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YMMV / Elena of Avalor

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YMMV tropes for the Elena of Avalor series

Tropes with their own pages:

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  • Adorkable:
    • Not always the case, but Elena shows a cuter, more innocent side when it comes to making bad puns, or not completely getting something technical the first time.
    • While not to a significant extent, Naomi shows a cute, dorky side for things she doesn't quite get.
    • Mateo is this even more prominently than Gabe. He geeks out over magical artifacts even if there's more important matters at hand and is adorably awkward whenever he's shown affection.
    • Gabe tries to be the charming heroic guardsman but is really kind of a dork. Pretty typical for an officer fresh from the academy.
    • Isabel is a cute, little science geek who's into everything cute, firmly making her this.
    • It's not to a significant extent, but Professor Ochoa did show a bit of geeky enthusiasm when showing Isabel around.
    • Tomiko shows this even more so than Isabel. She's quite geeky when it comes to her love of science.
    • Olivia is cute as a button when looking up to Mateo.
    • Princess Marisa has a childlike wonder of the surface world that's really adorable. And then there's her first exposure to a mirror, where she makes a lot of silly faces.
    • Not as much as his sister, but when Prince Marzel tries walking on dry land... it doesn't turn out as planned, yet he still has charm.
    • She may be a villain, but Carla is also a complete and total dork, to humorous effect.
    • Hetz may be The Big Guy of the Four Shades of Awesome, but he looks quite adorably goofy while providing back-up vocals to the group's Villain Song, smiling and waving his hands like a little kid.
  • Alternative Character Interpretation: Esteban halfway through Season 3. When Pili says that he may be worse than Ash, Esteban agrees. Has he embraced his evil lifestyle, does he believe he's more powerful than Ash, is he making a Self-Deprecation joke, sucking up to get Chatana and Pili on the team, and/or does he hate himself enough to believe he's a more vile person than Ash? Given the revelation in "Coronation Day" that he doesn't see himself as a villain due to believing his motives are too justified, it's most likely the third or fourth options.
  • Aluminum Christmas Trees: Zppilote resides in Xotep, a volcano with blue lava. In real life, the Indonesian volcano of Kawah Ijen spews out blue lava because of its high sulfur content, which makes the lava turn blue when the sulfur comes into contact with the air. Carla and Esteban finding the smell of Xotep unbearable may be a nod to this, although volcanoes smelling like sulfur is normal.
  • Angst? What Angst?:
    • Queen Camila warmly jokes to her husband about how he sunk her ship and saved her, even though this probably got at least some of the crew and other passengers killed and deprived her of her family for almost twenty years, not to mention that this nearly killed her too. Especially jarring given just how guilt-ridden said husband is about indulging in such ship sinking.
    • Despite being the last Maruvian (and apparently a Maruvian Princess according to outside material), Ixlan is never shown to be troubled by this.
  • Animation Age Ghetto: The show is mainly dismissed for being a Disney Junior princess show, although it certainly pushes the limits of what can be shown on Disney Junior.
  • Awesome Art:
    • The animation really knows how to pack a punch, especially in the big emotional moments. Just a few examples include: "The Magic Within" when Elena rises from the Crystal Well, in "Dreamcatcher" when Elena gives Esteban her Reason You Suck speech, the scene in "Coronation Day" where Elena forgives Esteban.
  • Awesome Music:
    • "Make Them Proud" from "The Jewel of Maru", in which Elena visits her parents' ofrendas and looks back on fond memories she shared with her parents (accompanied by beautiful warm visuals in the flashbacks) as she sings about how she hopes she made them proud as a ruler and a daughter.
    • Esteban's "Something I Would Never Do" from "King of the Carnaval", singing of his guilt over betraying his family and not having the heart to hurt them, all while he dances through a trap-laden room without even breaking a sweat or getting a scratch.
    • The certainly Hamilton-influenced "For a Palace" and "The Right Thing to Do" from Season 2.
    • Marisa telling the story of how a love between a sirena and a human have led to changed ways in "A New Tale".
    • Hats off to Grey Griffin for Ash's Villain Song, "The One and Only", which also hints at the future of her and Carla's relationship at the same time.
    • "Love Always", a fun and adventurous song about The Power of Love as Elena rounds up the rogue Carnaval floats.
