The studio is making strides towards greater diversity and representation in its films with the announcement of their first Afro-Latina heroine. Ariana DeBose, a Golden Globe winner, will be playing Asha in Wish, an upcoming film that explores the origin of the iconic wishing star.
Asha is the main protagonist in Disney's 2023 animated feature film Wish. She is a witty and optimistic 17-year-old girl from the kingdom of Rosas who sees a darkness in her kingdom that no one else can see and whose impassioned plea brings down an actual star.
In Disney's nearly 100-year history, there has been only one Black Disney princess — Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 animated feature starring Anika Noni Rose.
His skin is brown, but he isn't African-American. "A lot of moms had issues with that," Coleman said. "It felt like it was a slap in the face to black men." Coleman asked a Disney executive if Prince Naveen was Creole and was told that his background was made up; he's whatever ethnicity they have in fictional Maldonia.
Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose will portray the first Afro-Latina princess. The trailer for Disney's latest animation film, Wish, is here, and we're already in love with the leading princess, voiced by West Side Story Academy Award-winning actress Ariana DeBose.
Princess Esther Kamatari of Burundi is recognized as France's first Black model and exiled princess who left her home country behind after her father and uncle's assassinations. She spent the majority of her childhood as a royal princess in Burundi before fleeing to Paris to become a writer and model.
According to a Disney spokeswoman, Sofia has a mixed fairy-tale heritage; her mother and father are from Galdiz (which is based on Spain) and Freezenburg (which is based on Scandinavia), respectively.
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!
Known for her fashion and performance, Celia Cruz is honored as the “Queen of Salsa” for her role as the Afro Cuban diva who came to represent salsa music for audiences across the world. A 1962 full-length portrait of Celia Cruz on stage.
plural Afro-Latinos also Afro Latinos. 1. : a Black person of African ancestry who is a native or inhabitant of Latin America. 2. : a Black person of Latin American origin and African ancestry living in the U.S.
In discussing Sofia with Entertainment Weekly, she confirmed: “She is Latina.” Mitchell also confirmed that Sofia was the first Hispanic princess to hold court in the Magic Kingdom.
LOS ANGELES, May 24 (Reuters) - As the second Black Disney princess in history, Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in the new "The Little Mermaid" movie, says she has been moved by videos of Black children and parents delighted by her history-making role.
The official description for “Tiana” states that the show will follow the title character as she “sets off for a grand new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia, but a calling to her New Orleans past isn't far behind.”
From the award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter-book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black. There are 10 books in this series.
Pin for Later: 21 Disney Prince Facts You Never Knew as a Kid Prince Naveen is the only prince to have a non-American accent. He is from the fictional kingdom of Maldonia, and voice actor Bruno Campos ad-libbed the accent as a combination of Portuguese and French.
Naveen or Navin (Sanskrit: नवीन, IAST: navīna; /nəˈviːn/ na-VEEN) is an Indian male given name and surname. The word means "new", "fresh", "young", "bright", "creative". Naveen is chiefly used in Indian languages, and its origin is Sanskrit.
Nationality. Polynesian. 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.
One thing to note, Hans Christian Andersen left out race, skin color, and character names. For the animated movie, Disney made the little mermaid white, made her hair red, and gave her a name, Ariel.
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.
