes a difference. It would be nice to see Disney make a full-out push for a Latina princess, whether it's 'Sofia the First' or not."

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447Comments
francisco
Oct 23, 2012 9:12AM
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I am a latino from Panama and it really upsets me that people like Lisa Navarrete would assume that latinos will be offended with "Sofia". Listen honey, not every latino woman looks like you (I don't mean that because of your masculine jawline) My ancesters are from Spain and are whiter than most americans i know.
kris10mm
Oct 23, 2012 8:26AM
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I AM SORRY, BUT THIS IS JUST A LITTLE BIT RIDICULOUS!!! WHY IS IT ALL ABOUT RACE? ITS A CHILDS CARTOON.  I AM A TOTAL HEINZ 57 BUT ON PAPER I AM "WHITE" OR "CAUCASIAN" (HOWEVER YOU WANT TO PUT IT.  MY BACKGROUND SPREADS FROM A GERMAN TO IRISH AND MY DAD WAS ADOPTED SO WE DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT HIS 'BLOOD LINES' ENTAIL.... WHY DOES THE GIRL HAVE TO BE OF MIXED RACE ANYWAY ESPECIALLY DEFINED DOWN TO STEREOTYPE?!? WOULD IT HAVE BEEN RACIST IF SHE WERE JUST AN AMERICAN OR WHITE.... MY DAUGHTER IS FRENCH CAJUN, GERMAN, IRISH, AMERICAN... WELL SHES A PURE MIX OF MANY ETHNICITIES, BUT AGAIN LIKE HER FATHER AND I IS JUST CONSIDERED WHITE..... MAKE A SHOW ABOUT THAT DISNEY! A LITTLE CAUCASIAN BEING ACCEPTED AND NOT PINNED AS A RACIST FOR CELEBRATING HER "WHITE" UPBRINGING!!!!! AND FOR ANYONE WHO THINKS I MAY BE RACIST OR WHATEVER THE WORD IS NOWADAYS YOU CAN EAT YOUR WORDS! MY YOUNGEST BROTHER IS HALF "HISPANIC" AND LOOKS "WHITER THAN MYSELF AND MY KIDS LOL, AND TOMORROW MY NEICE IS HAVING A BABY OF MIXED "AFRICAN AMERICAN" AND "WHITE" RACE AND I LOVE AND WILL WELCOME THE NEW BABY LOVINGLY, NOT BECAUSE I AM TIP TOEING AROUND THE RACE CARDS BUT BECAUSE THEYRE MY FAMILY.... BUT WHAT I AM GETTING AT IS WHY CANT THE FEW OF US LEFT THAT COME FROM A WHITE BACKGROUND CELEBRATE THAT ANYMORE WITOUT BEING LABELED A RACIST..... ALL YOU PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT SOPHIA NOT LOOKING "MEXICAN" ENOUGH, YOU ARE THE RACIST! AND SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR OBLITERATING A CARTOON.... RIDICULOUS! SHE CAN BE PROUD TO BE OF LATINO MEXED RACE BUT MY CHILDREN CANNOT BE JOYOUS OF THEIR WHITE AMERICAN MIXED RACE WITHOUT BEIG LABELED THEMSELVES! SICK OF THESE HYPOCRITICAL SHENANIGANS!!!!!!! GROW UP PEOPLE!

mama mia 12
Oct 23, 2012 8:17AM
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Someone better call Cameron Diaz who is an Anglo-German-Cuban-A​merican that she is not dark enough. La Raza says so.
Timmy The Geek
Oct 23, 2012 8:16AM
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Anyone getting upset about this should take a lesson from Sofia's skin and lighten up.
Anolise
Oct 23, 2012 8:12AM
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It's a cartoon for heaven's sakes!  We have Dora and Diego already.   I noticed that nobody complained that in the "Princess and the Frog" the princess was African-American.  The original story that this movie was based on is by the Grimm Brothers, who are obviously German and you can bet the princess was blonde and blue-eyed.   Don't we have more pressing issues in our lives than worry about hair and eye color? 
Someone
Oct 23, 2012 8:08AM
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Who gives a rats A$$ it's just a freakin' cartoon
sam4349
Oct 23, 2012 8:06AM
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Put a bandana and some gang tattoos on her if you want her to really look hispanic.
p
Oct 23, 2012 8:05AM
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Spain, and Scandinavia..that's European. NOT Latin. Just because someone speaks spanish doesnt mean they are from Central America, Cuba, or even South America. So who but a bunch of racist asses care what a European cartoon girl looks like?
Argaenei
Oct 23, 2012 8:03AM
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Oh!!! Merida!  Slap me silly!  The princess from 'Brave'...can't believe I messed that one up...LOL

Yep..."No Value" comment.

