After receiving and considering some negative feedback from viewers last year, Primos has released its official trailer.
Primos is created by Natasha Kline, who decided to make the series after noticing a lack of TV shows that reflected her and her experiences while growing up. As a child, she grew up in the Inland Empire in a family with a dozen cousins and a neighborhood with numerous multicultural and multiracial families. In Primos, she largely recreates the neighborhood she grew up in, capturing its grittiness but also the beauty of its communities. Prior to the official trailer release, Primos garnered a lot of negative attention last year when some viewers began to accuse it of perpetuating racist stereotypes.
In 2023, Disney released the first promo teaser for the show, which was then titled ¡Oye Primos! Many criticized the promo, as well as the title itself, for using poor grammar, although the show seemed to be trying to reflect how the main character’s Mexican-American upbringing affected her Spanish. Viewers also took issue with the city’s name being Terremoto (Earthquake) Heights and that the show seemed to utilize Hollywood’s controversial yellow-tinted “Mexican filter.” Some of the cousins also had questionable names. Recently, Kline confirmed that she took the feedback into consideration and was willing to change the names and setting, but she kept everything that was directly inspired by her experiences growing up.
Now, the series has received an official trailer reflecting some of the show’s changes.
What to expect from Disney’s Primos
Disney released the official trailer for Primos just weeks before its premiere. The show premieres on Disney Channel on July 25 and will be available for streaming the following day on Disney+.
The trailer sees Tater Ramirez Humphrey (Myrna Velasco) preparing for an epic summer in which she will discover her “true self” and explore possibilities for her future. However, her plans are interrupted when her family reveals her 12 cousins will stay with them all summer. Although having 12 extra people in the home is chaotic, Tater realizes her cousins may actually be able to help her in her quest to find her identity. In addition to changing the title, the trailer reveals her home is now Hacienda Hills rather than Terrenoto Heights, and the yellowish tint is gone.
As mentioned above, Velasco voices the lead role of Tater, but she is just one member of a very large voice cast. The 12 cousins’ voice actors are:
- Jonathan Melo as Scooter
- Cristina Valenzuela as Tere and Toñita
- Elizabeth Grullón as Lita
- Rick Simon as Big Nacho and Cousin Bud
- Natasha Kline as Gordita and ChaCha
- Becca Q. Co as Lotlot
- Sarah Tubert as Lucita
- Nomi Ruiz as Tabi
- Ryan Anderson Lopez as Nachito
Meanwhile, Tater’s immediate family will also appear in the series. Angélica María voices Buela, Tater’s grandmother, while Melissa Villaseñor voices Tater’s sister Nellie. Jim Conroy serves as the voice of Tater’s father, Bud, and Michelle Ortiz provides the voice of her mother, Bibi. Primos also sees Cheech Marin voice Tater’s grandfather, Pop, and Liza Koshy voice Tater’s friend Serena.
The official synopsis for Primos reads:
Primos is inspired and created by EmmyⓇ Award-nominated Natasha Kline’s (Big City Greens) childhood experience in Southern California growing up in a large, multicultural and blended Mexican American family. It follows Tater Ramirez Humphrey, an eccentric girl with ambitious summer dreams. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when her family invites all 12 of her cousins to stay with them, leading to a summer of surprises and unforgettable adventures.
Based on the synopsis and trailer, it seems Primos has rectified the main issues that initially raised concern. If it truly does focus on authentically depicting Kline’s experiences growing up in the Inland Empire and steers away from some of the more edgy cartoon humor, it could still accomplish its goal of offering positive Latine representation.
Published: Jul 9, 2024 05:33 pm