I shared here about growing up without a Latina animated character and why Elena of Avalor is important. Well, last month, I had the amazing opportunity to meet Silvia Olivas, the co-producer and head writer of the very first Disney Latina princess, Elena of Avalor.

Meeting Silvia Olivas was one of the highlights of my experience at We All Grow Summit in California. I enjoyed listening to Silvia and learning more about the inspiration behind this strong Disney princess who is on a journey to become a ruler and a better person.

Silvia shared with the audience: “Ever since I was a little girl I wanted a Disney Latina princess, and every time I am writing a script, a new episode, I am thinking about the little girls watching. And I am thinking: I see you. You matter. I want to tell your stories”

I LOVE what she said. As a Latina mom, Elena of Avalor represents kids like my children who now can view themselves in a television series. Not only that, but this very first Disney Latina princess is also a great tool to ignite understanding between the non-Latinos on the culture that I care deeply about.

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Getting To Know Silvia Olivas

Latinos make up only 2.8% of writers staffed on television shows, and Silvia Olivas is one of them. The day she realized that she wanted to be a writer was when she was a little girl and her mom wrote a letter to the local newspaper about a gambling problem in the community. The newspaper printed the letter and that brought positive changes.

I think it’s amazing how Silvia brings her own experiences to the scripts she writes. For example, did you know that Elena’s abuelos were inspired by her own grandparents? In the series, they are portrayed as an integral part of Elena’s life, a traditional role in the Latino families.

Plus, A Writing Tip From Silvia Olivas

Unfortunately, we were only able to hear Silvia Olivas for 11 minutes. Despite that short amount of time, she still managed to share with us a writing tip!!!

She used an Elena of Avalor’s episode to teach us how to build a theme. This is what she said: “When you think of your story: think to hit the theme. Think: therefore this happens and therefore that happens. Storytelling is problem-solving”

Very cool, right?

Elena of Avalor is Disney’s first Latina princess and the series is inspired by Latin American culture.

I was a 90s kid who liked playing with dolls. I grew up with Ariel (Little Mermaid) and Belle (Beauty and the Beast). I remember how the most sparkly and glittery stuff in the dolls store aisle were about these two Disney princesses.

A few years later, when Pocahontas came out, I was in that weird period of transitioning from dolls to other interests. Although I still watched the movie, I didn’t ask for a Pocahontas doll for Christmas. I had moved on from that fun stage.

It took several years for me to get interested again on Disney princesses. In fact, it was actually my daughter, the one that wanted to wear Cinderella dresses all day long, that pushed me back to that magic world again.

One day when I was thinking how peculiar it was that for the past three Halloweens, the only thing she insisted on being was Cinderella, things clicked for me. Cinderella was HER! Her http://onhealthy.net blond hair and fair skin were like Cinderella’s. She saw herself on that doll.

Now that was a new thing to me since I never experienced the same about Ariel, Belle or other character when I was my daughter’s age. Most of the dolls in the market had blond hair and blue eyes. Nada como yo.

And then Elena of Avalor came out….

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Elena of Avalor: Disney’s First Latina Princess

On July 22, Disney Channel will air the adventures of the very first Latina princess, Elena Castillo Flores. (Isn’t that a cool name?) As a Latina mother who wants to instill cultural pride in my daughters, this is exciting!

I watched the trailer with my girls and loved finding many components of my culture. From the festive music to the architecture, it felt so authentic.

It makes me happy that many Latino kids will see themselves and their culture in this Disney princess. Elena of Avalor represents identity and another invitation to promote heritage and language to our children.