Sofia the First is an American computer-animated television series that features a commoner joining the royal family as a princess. Ariel Winter voices Sofia, a young girl who becomes a princess when her mother, Miranda, marries her kingdom's ruler King Roland II. It features songs written by John Kavanaugh and Erica Rothschild and a musical score by Kevin Kliesch.
History
The series' pilot episode "Once Upon a Princess", premiered on November 18, 2012 on Disney Channel, featuring a cameo from Cinderella. The 3 good fairies from Sleeping Beauty also get introduced as teachers. The series itself premiered on January 11, 2013 on Disney Channel during its Disney Junior block. Disney Junior renewed Sofia the First for a second season on March 5, 2013, and then the series was renewed on January 8, 2014. The show's second double-length episode, The Floating Palace, aired on November 24, 2013, with an appearance from Ariel. The third double-length episode, The Curse of Princess Ivy, aired on November 23, 2014, featuring Rapunzel. On April 14, 2015, the series was renewed for a fourth season by Disney Junior. Gerber clarified in December that it will begin in Spring and have 24 22-minute episodes plus 2 60-minute specials.
On January 29, 2015, a spin-off series was announced titled Elena of Avalor. The series premiered July 22, 2016 on Disney Channel. In addition, a television movie premiered November 20, 2016 titled Elena and the Secret of Avalor, which featured characters from Sofia the First.
On April 21, 2016, Disney Channel has renewed Sofia the First for Season 4, to air in 2017.
Plot
A young girl named Sofia and her mother Miranda lived a peasant life in the kingdom of Enchancia. One day, Sofia's mother marries King Roland II, which leads to her becoming a princess. As she adjusts to her new role, Sofia works to live amongst the royal family while having different adventures along the way. King Roland presents Sofia with a magical amulet, which, Sofia discovers, allows her to talk to animals.
Cast and characters
- Ariel Winter as Sofia
- Darcy Rose Byrnes as Princess Amber
- Zach Callison/Tyler Merna as Prince James
- Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda
- Travis Willingham as King Roland II
- Jess Harnell as Cedric
- Wayne Brady as Clover
- Tim Gunn as Baileywick
- Meghan Strange as Robin
- Ashley Eckstein as Mia
Episodes
Reception
In October 2012, Sofia was initially identified as Disney's first Latina princess when a producer spoke during a press tour. A Disney Junior general manager later clarified that "...Sofia is a fairytale girl who lives in a fairytale world. All our characters come from fantasy lands that may reflect elements of various cultures and ethnicities but none are meant to specifically represent those real world cultures." Sofia has a mixed fairy-tale heritage, as a Disney spokeswoman elaborated, "...Sofia's mother, Queen Miranda, was born in a fictitious land, Galdiz, a place with Latin influences. Miranda met Sofia's father, Birk Balthazar, who hailed from the kingdom of Freezenberg, and together they moved to Enchancia, where Sofia was born."
Galdiz is based on Spain and Freezenberg is based on Scandinavia. The National Hispanic Media Coalition president/CEO interpreted Kanter's half-Spanish(-inspired) description of Sofia as her not qualifying as Latina.
Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess premiered on Disney Channel on November 18, 2012, garnering 8.17 million viewers (when the Live+7 ratings were tabulated), which made it the #1 cable TV telecast of all time for kids 2-5 and girls 2-5. It also set a record for the #1 preschool cable TV telecast ever in total viewers and for adults 18-49.
See also
- Disney Princess
References
External links
- Official website
- Sofia the First at the Internet Movie Database
- Sofia The First at the Big Cartoon DataBase