In a world filled with influencers today, it would be hard to name one person with more enduring influence and impact on the aspirations of young girls than the Disney Princess. But we, and Disney Animation, have come a long way since the first Disney Princess, Snow White, graced the big screen in 1937 singing “Someday My Prince Will Come” and keeping house for the seven dwarves while they went off to work. Today’s Disney princesses are embarking on their own “hero’s journeys”, saving their kingdoms from destruction, and learning valuable lessons along the way.

In this episode in our HERsay Today series, we’re talking with Osnat Shurer, producer of Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, released earlier this year, and also of Moana, released in 2016. Osnat shares how Disney’s newest princesses and role models, 18-year-old Raya and 16-year-old Moana, were created and how Osnat herself rose to be the ideal leader for these films.

Song: Borough by Blue Dot Sessions