As a child, my family shared the same fascination with Disney as every other family did. We grew up in the 90’s, amidst the Disney Renaissance, and the Disney behemoth had recently spawned the Disney Channel and Radio Disney. Although my family had no cable, we did own most of the Disney movies on VHS, and we had Little Mermaid blankets, Lion King cups, as well as Pocahontas t-shirts.
One of the greatest qualities of Disney movies is that they are timeless. The stories, with their prices and princesses and anthropomorphic characters, eternally delight and charm the viewer. They are also appealing to all ages—parents, grandparents and older siblings enjoy watching the films with little ones, reveling in the magic of it all.
Perhaps this is why it was so disappointing to me that Disney chose to make its first Latina princess a television show character. To me, it just seemed cheap—a letdown, an easy way to pat themselves on the back and say “Look at us, we’ve covered all our demographics. We did such a good job. Now put her on the roster next to Anna and Elsa and go get those 1 trillion dollars of purchasing power from the Latino demographic.”
The battle to see minority princesses is nothing new. Within the past twenty years, Disney has brought forth beloved icons such as Jasmine, Mulan, and Tiana, adding a much-needed variety to their cast of characters. These princesses, however, came along with years of development, carefully thought-out storylines, gorgeous animation, and critically acclaimed music. The upcoming film Moana has been in development for five years, and Disney has pulled out all the stops to ensure this is a critical and commercial hit.
Perhaps for that reason, it’s so insulting to see Elena of Avalor released at this time. It is the David to Moana’s Goliath, and its success is dubious. When the Moana toys and costumes come out, Elena will likely be forgotten, settling into the shadowy background next to 2007’s Princess Giselle (Enchanted) and 1985’s Princess Eilonwy (The Black Cauldron).
The truly irritating factor is that a Latina princess movie would have been an almost guaranteed box office success. Latinos comprise of a quarter of theater audiences, although they are only 17% of the national population. Children ages 2-17 comprise of almost half the population that attend large screen format movies. It’s just a shame to me that these numbers are disregarded.
What this show says to me is that children who do not have cable will not know who this Disney princess is. It also almost guarantees that she will be forgotten. The quality of timelessness is not present in Elena’s case; she will eventually become dated. Although she may be beloved by this generation, the show will inevitably be canceled, and she will become a distant memory. She will not have the same cultural significance as Ariel or Cinderella.
Television is so different from cinema that its appeal will not translate over time. Parents sit down with their kids for 90 minutes to watch the "classics," but no one will sit down for multiple seasons of a children's show. The show is not geared for all ages, only for a select group that will eventually move on from Disney Junior. Ask any six-year-old if they like Kim Possible (an early 2000s Disney Channel character) and they will have no idea what you’re talking about. Ask them if they like Princess Belle (from 1991’s Beauty and the Beast) and they’ll have a whole speech prepared.
Elena of Avalor is a timid step in the right direction; but it was so poorly done, it seems like a misstep. It seems unfair that the Hispanic princess we’ve waited decades for came out with such a quiet hush. While I’m all here for representation, I’d rather it be done right.
