'Latin-inspired' Elena of Avalor to join other princesses at Disney World this summer

Actress Aimee Carrero, who voices the title role in Disney's "Elena of Avalor," gets a first-look at the new Elena doll during a recording session for the series in Burbank, California. The doll, from Hasbro, will debut at Toy Fair in New York City on Friday, February 12, and "Elena of Avalor," a new animated TV series set in a fairytale kingdom inspired by Latin cultures and folklore, will premiere this summer on Disney Channel. (Disney Junior/Matt Petit)AIMEE CARRERO (© 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Elena of Avalor, the closest Disney has come to creating a Latina princess, will join the likes of Belle, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, at Disney World this summer, during the amusement park's Awaken Summer presentation, the company announced today.

Disney doesn't officially refers to Elena as a Latina princess, instead saying that she inhabits an imaginary world and is “inspired by diverse Latin culture.”

Elena was introduced to the public in January, and plans for the character have been released during the spring. This summer, viewers will finally get a chance to see her make her debut in a series of episodes of "Sofia the First," on Disney Junior.

The star of that show, Princess Sofia, was originally dubbed Disney’s first Latina princess, but Disney executives backtracked and blurred her cultural identity as simply fantasy that wasn't "meant to specifically represent ... real world cultures."

In its original announcement earlier this year, Disney noted that Elena of Avalor is "influenced by culture and traditions that are familiar to the worldwide population of Hispanic and Latino families."

During the episodes, Sofia will work to help free Elena of a magical amulet that has imprisoned her for decades – ironically, a piece of jewelry that Sofia herself wears, according to Polygon.

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