Cecilia Mendonça exits Disney Lat Am after 24 years amid strategic restructure
Cecilia Mendonça, head of kids & family at The Walt Disney Company Latin America, has exited the company after 24 years, C21’s Spanish-language sister publication Cveintiuno has revealed.
Based in Buenos Aires, the Brazilian executive most recently served as VP of kids, young adults & family and head of content development for the region, reporting to Fernando Barbosa, senior VP and general manager of media networks at Disney Latin America.
Her departure has already taken effect, though she will continue to collaborate on projects currently in progress.
In a statement shared with Cveintiuno, Disney said the move was part of a restructure “to strengthen and revitalise its local originals strategy in Latin America and grow its streaming business.”
“The changes seek to elevate the regional content offering, providing more resources and greater focus and dynamism for the business,” the company added. “The changes involve further strengthening Mexico and Brazil as the main production hubs as they are the largest markets in Lat Am with the biggest growth potential and talent availability.”
In recent years, in addition to Mexico and Brazil, Disney has based many of its productions in Argentina, where it does not plan to stop producing. Disney Latin America is currently in the process of searching for senior content leaders in Mexico and Brazil and expects to announce a new structure “soon.”
Mendonça told Cveintiuno: “I am deeply honoured to have been part of Disney’s magic since the launch of the channels in the region. I am immensely grateful for this journey and for all the people I had the opportunity to share it with. Today I begin a new chapter with great excitement and enthusiasm for the opportunities ahead.”
Mendonça joined Disney in 2001 as part of the channels feed launch in Brazil. She went on to hold various roles, eventually becoming VP and general manager of Disney Channels Latin America, where she led the kids and youth strategy as the company moved into original local production.
Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior launched a slate of live-action hits during that period, including global successes Violetta and Soy Luna, as well as others like Jungle Nest, Juacas and Morko y Mali.
Following Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019, Mendonça took charge of the branded content development division and, ahead of the launch of the streamer Disney+ in 2020, she led the development of kids and family content in the region.
Since then, Disney+ has premiered dozens of Latin American originals, working with independent producers across local markets. These include Brazilian series such as comedy Uma Garota Comum, sci-fi drama Mila no Multiverso and eco-themed Tarã; Mexican titles like musical road trip Papás por encargo and Journey to the Center of the Earth, inspired by the Jules Verne novel; and Argentinian shows such as mystery thriller Tierra incógnita and time-travel drama Entrelazados.
Upcoming projects include the much-anticipated return of youth musical series Soy Luna, a decade after its original launch in nearly 150 countries. The move aligns with the company’s strategy to relaunch classic Disney Latin American franchises, announced by Barbosa at the LA Screenings 2025.
