Harvard Senior Julia Riew, who is creating her own Korean Disney character.Photo: Ramona Park
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — There's no Korean-inspired Disney princess, so one Harvard student is on a mission to create her own and bring more representation to the movies.
Julia Riew is Korean-American and said she never really saw characters like herself growing up.
"Shimcheong is the princess that I always wished that I could have seen growing up — for a really long time I always dreamed about creating this princess, eventually once I got discovered by Disney, but then I kind of realized, maybe I don't need to wait until then," she said.
In the traditional folktale, a poor farmer's daughter sacrifices herself to help her father and is eventually greatly rewarded.
The 22-year-old Harvard senior has done just that, sharing the creative process on social media and even singing her own original songs.
The project has received lots of attention on TikTok and Instagram, and is also doubling as Riew's senior thesis.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) has more:
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