In the Walt Disney company, there have been a total of 14 Disney princesses in the official lineup, spanning from 1937's Snow White to the more recent 2016 Moana. In those 79 years, plus the four years since Moana's release, there hasn't been a single princess of Latin or Hispanic descent.
The title character of the TV series of the same name, Elena Castillo Flores is a teenage princess who has saved her magical kingdom of Avalor from an evil sorceress and thus must now learn to rule as its crowned princess. She's the first Latina Disney princess.
Inspired by Polynesian mythology, Moana is depicted as the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.
As for whether Elsa and Anna are white … the Northuldra are modeled on the Sami, an indigenous people scattered across northern Scandinavia and northwestern Russia who have faced a great deal of discrimination, but there's a lot of disagreement about the genetic and linguistic origins of Sami to this day.
While some claim Jasmine is Arab because the movie opens with a song called Arabian Nights, others believe that the architecture in Agrabah is clearly based on the Taj Mahal, making Jasmine Indian. It's a debate that has fueled speculation that in Hollywood, Indians and Arabs are interchangeable.
Disney's Ariel is not the same as Anderson's little mermaid. The movie is loosely based on the fairy tale, so Disney has the freedom to give Ariel any skin color they want. In the 1989 movie, Ariel was born in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica, which technically makes her Atlantican, not Danish.
As the story took on a life of its own, Disney felt they had to come out with a statement clarifying what their make-believe princess is — and isn't. The end result is that Sofia is not actually Latina.
Her name is Elena, and she hails from Avalor — a fictional place that draws from several real-world cultures. Elena is Latina. Which makes her the animation giant's first-ever Latina princess.
Encanto is a must-watch during Hispanic Heritage Month. Set in Colombia, the film follows the Madrigal family, who possess magical gifts. However, when the magic starts to fade, Mirabel, the youngest member of the family, must embark on a journey to save her family's legacy.
She's the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia with one younger sister named Infanta Sofía of Spain. When her father was named the head of the state on 19 June 2014, Princess Leonor became the heir to the throne.
The first four Disney princesses were white, if you count a mermaid as a human being, with a specified ethnicity. In 1992, we got Aladdin's Princess Jasmine, she of indeterminate Middle Eastern heritage, but it's taken another 23 years to give us our first Latina princess.
The name Jasmine is of Persian origin, meaning ”gift from God." It is derived from the Persian word ”yasmin,” referring to the plant, meaning "fragrant flower." Origin: Jasmine is a Persian name meaning "gift from God" or "fragrant flower."
So, at the moment when it was revealed that Anna and Elsa's mother was Northuldra, a fictional culture based on the Sámi people, I had some feels. First of all, we make it a point to talk to our daughter about how curly hair is great and a long blond braid is not necessary to be a true princess.
Wait, so Anna and Elsa have indigenous ancestry now? It seems like it—they learn that their mother was a member of the Northuldra tribe, which is described as being true to the earth and guided by spirits.
Moana strays away from the typical story of a Disney princess film. She does not have to be saved by a man, and end up with her “Prince Charming.” Moana is independent from the beginning, a strong leader, resilient, and she is not white!
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it's hard to stop!
