“Elena of Avalor” is coming to an end. The show offered people the first Latina Disney princess and that kind of representation is so vital and so important. Three seasons later, the show is coming to an end and the final show is going to change everything.
“Elena of Avalor” changed representation in Disney and it was a long time coming.
Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted a Disney princess who looked like me. So getting the opportunity to be the Co-Executive Producer and Head Writer of Disney's First Latina Princess series is a highlight in my career that I’ll always cherish! ❤️ Finale episode 8/23! 👑 pic.twitter.com/vvD9lldMUr
Elena gave Disney fans their first Latina Disney princess. For years, Disney was facing pressure to start to include more characters of color. “The Princess and The Frog” was Disney’s first answer to that call and “Elena of Avalor” came after. Finally seeing someone who represented Latinos was a reality.
The final season is going to be the longest so that Elena could get the finale she deserves.
Well, it's official. #ElenaOfAvalor is coming to an end. I'll have lots more to say (esp. about our finale's cast!), but 4 now, a big THANK U to the fans & @DisneyJunior 4 giving us extra eps so we could give Elena the epic conclusion she deserved! 👑💃💖 https://t.co/GL9Rj73zBM
“It has been a tremendous honor for me to bring Disney’s first Latina princess to the screen,” Gerber told The Hollywood Reporter. “Everyone involved with Elena of Avalor, from the creative team to the unbelievable cast and crew, felt the responsibility to get this right. We created the character of Elena with the hope that she would be a role model, not just for young Latina girls watching, but for all children to be able to see what a true leader looks like.”
This show was so impactful, far beyond just the children that watched it.
I was 20 years old, working at the Disney Store when this showed premiered. As a Latina, I was so excited to learn about this show. Elena is the role model young girls need. I will always speak highly about Elena of Avalor. Thank you to the entire team that made the show possible
“From the beginning, Elena’s story arc has been that she would one day become queen,” Gerber told The Hollywood Reporter. “With the series finale, the creative team has been able to bring Elena’s story to the thrilling conclusion that we always envisioned. I can’t wait for viewers to see the final chapter in Elena’s epic adventure.”
Elena’s legacy within the Latino community is going to last forever, that’s for sure.
Elena was the only person my newly 9 year old wanted to meet when we went to Disney last year. I'm sad to see it end, but thank you for being the one Princess my "little girl" stayed attached to this whole time! We can cry together when it ends!
From all of the “Elena of Avalor” fans, thank you. This show gave us a chance to see our cultures reflected and celebrated with the Disney magic behind it. What a special moment in entertainment this is.
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Recently, news broke that beloved Mexican-American director Robert Rodriguez is set to executive producer Disney+’s new Star Wars series, The Book of Boba Fett. This news broke at the same event that Disney announced that Rosario Dawson will be getting her own Star Wars series on Disney+, a Mandalorian spinoff entitled Ahsoka.
Pair these events with Pedro Pascal headlining The Mandalorian, and it appears that Disney is making some real and concerted effort to hire Latino talent.
And the pattern didn’t just start this year. Since the franchise’s reboot in 2015, Disney has consistently hired Latinos to take part in Star Wars Universe in front of and behind the camera.
In light of this, we’ve compiled a definitive list of all of the Latinos that have been involved in the Star Wars Universe. Take a look below!
1. Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
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Guatemalan-American actor Oscar Isaac was one of the first Latinos to set off Disney’s streak of hiring Latino talent for the Star Wars franchise. Isaac (nee Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada) played Poe Dameron, a fighter pilot who rose in the ranks to become General of the Resistance. He appeared in all three movies of the Star Wars reboot trilogy: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.
2. Pedro Pascal as Mando
Credit: theguyinthechair18/Instagram
Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal plays the titular character in The Mandalorian (his true name is a spoiler), a solitary bounty hunter who travels to the “outer reaches” of the galaxy in order to protect Baby Yoda.
3. Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano
Credit: Star Wars/Twitter
This season, Rosario Dawson played Ahsoka Tano in The Mandolorian–an alien of the Togruta race who is also a Jedi knight and army commander. It was also recently announced that the actress of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent would be headlining a spinoff series on Disney+ entitled Ahsoka.
4. Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
Credit: felineastronaut/Twitter
Mexican actor Diego Luna played Rebel Alliance soldier Cassian Andor in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Luna will also star in his own standalone series revolving around Cassian Andor on Disney+ called Andor.
5. Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata
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Mexican-born actress Lupita Nyong’o played alien pirate queen Maz Kanata via motion capture in all three of the Star Wars reboot trilogy: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.
6. Benicio Del Toro as DJ
Credit: ComicBookNOW/Twitter
Boricua actor Benicio Del Toro played the villainous hacker DJ in The Last Jedi.
7. Jimmy Smits as Senator Bail Organa
Credit: ComicBookNOW/Twitter
Brooklyn-born Boricua actor Jimmy Smits played Bail Organa in two of the Star Wars prequel movies, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith as well as reprising his role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
8. Horatio Sanz as Mythrol
Credit: TheSWU/Twitter
Although you might not recognize him through such heavy character makeup, Chilean-America comedian Horatio Sanz played Mythrol, a wanted fugitive that was carbon-frozen by Pascal’s character in the first episode of The Mandolorian.
9. John Leguizamo as Gor Koresh
Credit: TheRoninNews/Twitter
Again, you’d be hard-pressed to recognize John Leguizamo amidst all the heavy alien makeup, but the Colombian-American actor played the character Gor Koresh in The Mandolorian–boastful forager of the Abyssin alien race.
10. Robert Rodriguez
Credit: Getty Images
As we reported above, Robert Rodriguez is a legendary Mexican-American director who helmed a popular episode of The Mandolorian entitled “The Tragedy”. He is now set to executive produce a new Disney+ Star Wars series called The Book of Boba Fett.
11. Adria Arjona
Credit: adriaarjona/Instagram
Puerto Rican actress Adria Arjona has not officially appeared in any Star Wars properties yet, but it was recently announced that she will be appearing in Diego Luna’s Star Wars spinoff series Andor as a yet-to-be-named character.
12. Pablo Hidalgo
Credit: pabloarteche/Twitter
Pablo Hidalgo is the definition of behind-the-scenes talent. The Chilean-Canadian LucasFilm creative executive is in charge of keeping narrative and creative cohesion between all of the stories within the Star Wars Universe. In essence, he is the definitive Star Wars expert.
Chadwick Boseman’s role of T’Challa in “Black Panther” will not be recast in honor of the cator’s legacy. Boseman died unexpectedly of cancer earlier this year sending shockwave of grief through Hollywood and his fanbase.
Disney is honoring Chadwick Boseman by not recasting his role in the sequel to “Black Panther.”
Black Panther 2, opening July 8, 2022, is being written & directed by Ryan Coogler. Honoring Chadwick Boseman’s legacy & portrayal of T’Challa, @MarvelStudios will not recast the character, but will explore the world of Wakanda & the rich characters introduced in the first film.
According to NBC News, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told investors that the company had no plans to recast Boseman’s role in the superhero sequel. There has been speculation about what Disney would do about the historic role. At one point, executive producer Victoria Alonso had to deny rumors that a virtual double was being used to fill Boseman’s role on the movie.
“I wanted to acknowledge the devastating loss of a dear friend and member of the Marvel Studios family. Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally. His portrayal of T’Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel’s past,” Feige said, according to reports. “It’s for that reason that we will not recast the character. However, to honor the legacy that Chad helped us build through his portrayal of the king of Wakanda, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all of the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film. Writer/director Ryan Coogler is hard at work on the sequel now, and we’ll bring the film to you in theaters July 8, 2022.”
The MTV Movie and TV Awards: Greatest of all Time honored Boseman with the “Hero for the Ages” award.
“The second you first saw him onscreen or had the opportunity to meet him in person, his energy and intensity was undeniable,” Robert Downey Jr. said as he and Don Cheadle gave tribute to Boseman. “There was something different and special about Chadwick Boseman. Mr. Boseman truly embodied what it meant to be a superhero. His impact as a groundbreaking leading man, as an icon on screen… it won’t be quantified by the box office records he broke but by the legion of fans who will celebrate him for many years to come.”
Boseman, who died of cancer at age 43, was not just a hero on screen.
Boseman’s death added a devastating loss in the middle of a deadly pandemic. The death was a surprise to many as Boseman kept his cancer a secret. Fans and co-stars paid tributes to Boseman because of the importance he made in Hollywood representation.
The sweet honor to the late actor was received with love and respect from fans.
He was definitely one of a kind he will surely be missed rest in power my brother✌🙏…. pic.twitter.com/3k4Mjku775