    • "Wings Up", the uplifting and inspiring number Elena and Luna sing to encourage Skylar to be the king he truly can be.
    • "In the Spirit of Love", an amazingly emotional song which swings between tear-jerking and heartwarming as Felicia dances once again to restore the portal to the Spirit Realm. The song itself, the circumstances, and the episode's themes have a lot in common with Coco.
    • "Our Love Will Always Shine So Bright" from "Coronation Day", the last song of the series that recalls the central theme of Elena's growth based on the people around her and recalls the opening notes of the theme song in the last seconds of the show.
      • Any of the music from "Coronation Day", to be fair, with the crew even getting a live orchestra to perform some incredibly moving scores.
  • Base-Breaking Character:
    • Dona Paloma. A recurring character who's rude and stuck-up, her deeds include almost ruining Navidad for her own profits, sabotaging Julio's Feast of Friendship, trying to take over Gabe and Naomi's Carnival float by making it all about her (ditching the group when they refuse to do so), and walking out on the Grand Council's discussion of how to defend Avalor from the Four Shades of Awesome so she can focus on her own Emporium instead; though they do make her deeply unlikeable in the eyes of some, there are others who still appreciate her for her Freudian Excuse, Hidden Depths, and Character Development, particularly in later episodes of the third season.
    • Flo, a half alpaca/half coatimundi model from a Carnaval float brought to life by Elena’s new emotional powers. While some find her adorable due to her Pinkie Pie-level bubbliness and genuine support towards Elena, others find her to be an annoying and unnecessary edition to the main cast due to her Innocently Insensitive nature often making things worse (such as triggering Elena’s emotional powers in "Captain Mateo"), as well as being a Moment Killer during the show’s more serious scenes, namely Esteban’s trial.
  • Broken Base:
    • Esteban's actions in Season 3 up until the finale, where more than a few people argue that the writers made it easier to sympathise with him than they should have. His family and friends outright disown him for his past deal with Shuriki, with everyone except for Francisco and Isabel disregarding all the good he's done since then (Naomi at one point is more worried about what he will do rather than Ash) and sentencing him to live alone on an island for the rest of his life, he is forced to ally himself with Ash for protection, and often keeps her from hurting Elena. Others, however, bring up that Esteban's deal with Shuriki involved him selling out the entire kingdom rather than just his family, he clearly had no intention of confessing to his family about him having helped her prior to Elena finding out about it herself, and there's no excuse for breaking Ash out of the dungeon and enabling her no matter how afraid of facing consequences he may be. A third faction argues that all these factors make Esteban a compelling and complex Anti-Villain.
    • In the same season, Elena gets this as much as, if not more than him. While she has every right to be angry at Esteban over his alliance with Shuriki, she actively tries to hurt Esteban on sight (despite him never even thinking of returning the favor), and prioritizes capturing him over Ash, the dangerous malvago who almost killed her in their first encounter. Even after "Dia de las Madres", where she realised Esteban had more reason than she thought to believe he was unloved, she dismisses Francisco's reminder that Esteban helped her take back Avalor and fully believes he couldn't care less about her safety. There are still a good number of people who defend her, though, pointing out that Elena has little-to-no reason to trust Esteban at all after finding out that, despite how welcoming the family was of him, he betrayed everyone, including his own family, in the kingdom to Shuriki, was unintentionally responsible for her parents' deaths, lied to her about it, and refused to take his punishment with dignity; what's more, it's understandable she'd be locked into the past considering all the traumatic events that have happened to her, which isn't even getting into how the entire point of her Season 3 arc is to let go of the past and focus on the future.
    • Ultimately, both of their arcs come full circle toward the end of the Grand Finale, addressing their mistakes, shortcomings, and how they can come to improve themselves, mostly settling the debate, though it still pops up occasionally.
  • Catharsis Factor:
    • After ruining her life along with that of her family and friends', along with all her other atrocities she had committed for the past forty-two years in-universe, Shuriki finally getting what she deserved in "Song Of The Sirenas" was a long time coming.
    • Season 3 has divided on the conflicts revolving Esteban's actions. Both sides find particular moments satisfying.
  • Common Knowledge: Due to the announcement of the show introducing a Jewish Disney Princess, there seem to be some folks unfamiliar with Elena of Avalor beyond that who think that the titular character is the Jewish princess.
