How Latinos Are Taking Part in Disney's Centennial Celebrations

This Monday marks the 100th anniversary of the first ever Disney series, called "Alice Comedies" and released by the Disney brothers – Walt and Roy.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Cinderella", "The Lion King", "Beauty and the Beast", "Finding Nemo", and "Toy Story" are few of their classic hit movies that have become favorites for many and helped make Disney an entertainment powerhouse that also features what are perhaps the most famous theme parks in the world, TV shows, videogames and cruise ships.

Throughout the years the company, which currently has over 220,000 employees, has sought to make cultural diversity a part of its criteria when creating content, something that has generated praise on some sectors of society and criticism on others, a notable example being Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. When it comes to the Latino community, highlights include recent films focusing on Colombian and Mexican heritage, as well as an iconic, almost 80-year-old movie.

"Encanto"

The animated film takes place in "La Tierra Querida" (The Loved Land), Colombia, and follows the Madrigal family – each one of them has their own unique gift except Mirabel, the protagonist. The family faces many hardships while Mirabel discovers who she is and her power. This movie focuses on parts of the Colombian culture such as realismo magico and showcases local delicacies such as arepas. The film's soundtrack includes the hit single "We Don't Talk About Bruno", by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which sat at the first spot of the Billboard 200 charts for nine weeks.

"Coco"

The Mexican-themed animation "Coco" is based on music and "El Dia de los Muertos" (The Day of the Dead). Though Miguel, the main character, shows a passion for music, his family is unaccepting of it, especially Mama Coco – his grandmother. The reluctancy comes from old family history, which Miguel uncovers and seeks to heal by making his way into the Land of the Dead.

"The Three Caballeros"

The 1945 series presents Donald Duck traveling through South America with two friends – a Brazilian parrot and a Mexican rooster. "The Three Caballeros" sing, dance, and celebrate Latin culture. It became a cultural appreciation as a cause for many Latinos not being represented at the time.

Beyond Latino-focused films, Latin actors have also played major roles in Disney's most recent cash cows: the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars universe: examples of these are Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Salma Hayek as Ajak in The Eternals and Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian in the eponymous series.

As part of its celebration, Disney released an interactive experience on TikTok where fans can use Disney audios, watch videos and collect both profile frames and character cards — 6 per week – that include Mirabel, Miguel, Woody, and Minnie Mouse.

Additionally, Disney+ has created a whole section in their streaming platform dedicated to the 100 years where users can browse through multiple movies from each decade.