Disney has been forced to defend 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 November 18 on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior.
After a blogger pointed out that Sofia’s mother, Miranda, had darker skin than her fair-skinned, blue-eyed young daughter, executive Executive Producer Jamie Mitchell confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that “she is Latina”.
However, Hispanic advocacy groups questioned whether the 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.
“Sofia the First” co-executive producer Craig Gerber was then forced to defend the character, saying in a Facebook post last Friday that Sofia is “a mixed-heritage princess in a fairytale world.”