By Zach Johnson
Princess Elena’s heroic journey to become queen will culminate in an epic prime-time finale special of Disney’s Emmy®- and Imagen Award-winning series Elena of Avalor, premiering Sunday, August 23, at 7 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes leading up to the finale will debut every Sunday, beginning July 26, at 5 p.m. ET/PT, and all episodes will debut on Disney Junior and DisneyNOW. Inspired by diverse Latin cultures and folklore, Elena of Avalor premiered in 2016 and tells the story of Elena, a brave and adventurous teenager who has been learning what it takes to be a great leader by ruling her enchanted fairy-tale kingdom as crown princess until she’s old enough to be queen. Airing in more than 150 countries worldwide, the hit series has been lauded for its messages of leadership and inclusiveness.
“It has been a tremendous honor for me to bring Disney’s first Latina princess to the screen,” says creator and executive producer Craig Gerber. “Everyone involved with Elena of Avalor, from the creative team to the unbelievable cast and crew, felt the responsibility to get this right. We created the character of Elena with the hope that she would be a role model, not just for young Latina girls watching, but for all children to be able to see what a true leader looks like. From the beginning, Elena’s story arc has been that she would one day become queen. With the series finale, the creative team has been able to bring Elena’s story to the thrilling conclusion that we always envisioned. I can’t wait for viewers to see the final chapter in Elena’s epic adventure.”
In the prime-time special Elena of Avalor: Coronation Day, as plans for Elena’s (voice of Aimee Carrero) coronation are underway, Esteban’s (voice of Christian Lanz) team of villains unleash legendary spirit misfits, the Four Shades of Awesome. In order to save her kingdom, her family and her friends, Elena must journey to the Spirit World and back, and face the ultimate test of her courage and character, before becoming queen. Jenny Slate, Mark Hamill, Fred Armisen, and Andy Garcia guest star as the Four Shades of Awesome. Patrick Warburton guest stars as Grand Macaw, ruler of the dark side of the Spirit World.
The series also features the voice talents of Jenna Ortega as Princess Isabel; Chris Parnell, Yvette Nicole Brown and Carlos Alazraqui as jaquins Migs, Luna and Skylar, respectively; Emiliano Díez as Francisco; Julia Vera as Luisa; Jillian Rose Reed as Naomi; Joseph Haro as Mateo; Jorge Diaz as Gabe; Keith Ferguson as Zuzo and Joe Nunez as Armando. Elena of Avalor will continue to air on Disney Junior and Disney Channel platforms around the world. In addition, the series’ first two seasons are currently available to stream on Disney+.
The finale also features returning guest voice cast members Constance Marie, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jaime Camil, Justina Machado, Gina Rodriguez, Mario Lopez, Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, John Leguizamo, Cheech Marin, Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg, Cloris Leachman, Chrissie Fit, Tyler Posey, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz, Kether Donohue, Nestor Carbonell, Andrea Navedo, Eden Espinosa, Ana Ortiz, Gina Torres, and Gaby Moreno, who also sings the Elena of Avalor theme song.