  • Continuity Lockout:
    • Averted for the most part. The references to Sofia the First are kept at a minimum so to not alienate viewers, but the nature of Elena of Avalor as having started as a backdoor pilot in Sofia the First may cause some confusion for some viewers who aren't familiar with the predecessor show.
    • In regards to the show's overarching story, though there is the "Previously On" attached to many episodes, full context is still needed to understand them.
  • Crosses the Line Twice: The Grand Finale revealing that after being left on a comical Uncertain Doom, Zopilote and Troyo died... and Troyo tries to get Zopilote to high-five him since they both died the same way. Also, Shuriki as an audience member and delightfully eating popcorn, and Hetz immediately appearing in the audience after being electrocuted and being annoyed at realizing he just died.
  • Crossover Ship:
    • Isabel and James from Sofia the First seems to be gaining popularity. The two dancing at the end of "Coronation Day" added to this.
    • Esteban gets this with Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power due to both of them being a loved one of Aimee Carrero's character and who growing up felt the latter made them feel like invisible outcasts who only wanted others to hear them. This culminates them into committing a foul, selfish betrayal towards them that results in Elena/Adora disowning and refusing to forgive them. Plus, both of them had the mindset of running when things get worse for them.
  • Draco in Leather Pants: Esteban gets this treatment in Season 3 following "The Magic Within". Quite a few fans view his remorse over his past alliance with Shuriki over the past four decades as sufficient, and Elena and the other members of the family's disownment of him was met with criticism. This, however, glosses over the fact that Esteban kept this a secret from his family for all those years, was still responsible for a long dark age in Avalor that gave Elena PTSD, refused to take his punishment with dignity, and only apologized after the Dark Secret came out. Worse, he did it when it was convenient for him. Both his voice actor and the show's creator have even stated that what Esteban did was selfish and that he's avoiding being rightfully punished. Esteban himself acknowledges both of this in "Coronation Day" during his Heel Realization. Even after all he did that season, a lot of fans still can’t see him as a villain.
  • Estrogen Brigade: There seems to be a bit of one for Esteban, apparently.
  • Fanfic Fuel:
    • How will Esteban's return to Avalor look like? How will his life be like from then on?
    • How will Naomi, Gabe, Mateo, and Isabel fare in regards to their new positions?
    • Are any of the Grand Finale ship teases confirmed?
    • Can Elena now teleport to Enchancia at will with the help of her cousin's Flashy Teleportation powers (that is, assuming he didn't surrender his staff just as Victor and Carla gave up their dark magic)?
    • How did Elena and Esteban's visit to the Spirit World came when they teleported Cahu there together?
  • Fan-Preferred Couple:
    • Although Gabe is shown to be attracted to Elena and that Elena and Mateo have been stated to just be good friends, Elena/Mateo is a more popular ship than Elena/Gabe. This is likely because out of the four of them, they've known and supported each other the longest.
    • Elena/Naomi, and to a lesser extent, Elena/Marisa, seem to have quite a following as well.
    • Chancellor Esteban/Dona Paloma, possibly because they were Co-Dragons under Shuriki and that their rivalry could be seen as Belligerent Sexual Tension, even though the two can't stand each other in canon to the point that Esteban essentially schemed to get her fired (although he did feel bad about it afterwards).
    • Naomi/Esteban is one, though usually by shipping them in an Alternate Universe where Esteban was trapped in the painting and thus didn't age so to avoid the questionable Age-Gap Romance issue. Despite the fact that they're Headbutting Heroes for the most part, this seems to be liked due to the two also bickering with each other yet having some rather close moments with each other, like in "My Fair Naomi" and "Royal Rivalry".
    • One which fans would find more plausible is Mateo/Carla, due to how Mateo had some sort of crush on Carla as Rita after she flirted with him, and believe that hopefully, Carla could have a Heel–Face Turn to make it possible. Their Ship Tease in "Coronation Day", where Carla's been redeemed, help.
    • Alternatively, Gabe/Carla is also considered for being an Opposites Attract ship.