Pilla103
Oct 23, 2012 7:57AM
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Please, it's just a cartoon!!!!
91505Diand
Oct 23, 2012 7:56AM
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Sofia ???? thought that was Italian
MeX LOVe
Oct 23, 2012 7:56AM
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THEY MADE SUCH A BIG DEAL WITH TIANA WITH PRINCESS AND THE FROG .. AND THIS IS ALL THEY DO FOR SOFIA THE FIRST .... THATS WHATS BOTHERING ME NOT HER APPEARANCE BUT THE MARKETING THEY ARE DOING FOR THIS NEW CHARACTER

 

 

Evelin Seay
Oct 23, 2012 7:54AM
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Welcome to my world Hispanics!  I was born to the Apodaca Family, both of my parents were Hispanic.  I have blue eyes, light hair and fair skin!  I welcome the "Sofia's" on screen.  All my life I have had to defend my heritage.  Growing up in a German community, there was a lot of prejudice against the Hispanics.  I would often find myself in a group who would start putting down the Hispanics.  I love my heritage, so I always had to fight for my people, often they would forget that I was Hispanic or they would say, "we don't mean you".......That didn't set right with me.  I come from a family of 12, and three of us have the light skin and blue eyes, most of us have light skin and various shades of brown hair, but some of us have beautiful dark skin and chocolate eyes.  I love the diversity in my family, and was always offended when comments were made against my people.  Thank you Disney, at age 65 I can finally connect with a Hispanic on screen!
shawn s
Oct 23, 2012 7:54AM
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Just for the record, since text doesn't convey intonations, the phrase "Damn hispanics- they are always stereotyping" was meant ironically since, you know, I'm stereotyping them as always stereotyping....ya know, its a joke...
Gwynne
Oct 23, 2012 7:54AM
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I have something to say about this.  My child is part Hispanic.  She is a melting pot... I am German, Polish & Dutch and her father is half Mexican & half Irish.  My daughter looks like Princess Sofia!  She has brown hair that gets lighter in the sun, gorgeous blue eyes that change shades with whatever she is wearing and light skin that tans beautifully in the summer when she plays outside.  Sounds like Disney is right on the pulse of what is happening in the world.
shawn s
Oct 23, 2012 7:53AM
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Damn hispanics- they are always stereotyping! And now they are being racist against us PolyCultural Americans, and saying we have to look a certain way? What is that!!

Ok- my polycultural background reaches from Wales to the Baltics then down to Odessa/Ukraine, but still!! We are bloody Americans!! Tired of this stereotyping BS- its as bad as kids in New MExico getting in trouble for wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo because it "insults the MExican heritage". MEXICO DOESNT EVEN CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO!!! ONLY MEXICAN AMERICANS DO!!

Argaenei
Oct 23, 2012 7:50AM
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In Spain you will find many people of pure Spanish descent with fair skin, olive skin, red hair, blonde hair, blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes, brunettes.  There is no stereotypical "type" of person from Spanish descendancy.  I think people are thinking of Mexicans, whom are typically dark haired, dark skinned, with brown eyes.  Personally, I'm happy Disney has decided to begin transcending the "white princess only" thing.  I'm white, but I loved Mulan, Pocahontas and Tiana (although technically not princesses...Pocahon​tas comes closest).  Jasmine is...loved her also.  Not familiar with Merida...guess I missed a movie.
judy68
Oct 23, 2012 7:49AM
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Why do people always have to find fault in everything? My dad is half Irish and half mexican descent. My mom is of mexican hispanic descent. My sister was born with bright blue eyes which eventually changed to green with honey colored hues when she was a toddler. She has light brown/ blondish hair. Her 3 kids were born with blond hair, fair skin and one has gray eyes, the other has green eyes and the 3rd one has blue eyes.  I have reddish brown hair with golden highlights. My skin is fair. We dont look much of our Mexican descent, but were raised with our mexican culture. When people are born with different descents they will have characteristics of both sides; and in some cases varoious different descents. So stop sterotyping, please. The world has enough problems to be dealing with nonsense like this
leelee411
Oct 23, 2012 7:42AM
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For everyone stating that Scandanavia is not a country - no kidding - but neither is Europe or for that matter Latin America.  It's a region of countries.  YAY for Disney for depicting Latinas who are not the normal steroetype.  I am full blooded Cuban with Scot Irish American hubby and we have 5 sons.  Two have brown hair with light brown eyes, one has sandy brown hair with green eyes, one has dirty blond with blue eyes, and the middle child has dirty blond hair with one green eye & one blue eye!  P.S. I posted earlier but wanted to repeat - when young, I was abused by the darker latina girls & made fun of because I had lighter hair and lighter skin - they tagged me Blanca.  My kids are told they are not latinos today because they are not all dark, no-one believes them.  Gimmee a break!
GigiV
Oct 23, 2012 7:42AM
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It is sad that Hispanic advocy groups are making a big deal out of Disney's effort, whether big or small, to answer our own cries. I am a black Latina with a son who is fair skinned, a black father, a tall cleared eyes grandmother, many friends of all colors and all Latinos and I wouldnt dare complain about this topic. It is time for people like the groups being insulted by this to stop cataloguing Latinos, as that is the beauty of our people, we have a little of everything! Why cant Princess Sofia be faired skinned and blue eyed? Are we so ignorant that we still think that all Latinos look like Dora the Explorer? You know what those same advocacy groups should be concerned about? The education of our people, not what according to your own prejudices we should be portrayed as.

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