Primos

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***Primos*** is an upcoming animated comedy series created by Natasha Kline for Disney Channel. It is set to debut in June 2024 on Disney Channel and Disney+.

## Premise

From creator and executive producer Natasha Kline, the series, set in Terremoto Heights, follows Tater, an eccentric 10-year-old girl with big dreams and, unbeknownst to her, a certain “it factor” that makes her exceptional. When her 12 cousins (“primos” in Spanish) move in for the summer, they help her discover just what it is. Tater’s aspirations and larger-than-life imagination are seen via entries in her super-secret diary, which turn her deepest thoughts into grandiose animation sequences.

## Press Information

*Primos* was first pitched to Disney in 2017 but passed on. Then the series was officially greenlit by Disney Channel in 2020 and production on the series started in February of 2021.

News of the series was first announced on November 3, 2021, by senior vice president and general manager, Meredith Roberts.
Longtime storyboard artist, director, and writer Natasha Kline will serve as executive producer. Philip Cohen will serve as a producer and Shaun Cashman as the Supervising Director, with Karla Sakas Shropshire working as the story editor.

Kline said, “*Primos* is set in childhood summers spent with my cousins under one roof, and the comedy that’s borne from that wonderfully hectic setting. As a kid, I didn’t see myself or my culture represented onscreen, so I’m excited to share my family dynamic through these new Disney characters and stories.”

Roberts added, “It’s been especially gratifying to see Natasha directing more than 30 episodes of our #1 series *Big City Greens* while also creating her own new show that bears her authentic comedic voice and her family’s culture and values. We’re looking forward to delivering it to kids and families worldwide.”

On June 15, 2022, Disney Branded Television revealed that the series would be receiving 10 additional episodes, bringing the total from 20 episodes to a 30 episode count for Season 1.

### Controversy

Upon the release of the intro, the series was met with incredibly divisive reactions, particularly from the Mexican community who felt that the show was playing into negative and repetitive stereotypes. Series creator Natasha Kline has defended the show's premise as they relate to being of mixed Mexican-American descent that she felt were true to her own personal experiences. The controversy resulted in the intro getting taken down from Facebook and Twitter, though it is still available to view on YouTube.

After the pilot episode had gotten leaked online and it was immediately slammed for a multitude of items. For instance, the main character, Tater, incorrectly spells "bienvenidos" where she forgets a few letters before being corrected by her older sister Nellie. Latinos on social media demanded answers but were instead greeted by Myrna Velasco, the voice actor behind Tater, but they claimed she was insulting them, just because she uses different vocabulary and didn't feel the need to prove how Latin she was to anyone. Tater's home city, “Terremoto Heights,” which translates to ” Earthquake Heights” was also called tone-deaf by the Mexican community as they have a vast history of earthquake disasters. Further criticism was directed at the opening theme song’s misuse of the Spanish word ­”oye” in the ¡Oye! ¡Primos! verse instead of the plural form, “oigan.” The “Oye, Primos!” demonstrates that Tater's first language is English, so, her conjugations wouldn't makes no sense because she hasn't been properly taught, which is feasible.

Myrna Velasco took to her social media to defend the song but escalated the situation with a response that came across as dismissive and self-righteous. Her exact quote is as follows:

> “The Spanish language is not a Latin-American language. It’s a language the Spanish conquistadors forced upon Latin American people. The only reason we’re Latin people and not Native American people is because of that distinction. So be mad at me all you want for misspelling words in Spanish. Be mad at me all you want for mispronouncing words in Spanish. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I am a Mexican-American Native-American woman.”
>
>

 Detractors question if this is a convenient excuse to explain the mistake, as the drama was allowed to fester for a while before being addressed by the creator. They also further point to the ridiculousness of Myrna Velasco’s hostile response online instead of her explaining the show’s context.

## Content

### Seasons

 Follow Tater Ramirez Humphrey and her 12 primos who move in for the summer, and help her discover just what her “it factor” is.

## Cast

* Tater Ramirez Humphrey (voiced by Myrna Velasco)
* Nellie Ramirez Humphrey (voiced by Melissa Villaseñor)
* Bibi Ramirez Humphrey (voiced by Michelle Ortiz)
* Bud Humphrey (voiced by Jim Conroy)

## Trivia

* The series was announced on November 3, 2021.
* The series marks the 38th Disney Channel original animated series following *Hailey's On It!*.
	+ This also marks the 96th produced series by Disney Television Animation, following *Hailey's On It!*.
* The series is based on creator Natasha Kline’s childhood experiences with her extended multicultural Mexican American family.
* This will be the tenth Disney Television Animation series to be created by an woman, after Sue Rose with *Pepper Ann*, Daron Nefcy with *Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil*, Chris Nee with *Doc McStuffins* and *Vampirina*, Krista Tucker with *Fancy Nancy*, Dana Terrace with *The Owl House*, Latoya Raveneu with *Rise Up Sing Out*, Helen Sugland with *Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur*, Chelsea Beyl with *Alice’s Wonderland Bakery* and Lucy Heavens with *Kiff*.
* The series has a very similar premise to the Nickelodeon animated series, *The Loud House* and its spinoff, *The Casagrandes*. It is also similar to the Disney Channel live-action series *Stuck in the Middle* which ran from 2016 to 2018.

## External links

* Primos on Wikipedia
* Primos on DisneyNow
* Primos on Disney Wiki
* Primos on the Internet Movie Database

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Disney Television Animation, Disney Junior and Disney EMEA Original Productions Unveil Huge Slate of Animated Programming To Air Across Disney+ and Other Disney Platforms During Annecy International Animation Film Festival
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Disney's upcoming animated series "Primos" has been delayed until June of 2024 per EIDR
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Disney Greenlights Animated Family Comedy ‘Primos’ From Natasha Kline
4. ↑ Small details of Disney's 'PRIMOS': — Primos was pitched to Disney in 2017 — Primos was greenlight in September 2020 and started production in February 2021.
5. ↑ SNEAK PEEK AT DISNEY’S NEW ANIMATED SERIES “PRIMOS”
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Disney's 'Primos' Faces Racist Backlash
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Disney ‘Primos’ Pilot Leaked, Angry Critics Demand Immediate Cancellation