  • Fandom Rivalry:
    • Who does the title of Disney's first Latina princess belong to? Elena or a princess that has yet to exist? For fans of Elena, she counts because her show is entertaining and quality enough, she's been billed as Disney's first Latina princess and has even gotten an introduction at Disney World like the other Disney Princesses, and it feels disrespectful to the creators of Elena of Avalor to ignore their work. For others, Elena doesn't count because her show is obscure and mainly aimed towards young children as opposed to a general audience, and she's not often seen in the Disney Princess lineup, nor does she fit the criteria needed to be considered an official Disney Princess (i.e. a theatrical animated movie). Made even worse with the news announcement that Lin-Manuel Miranda will be involved in making Encanto, said to feature the "first" Latina Disney princess, as it would mean that while her story would be high quality, she will inevitably overshadow Elena.
    • The announcement that the show would debut Disney's first Jewish Disney Princess prompted some naysayers to counter that Sarah Silverman had already claimed that this title belongs to Vanellope. On the other hand, people are just glad to have a Jewish character's faith to be actively practiced onscreen instead of just told or in the background.
    • Strangely, there are fans of The Book of Life that think Elena of Avalor is a ripoff since both feature Latino culture and female protagonists, ignoring that Jorge Gutiérrez and Craig Gerber are friends and the former has even guest-starred on Elena of Avalor.
  • Foe Romance Subtext:
  • Friendly Fandoms:
    • Much of the fanbase for this series is carried over from Sofia the First.
    • With The Book of Life and Coco for their representation of Mexican culture (and other Latin cultures, in the case of Elena of Avalor) in children's media.
    • There are also many people who are also fans of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the other show where Aimee Carrero voices the lead character who is an Action Girl and a princess. Both shows more or less spark interest in the other. It's also garnered some comparison between Adora & Catra and Elena & Esteban due to Adora/Elena having to accept Catra/Esteban as their enemy after the latter parties' self-destructive tendencies causes severe and irreversible damage all because they loathed being Always Second Best to the former parties. Additionally, both shows end up conveying the same messages of having power vs. having your loved ones by your side, and have Aimee Carrero's character go through a huge arc where she eventually learns the importance of forgiving those who hurt them.
    • With Tangled: The Series, for both shows being about a heroic Disney princess and her friends trying to protect their kingdom while she learns how to be a proper royal at the same time. Even more so during the airings of both of their third seasons, where they almost right next to each other.
    • For whatever reason, Elena and Moana are often associated with each other in the merch side of the fandom, presumably because the two are both princesses of color that are willing to go on quests to help their people and aren't involved in a love story.
  • Genius Bonus: Maruvian is a mishmash of Spanish, Nahuatl, and replaces some words with what they're associated with.
    Tlahcuilolli apartad, tlacuilolli aparaced, tlacuilolli vivid!
    • Roughly translates to: "Painting separate, painting appear, painting come to life!"
    • For Ash's spell when she attempts to extract Elena's magic in "Naomi Knows Best":
    Cuan metzli alza el atl, mocentlalia magica de ciupilli a mi.
    • It can be roughly translated as "How the moon raises the water, bring together the princess's magic to me."
  • Girl-Show Ghetto: Like its parent series, the show averts this by appealing to a large crowd while still not forgetting young girls.
  • Growing the Beard: Just like Sofia the First, the show already started out pretty good, but it's with the later episodes that the show takes a much bolder turn in storytelling and character development, while still keeping sight of the target demographic.
  • Harsher in Hindsight: In "King of the Carnaval", Esteban sings how he hopes his family never finds out about his role in Shuriki's invasion of Avalor and how he doesn't know what would happen if they did. Well, when they finally do learn the truth in "The Magic Within", to say that Elena is furious would be an understatement, especially when she chooses to banish him to Soledad Island.
  • He Really Can Act:
    • Would you believe that this is Aimee Carrero's first voice role? Well, judging by how much range Elena can show, she does a good job. Hats off to her especially in "Dreamcatcher", when she anguishes to Esteban about how badly he hurt her and that he's dead to her, which apparently even made Christian Lanz cry when he watched the final product.
    • Christian Lanz can also apply, his role as Esteban arguably being his most major role yet. With Esteban's complex character arc, he clearly does a great job of emoting his character's conflict.
    • Myrna Velasco plays up Carla to be quite a Large Ham, though she's also effective in more subtle moments, such as Carla's despair over Ash turning Victor to stone in "The Magic Within". You just feel the anguish in her voice.

    I-W 
  • I Knew It!: A good number of fans correctly guessed that Elena's test was Esteban and finding out his betrayal. Quita Moz revealed in the end that Elena's test was about whether she can learn to forgive.
