For little Black and Brown girls everywhere, representation matters. Being able to see themselves in the characters they love can mean so much—in addition to seeing themselves as the young queens they already are. The photography powerhouse CreativeSoul understands the impact this can have on younger generations, and recently released a super dope photo project that reimagined young girls as Afrocentric Disney princesses.

For over a decade, CreativeSoul founders Regis and Kahran Bethencourt have pursued initiatives aligning with their mission of celebrating youth of color in artistic new ways through adding Afrocentric design elements to their visuals to showcase the beauty and strength of diversity. Now, Disney is taking the project to new heights as they partner with the creative duo for the unveiling of a collection of dolls inspired by the photos.

Afrocentric Disney princesses reimagined as dolls. Image: courtesy of Disney.

“Our mission has always been to bring bold, inspiring images of people of color to life,”Kahran Bethencourt said in a statement. “We are both excited and proud of this project and hope that through the lens of photography, it will help further empower young girls of color and show they can be a princess too,” added Regis. 

The dolls will be featured at Walt Disney World Resort’s EPCOT International Festival of the Arts presented by AT&T where the CreativeSoul Photography founders will be present for book and doll signings from February 3, 2023 to February5, 2023. In addition to the dolls, there will be a series of five photographic prints of the models which inspired the dolls, including one bonus print that pays tribute to Elsa. The festival, which runs through February 20, 2023 will also showcase the natural-styled wigs and life-size dresses of the models on display. For those unable to attend in person, the Afrocentric princess dolls will also be available to purchase online at shopDisney for $60 each.

Original photo of reimagined Afrocentric Snow White shot by CreativeSoul. Image: courtesy of CreativeSoul Group.

This collection is another way that Disney continues to Celebrate Soulfully, which is an initiative that invites families and friends to gather for experiences that honor Black heritage and culture through music, food, art and more.