The idea for us was that we wanted Avalor to be more broadly accessible.” No one really asked if Arendelle was Norway or Sweden, it’s just inspired by a Scandinavian country. “It makes it very inclusive-you don’t have to pick just one nationality. He stated “What Disney really does well is create fairytale kingdoms,” he explained. Gerber was careful not to state what country she is exactly from, but rather incorporate the “influence” of the location. He was aware that there had been many Disney princesses of color, but not one of Hispanic roots. With a heavy focus on exploring Latin and Hispanic culture, magic, mythology, folklore, music, food, and customs, following his success with Sofia the First, Gerber went on to create Elena of Avalor in June 2016. He has also co-authored a book based on his new program Elena of Avalor called Elena and the Secret of Avalor. These books include Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy, Sofia the First: The Floating Palace, and Sofia the First: The Enchanted Feast.
It will take her a long time to learn this lesson.” Īlong with creating the show, Gerber has also co-authored many of the program's storybooks. Gerber describes Sofia's faults as “Sofia’s biggest flaw is that she is too trusting. This was a very important message Gerber wanted to provide to his young viewers. Sometimes she could mess up dealing with issues of sibling rivalry, sharing, or trying a new thing. There’s also a message for both boys and girls, saying you can do anything you set your mind to if you keep trying and don’t give up – that life is an adventure.” Another important element he wanted to provide her with was to make her flawed. By the way, I think these are good qualities for both girls and boys to follow. She has a big heart, and she’s always ready to try new things, and she’s always ready to stand up for what she believes in or what she thinks is right. He explains “To that end, Sofia is very adventurous, and bold, and courageous, and curious. Kind, courageous, bold, and curious are just a few of the qualities Gerber wanted to give Princess Sofia in order to make a positive character. Gerber stated in an article “In a world where many young girls want to dress up as princesses, Sofia could serve as a positive role model, displaying traits and learning lessons that young girls (or boys) will retain long after they trade in their gowns for other costumes.”
The character that Gerber created, Princess Sofia, was designed to be a role model for both boys and girls. Gerber's then three-year-old son, Miles, was also an influence for him, constantly making believe, sometimes even as a princess, which led him to provide a character that he could relate to. In the program, he provides the young princess with a stepsister, stepbrother, and stepdad something that is a new territory for her. Growing up in a Stepfamily, he wanted to emulate how it is normal this type of situation is for people. When Gerber was stuck in traffic while driving in Los Angeles, he immediately looked at his childhood and found inspiration with his own home life to create a show with a family that many children could identify with. Thus, in November 2012, Sofia the First was created. He was determined to give a modern spin of the classic “fairy tale” element of the pitch. Gerber was approached by Nancy Kanter, a writer at Disney Junior who asked him for an idea for a children's show revolving around a princess during her childhood. Before branching off into children's television, Craig Gerber previously worked at Pixie Hollow Games and wrote screenplays for Rogue Pictures, Radar Pictures, and Intrepid Films. Gerber has also won awards for directing his comedic short “Film Time” and won Best Narrative Short at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival and Best Digital Short at the Sedona Film Festival in 2003. His career skyrocketed after he entered a screenwriting showcase at his school, which led to a major Hollywood studio displaying his first screenplay.
Gerber graduated from University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
Having a family that was not “together” made Gerber feel uneasy, but after he discovered that these kinds of families were more common than he thought, he was inspired to create Sofia the First. His father remarried and had another son while his mother had a boyfriend who had a daughter of his own. His mother and father divorced when he was eight years old. Gerber was raised in outer suburban New York.