  • Jerkass Woobie:
    • "Masks Of Magic" does this for Doña Paloma. The reason she acts so strict, greedy, and overly driven by ambition is how she grew up on a humble farm, and lost pretty much everything during a flood.
    • Victor and Carla Delgado could qualify due to the Motive Rant they have in their Villain Song, but it's Season 3 that finally puts them squarely in this trope for real as they're both devoted to maintaining a stable family unit, and when they refuse to go with Ash in "The Magic Within" to get the magic of Takaina, she turns Victor to stone and leaves Carla behind. For all the bad they've done, the two genuinely love each other, making this even more sad.
    • Esteban, of course. The man betrayed his family to Shuriki for power, but he ended up losing more than he bargained for: his aunt and uncle (who might as well have been his parents, as his own died in his youth) are killed, Elena goes missing because she was sealed away, and Isabel and his grandparents are turned into paintings to keep them safe until Elena can return. Thinking he had lost all his loved ones, he spends the next forty years as a loyal servant to Shuriki merely to survive and nothing else left to live for, and when his family does come back and defeats Shuriki, now he fears that his family will leave him if they ever knew the truth about what he did. Even when he runs off with Ash at the end of "The Magic Within", it's clear it's more out of desperation and being scared.
  • Just Here for Godzilla:
    • Aimee Carrero singing due to her other more famed role as Adora/She-Ra from the popular She-Ra and the Princesses of Power show.
    • The casting announcement for Season 3 definitely gained the attention of various fans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine for the revelation that Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero would be guest stars.
    • Likewise, Roman Reigns of WWE fame also being announced as a guest star also garnered attention.
    • The attached announcement that there would also be a Jewish Latino princess starring in a Hanukkah-centric episode — which would make this Disney's first instance of a Jewish Disney Princess — has certainly also gained wide media attention.
  • Launcher of a Thousand Ships:
    • Just like Sofia before her, it's not uncommon for Elena to be shipped with her friends due to the well-developed chemistry they all have with each other. This list includes Mateo, Gabe, Naomi, Alonso, Valentina, Marisa, Marzel, and apparently, even Esteban.
    • Likewise, Carla has been shipped with Gabe, Mateo, Alonso, and Marzel, the only three boys in the show that are her age.
  • LGBT Fanbase: This show garnered such with Elena’s and Naomi’s interactions seeming to be subtextually more intimate beyond friends to the point that it became popular to headcanon both of them as gay or at least bi (since both of them did show some noticeable attraction to male characters). Of course, Aimee Carrero has a sizable LGBT fan base of her own due to her playing Adora in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, who entered into a romantic relationship with her best friend Catra at the series’ conclusion.
  • Like You Would Really Do It: Victor and Carla Delgado follow Shuriki due to her promising to make them into malvagos if they help her. Given how treacherous Shuriki is, most viewers were certain that she wasn't going to uphold her end of the bargain. Word of God even stated that she was just leading them on. Surprisingly subverted in "Race for the Realm" when Shuriki does in fact fulfill her end of the bargain (albeit reluctantly) and turns them into malvagos, and she never gets the chance to betray them.
  • Memetic Loser:
  • Memetic Mutation:
    • During the reprise of "Bright Light Of The Ball" at the end of "My Fair Naomi", she accidentally makes a silly face while dancing. It's gotten quite a bit of attention.
    • "Where's Elena?", in light of the official Disney Princess line-up having a scene in Ralph Breaks the Internet, except for Elena, who despite being advertised as an official Disney Princess, isn't actually considered one by Disney. And this also goes with every other work that has the Disney Princesses except for Elena, like Palace Pets or Tsum Tsum.
    • Esteban is the Besteban/Estebae.
    • "I Constantly Thank God For Esteban"
    • Esteban being Elena's "only cousin", which turned out to be a lie (a handwaveed retcon as Esteban being an Unreliable Narrator) with the introduction of Cristobal... only for Esteban to might as well be her "only cousin" anyway after Cristobal turned out to be evil, resulting in Elena disowning him.
    • Flo is my best friend now/Chancellor Flo, as Flo debuts the same episode that Esteban is disowned and is partly responsible for exposing his secret, in addition to her being supportive of Elena going after Esteban, interrupting his trial, and innocently trying to vote against him at his trial out of peer pressure.
