It’s never easy to say goodbye. #ElenaOfAvalor was a 6-year journey. If you include #SofiaTheFirst, I’ve spent 10 years in the “EverRealm.” I loved this world. I loved these characters. I loved the folks I got to tell these stories with. This is truly the end of an era. 1/23

It was a tremendous honor & privilege to create Disney’s first Latina princess. I spent most of my childhood in the LA area with its vibrant, inspiring Latino community and saw how important representation is first-hand. So I felt an enormous pressure to get this right. 2/23

We wanted to make Elena the Disney Princess who'd make the best model. So we put her in charge of her kingdom on Day One. We wanted Latino kids to see themselves on screen as heroes. We wanted girls to see a young woman become a great leader. We wanted everyone to see that. 3/23

Like anything worth doing, it wasn’t easy. Expectations were sky-high but we only had a TV budget & schedule. So we assembled a talented, diverse team of writers, artists, actors, musicians, editors, animators, technicians and production staff who always gave it their all. 4/23

Elena wouldn’t have been as good as it was without several key people. @elliotbour, our Supervising Director turned every script into a mini-movie with his artistic vision, sense of humor, and sheer animation genius. He also turned “whoosh” sound effects into an art-form. 5/23

. @PilarFlynn, our Producer, led the crew with incredible grace and tenacity. She taught me as much about leadership as Elena’s abuelo taught her. She took care of everyone and made great things happen. Including finding the $$$ for a live orchestra on our finale’s score. 6/23

. @Olivas2Silvia, our Head Writer & Co-EP, combined her storytelling skill & life experience to give Elena’s familia the authenticity that not only spoke to Latino audiences but anyone with a family. She artfully blended heart, humor and action in every script. 7/23

With only her voice, @aimeecarrero can make you laugh hysterically or sob uncontrollably. I will miss being in studio with her and all the Black Swan takes and marveling at how much heart & thoughtfulness she brought to the role. Aimee, you will be my Queen forever. 8/23

Speaking of acting, I'm incredibly proud of the entire cast of #ElenaOfAvalor. I typed up the whole cast list below. Over 70% of our 200+ speaking roles were diverse. 80% of the main cast were Latino. I can’t believe I got to work with all these talented folks on one show! 9/23

For the songs (on Elena & Sofia) I lucked into working with an actual genius, @kavsix, who can craft a tune in any genre that you will not be able to stop humming. He helped me realize my dream of making music despite not having any talent & I’m eternally grateful! 10/23

#FrankMontagna, our Art Director, oversaw the design of all the locations, characters, lighting, and props. I don’t know how many sets we had, but it was definitely more than we were budgeted for, so Frank deserves a TON of credit for making everything look so beautiful. 11/23

Our directors @robb_pratt and @monkeybuttchew brought their A-game to every episode. They also oversaw a crack storyboard team who drew their way through some insanely complicated sequences. I am giving them a standing ovation as I tweet this! 12/23

Our staff writers had to switch genres every week but still stay on tone and try to elicit laughs, tears, gasps and a satisfying ending in just 20 minutes. Thank u @rachelruderman @tomrogersbook #KateKondell @cambaity @beccatopol @mercedesmvalle #KaitaMpambara & #DonPerez! 13/23

Our composer @tmcomposes musically captured every moment perfectly whether dramatic, comedic, epic, or anything in between. I'm so glad he finally got the live orchestra his music deserved! 14/23

My Sofia partners, director #JamieMitchell & producer @ClayRenfroe, as well as the whole #SofiaTheFirst crew, helped blaze the trail for Elena by all their incredible work on #ElenaAndTheSecretOfAvalor. 15/23

Animating Elena is freaking hard given the time & money constraints. But @ICON_CGI & @Technicolor India went above & beyond to elevate the show. Technicolor did the final 3 regular-length eps & ICON did the finale. Both studios blew us away w/ their artistry! 16/23

Almost 11 years ago, I met Nancy Kanter at @DisneyJunior, who said if I ever had any ideas for a show about a young princess to give her a ring. That "ring" changed my life. I can’t thank her enough. 17/23

I also need to thank @DisneyJunior execs @joedambrosia213, Diane Ikemiyashiro and Gabe Monje-Paulson for shepherding our show along the way as well as @DisneyChannel prez Gary Marsh for all the support over the years. 18/23

Our crew had amazing cultural guidance from @mdaviles1 and Diane Rodriguez (RIP). They taught us so much about Latino culture, folklore and history—and the show wouldn’t have been as rich & meaningful without them. 19/23

There are so many more folks to thank, from song producer @DannyJacobMusic to Technical Director extraordinaire @jslipchi to production coordinator @AllenMartsch to many many others. If I didn’t mention u, I am still thinking of u w/ much gratitude! 20/23

There’s 1 more huge thank u to give. To the fans. We worked so hard to craft an epic story w/ huge character arcs & subtle moments. The Elena fandom noticed our efforts big & small. Your enthusiasm kept us going when the grind wore us down. You’ve been our Guiding Light. 21/23

But the end of #ElenaOfAvalor also means the end of my time in the world of #SofiaTheFirst. It's been a magical journey & I can’t believe it’s finally over. Thank u Sofia fans for all the years of love & support & for making Elena possible. It's been an ah-mazing ride! 22/23

So this is it for me & princesses 4 a while. My goal was to create shows with positive role models 4 kids of all ages w/ diverse characters & feature-style storytelling. It was a blast living that dream 4 a decade. And I’ll miss everyone who shared this dream with me.23/23