Elena of Avalor Makes Her Royal Debut Friday July 22nd on Disney Channel and Disney Junior (7:00-8:00 p.m., EDT)Our family is pretty much obsessed with everything Disney! Recently during the Disney Social Media Moms Conference I was thrilled to be in the presence of Nancy Kanter, executive vp original programming and general manager at Disney Junior Worldwide. She introduced the attendees to Disney’s first Latina Princess, Elena of Avalor. It was love at first sight for me. I immediately had a connection to her. I personally am not Latina, but have taught in the inner city for the past twenty years. I knew deep in my heart exactly what this would mean to every little girl I had taught along the way. It was like a dream come true to me and to the world.

 Little did I know that within a few weeks I would be invited to the  Elena of Avalor NYC  Press Junket and get to meet Aimee Carrero who Stars as the Voice of Princess Elena. It was so special to me to sit just a row in front of her as she watched with an very intimate group Elena of Avalor for the very first time. Of course, I cannot lie, by the time the screening arrived, my daughter had played the Disney Channel you tube previews and opening song so many times that I could sing along word for word. It was also a perk that my family was able to accompany me to the screening. We each had our own ideas on exactly what that very first episode would be like and many speculations on the amulet. So, the music played and the screening began and quite honestly it was nothing like I expected. It was so much better.

Let me explain, I was a boymom for sixteen years before Emily was born. I never thought twice about how boys vs girls were presented in programming until Emily was born. By becoming a girlmom it made me take a second and very hard look at exactly how things are presented to little boys and little girls. Now that Emily is nine I am very concerned about the inner strength she will need to take on the upcoming years that are approaching rapidly. I am on a constant hunt for women that are role models for her to connect with. The entire “Dream Big Princess” brought tears to my eyes the first hundred times it played on our tv and each and every time I would find the courage without crying to grab my little girl and give her a squeeze and whisper, Dream Big Princess.

Elena is a perfect role models for girls. She is someone who believes in herself and is not on a quest to find Prince Charming. She finds what she needs within herself and her family. Can there be any better lesson to teach our own daughters? Elena is also geared for girls up to age eleven. Thank you, Disney! Thank you for not making this a preschool show because my daughter is nine and still wants to hang onto Princess Sofia. Princess Elena is all about empowerment, adventure and family. She is a hero and an adventurer!

You will not want to miss the premiere of Elena of Avalor. Gather the family. Both girls and boys will enjoy this show. There is something for everyone and lessons to be learned. There are many many conversation starters within the episodes that you can chat about with your family within the days following up. That is what I love the most. The fact that Disney helps me to be a better parent. Princess Elena will help me to bring up issues my own daughter may be having in her life. There is nothing more I could ask for than being able to talk to my children about whatever may be going on.

During the first episode Princess Elena is preparing for her birthday party when an evil sorceress appears and threatens the entire family. Elena saves her kingdom but is cast into an amulet where she can find safety. Her grandparents and younger sister are put into a magical painting where the four survive for forty one years until the spell is broken. Elena, her grandparents and her sister Isabelreappear to continue the celebration that was to take place many years ago in the enchanted fairytale land of Avalor. Although Elena feels she is ready to be crowned queen, she quickly realizes it takes a little more learning before that can actually happen. Elena’s journey will help her to find the traits she needs to become as great a leader as the many who have been queen before her. The episode also introduces Zuzo, Elena’s spirit guide in the animal world, based on the belief of a Mayan tribe in southern Mexico. Our family loved him!

The stories incorporate influences from diverse Latin and Hispanic cultures through architecture, traditions, food and customs. Magic, mythology, folklore and music also play an important role, with each episode featuring original songs spanning an array of Latin musical styles including Mariachi, Latin Pop, Salsa, Banda and Chilean Hip Hop.

