Disney Says New Princess Sofia Isn't Latina

Princess Sofia

Disney Princess Sofia Not Latina with Blue Eyes

Disney recently took some flak when they introduced their new princess, Sofia, who was believed to be Latina, with light skin and blue eyes.

Now Disney claims Sofia is not Latina after all.

Sofia's mother comes from the fictional Spanish-speaking country Enchancia, which appears to be loosely based on Spain.

Read: Disney's First Latina Princess Has Blue Eyes, White Skin

Disney isn't touting her as the first Latina princess, but instead Nancy Kanter, senior vice president of original programming and general manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, notes, "What's important to know is that Sofia is a fairytale girl who lives in a fairytale world. All our characters come from fantasy lands that may reflect elements of various cultures and ethnicities but none are meant to specifically represent those real world cultures."

For further analysis, Craig Gerber, co-executive producer/writer for the new Disney Channel movie, Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess, told E! Online, "Princess Sofia is a mixed-heritage princess in a fairy-tale world. Her mother is originally from an enchanted kingdom inspired by Spain (Galdiz) and her birth father hailed from an enchanted kingdom inspired by Scandinavia."

The kerfuffle about the character's ethnicity started when executive producer Jamie Mitchell told Entertainment Weekly, "She is Latina."

Read: Disney Princess Prom Dress Line Announced

Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess airs on the Disney Channel on November 18, with a TV series coming in 2013 on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.