    • The scene in "Coronation Day" where Elena asks Naomi to be her chancellor is often reimagined with Elena actually proposing to Naomi. Considering everything leading up to it, and Naomi's response that "She's just a girl from the port", it wouldn't look out of context.
    • "Aimee Carrero will never forgive you for this is", is from how her character Elena reacted to Esteban's betrayal almost very similarly to how her other character Adora did towards Catra's at the end of Season 3, and results in both princesses disowning them and deciding that what their loved ones did is unforgivable.
  • Memetic Psychopath: Elena for the show's rather blunt messages about how Violence Really Is the Answer/Good Is Not Soft against genuinely evil people... in a Disney Princess cartoon mainly aimed towards preschoolers. Not to mention that some of the villainous characters end up dead or in equally mortal fates and the show treats this rather comically.
  • Minority Show Ghetto: The show features a large cast of Latino characters who are all awesome in their own way, and features a heavy Latin-inspired influence, thus breaking out of this.
  • Moe: Isabel falls into this since she's an Adorkable science nerd who's fond of everything cute.
  • Moral Event Horizon:
    • Shuriki crossed it at the start of Secret of Avalor by obliterating both of Elena's parents, the former king and queen of Avalor, with a Avada Kadavra-esque spell, on-screen.
    • Ash definitely crossed it in "The Magic Within" , where she turns Victor to stone for refusing to come with her to obtain magic in Takaina, and then coldly abandoning Carla without any hesitation when Carla also refuses to accompany her. Carla's look of despair sells this.
    • Zopilote crossed it in "Spirit Of A Wizard" when, in an act of spite directed towards his old nemesis Alacazar, he tries to murder Mateo (who's still in his early teens), which gets Alacazar to Take The Bullet for Mateo instead. And this is just after Alacazar had been brought back to life from the Spirit World, too!
    • In "Coronation Day", Cahu crosses it when she turns a bunch of people into stone murals and takes control of the EverRealm. What's more, there's a moment where she disarms Elena from her Scepter and is about to petrify her too, but she still chooses to slow down time in spite of Elena being powerless so that she can savor the moment.
  • Narm Charm: Victor and Carla's Villain Song is a freestyle rap (which is out of place in show about a fairy tale kingdom) about their upbringings and how they're gonna prove the world wrong when Shuriki turns them into malvagos. Apparently, quite a number of YouTube comments find it cringy, but given that they're supposed to be Laughably Evil, it makes sense why it would be so silly.
  • No Yay:
    • For those into shipping, the idea of Shuriki and Esteban being an item, especially since it'd probably be one-sided and an Unequal Pairing.
    • For similar reasons, despite the circumstances making it possible, Esteban and Ash is this trope among members of the fandom since not only is it clear that the latter really only cares for herself and is manipulating the former, but Ash has also demonstrated toxic and abusive tendencies towards her own family — not to mention that Esteban and Ash's alliance comes off fresh from Ash "separating" (putting it mildly) from Victor and abandoning Carla, as well as that fans agreeing that Esteban has too many relationship issues with his own family to healthily pursue any relationships of the romantic nature.
  • One-Scene Wonder:
    • WWE star Roman Reigns plays Kizin in "Giant Steps" as what is currently his only voice acting role.
    • The ship chandler in "Giant Steps" is voiced by Susanne Blakeslee.
    • An older Sofia and her family showing up at the end of "Coronation Day".
  • Periphery Demographic: Like with Sofia, this is another Disney Junior show that people will shamelessly admit they like to watch. The fact it starts out with a more serialized narrative (Sofia the First developed one later on) is a big factor to this.
  • Portmanteau Couple Name:
    • Eleteo (or to a lesser extent, Matena) for Elena/Mateo.
    • Elenaomi for Elena/Naomi.
    • Gabelena for Elena/Gabe.
    • Gabteo for Gabe/Mateo.
    • Esteaomi for Naomi/Esteban.
    • Esteoma for Esteban/Paloma.
    • Gabaomi for Gabe/Naomi.
  • Retroactive Recognition:
  • Ship Mates: Elena/Mateo and Naomi/Gabe, or Elena/Naomi and Mateo/Gabe are popular combinations to round off the main quartet.
  • Shocking Moments:
  • Signature Song: This music video of "My Time", which was played often on television to promote the show in its early days.