Our site had the pleasure of interviewing Aimee Carrero, the voice of Elena of Avalor. Please enjoy:

Princess Elena of Avalor will make her royal debut in the highly anticipated animated series “Elena of Avalor,” with a one-hour premiere event Friday July 22 (7:00-8:00 p.m., EDT), on Disney Channel. The theme song is performed by Gaby Moreno, Latin Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist, and Elena’s anthem “My Time” is performed by Aimee Carrero. In addition, this fall, Disney Channel will air a special TV movie titled “Elena and the Secret of Avalor,” which explains how Elena was imprisoned for decades in her magical amulet and eventually set free by Princess Sofia of Enchancia. I need to know the date, so I do not make ANY plans!

“Elena of Avalor” stars Aimee Carrero as the voice of Elena; Jenna Ortega as Princess Isabel; Chris Parnell, Yvette Nicole Brown and Carlos Alazraqui as the jaquins Migs, Luna and Skylar respectively; Emiliano Díez as Francisco; Julia Vera as Luisa; Christian Lanz as Chancellor Esteban; Jillian Rose Reed as Naomi; Joseph Haro as Mateo; Jorge Diaz as Gabe; Keith Ferguson as Zuzo; and Joe Nunez as Armando.

 The recurring guest voice cast includes: Constance Marie as Doña Paloma, Magister of the Traders Guild; Lou Diamond Phillips as Victor Delgado, a debonair villain who uses his charisma to deceive the people around him; Justina Machado and Jaime Camil as siblings Carmen and Julio, who run a restaurant in Avalor; Rich Sommer as Captain Daniel Turner, Naomi’s father and harbormaster; Tyler Posey as Prince Alonso, a charming prince from the Argentine-inspired Kingdom of Cordoba; Lucas Grabeel as Jiku, the leader of the Noblins; and Echo Kellum as King Joaquín, a monarch from the Caribbean-inspired Kingdom of Cariza, who is a trusted and close friend of Elena.

 The guest voice cast for season one includes: Tituss Burgess as Charoca, a magical volcano creature based on a Chilean myth; Ana Ortiz as Rafa, Mateo’s mother; Ivonne Coll as Doña Angelica, an absent-minded and overly dramatic ghost; Hector Elizondo as Fiero, a wicked wizard; Odette Annable as Señorita Marisol, Isabel’s enthusiastic young teacher; Danny Trejo as Antonio Agama, a popular Avaloran hero; Anthony Mendez as King Juan Ramón, a monarch from the Argentine-inspired Kingdom of Cordoba; Eden Espinosa as Orizaba, an evil moth fairy banished to the spirit world; Marsai Martin as Cat, a budding scientist and adventurer; Aasif Mandvi as King Raja, a monarch from the Indian-inspired Kingdom of Napurna; and George Takei as King Toshi, a monarch from the Japanese-inspired Kingdom of Satu.

 Latin Grammy Award winner Gaby Moreno performs the series’ theme song and will also voice a guest role. Born in Guatemala, Moreno performs her music, which ranges from blues to jazz to soul to R&B, in both English and Spanish. In addition to winning the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2013, Moreno was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2010 for co-writing the theme song to “Parks and Recreation.”

 “Elena of Avalor” was created by Emmy Award winner Craig Gerber, who also serves as executive producer. Silvia Cardenas Olivas is the story editor, and Elliot M. Bour is the supervising director. The series’ cultural advisors are Marcela Davison Avilés, founder of The Chapultepec Group, co-founder of the international Latino arts initiative Camino Arts, and Director of Humanities Programs at the FDR Foundation at Harvard University; and Diane Rodriguez, Associate Artistic Director of Centre Theatre Group and co-founder of the theatre ensemble Latins Anonymous, who was recently appointed by President Obama to be a member of the National Council on the Arts.

Our site also had the pure pleasure of interviewing Craig Gerber and Silvia Cardenas. Please enjoy.

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan/3decades3kids is a Disney Channel Partner Blog. No compensation was given for this post. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan and do not reflect upon the opinions of the parent company represented. Diane Sullivan was invited to the NYC Press Junket for Elena of Avalor and to a media premiere screening. Please contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net, @3decades3kids across all social media platforms and on snapchat: ThreeDecades