  • Suspiciously Similar Song: "The Right Thing to Do" wouldn't sound out of place on the Hamilton soundtrack. Word of God says that they were inspired by Hamilton when they were writing the song.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
    • Merchandise version. Fans argue that the show's various female characters would work well for the show's faltering doll line, since it otherwise relies on Elena and her various outfits alone.
    • Surprisingly, Chatana, Pili and Tziloco wind up being this in the finale. The former was treated as an almost more serious threat than Ash. Especially considering that Elena and the gang never faced her prior to the finale. And when they finally meet face to face, the battle is just too quick, just to make room for the real antagonists, The Shadows of the Night AKA: "the Four Shades of Awesome." In particular, Pili and Tziloco hardly do anything.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: The plot thread of Naomi leaving Avalor at the end of "The Last Laugh" lasts all of 3 episodes before it gets reversed, inevitably leading to complaints that it didn't last long enough to be as impactful as it should have been.
  • Unexpected Character: Sofia and her family make a cameo appearance during Elena's coronation in the series finale, after having not appeared since "Forever Royal".
  • Unintentionally Sympathetic: Princess Valentina in "Royal Rivalry". We're supposed to see her as morally wrong for constantly boasting about how great Paraiso is in comparison to Avalor in a rude manner up until she changes near the end of the episode, but Avalor's Royal Family (except Elena) and workers do come across as a bit too hostile towards her, particularly since she still compliments Avalor and only declares Paraiso as being "a little bit more" (so not too harsh), not to mention she can still be somewhat nice, or at least civil, at certain points. Granted, she does denounce Naomi as a kid on the Council and says that her kingdom's staff do things a little bit better than Avalor Palace's staff to their faces, but even then she is being too light to be denounced a huge jerk.
  • Values Dissonance: In "Movin' On Up", Mateo wants to move out from his mother, who refuses to let him live independently a distance away from home, even though Mateo is old enough to live on his own. In some cultures including Latin American ones, it's not uncommon for young people to continue living with their parents/guardians even past their youth (while obviously still taking care of themselves and not having their parents/guardians continue to do everything for them).
  • Viewer Gender Confusion: In "Class Act", it can be very easy to mistake Javier for a girl given his soft facial structure, pronounced lips, and rather effeminate voice.
  • Visual Effects of Awesome: The character models, rendering and special effects are incredibly polished, especially for a CG series.
  • What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: Much like The Lion Guard, the show is definitely darker than the usual Disney Junior fare. It does have plenty of light moments and each episode has a relatively happy ending as expected from Disney Junior shows, but among the many things that sets it apart is it's realistic take on trauma, the fact that the main antagonist murdered Elena's parents, and its tighter focus on serialized storytelling. Word of God even states that the show's level of maturity is supposed to be similar to that of the Disney Animated Canon, which doesn't hold back punches either.
    • Taken to a new extreme with "Song of the Sirenas", where the titular Sirenas are confirmed to have killed humans by sinking their ships in the past (with Elena's uncle being a victim of this), both Queen Camila and Elena nearly drown, and Elena seemingly kills Shuriki in a pretty violent way.
    • Word of God even says that the scene in "Song of the Sirenas" where a Shuriki-masked Fiero approaches Elena from the shadows has to be edited to be farther away to keep it kid-friendly.
    • Season 3 really gets in touch with its Cerebus Syndrome, with Esteban being disowned by his family for being complicit in his aunt and uncle's murders and Shuriki's regime, as well as some Surprisingly Realistic Outcome of Esteban being put on trial for his treason and other crimes that ends with him getting sentenced to lifelong exile. And most of his family has made it clear they will never forgive him for what he did, though they experience the complex feelings brought upon by estranging him. Even by the end of the show when he's made the first steps to redeeming himself, his abuela's shocked and doubtful reaction to his atonement shows that it may take a little longer for that wound to heal, if ever.
    • The same episode also has Ash abandoning Victor and Carla, but not before getting into another argument with Victor and turning him to stone for disagreeing with her and then immediately turning her back on Carla for refusing to leave with her. Didn't expect a strained marriage to be addressed in a Disney Jr. show?
  • The Woobie: Elena seems to go through quite a lot. She's witnessed the death of her parents, many of her friends and family being put in some kind of danger, and Esteban's role in Shuriki's invasion is revealed. She definitely can't catch a break.

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