SOFIA THE FIRST

 

SOFIA THE FIRST
(Disney Junior, Disney Channel, January 11, 2013-September 8, 2018)
 
Disney Television Animation

 

 

            Sofia the First centered on Sofia (Ariel Winter), a young peasant girl that became a princess when her mother, Miranda (Sara Ramirez), fell in love with and married the king of Enchancia, Roland (Travis Willingham). Sofia gained a new family that included her twin step-siblings Amber (Darcy Rose Byrnes) and James (Zach Callison, Tyler Merna & Nicolas Cantu), attended the royal school headed up by good fairies Flora (Barbara Dirickson), Fauna (Russi Taylor) and Merryweather (Tress MacNeille), and received a powerful artifact as a gift from Roland: the Amulet of Avalor. The amulet would bless Sofia for doing good deeds and curse her for doing wrong, as well as linked her to “all the princesses there ever were” that allowed them to help each other when needed. Ten princesses from Disney’s past were featured: Cinderella (Jennifer Hale) from Cinderella; Jasmine (Linda Larkin, Lea Salonga singing) from Aladdin; Belle (Julie Nathanson) from Beauty and the Beast; Ariel (Jodi Benson) from The Little Mermaid; Aurora (Kate Higgins) from Sleeping Beauty; Snow White (Katherine Von Till) from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Mulan (Ming-Na Wen, Salonga singing) from Mulan; Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) from Tangled; Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) from The Princess and the Frog; and Merida (Ruth Connell) from Brave (Anna and Elsa from Frozen were denied an appearance, but Josh Gad’s Olaf was allowed a guest spot). It also gave her the ability to talk to animals, allowing her to befriend rabbit Clover (Wayne Brady), squirrel Whatnaught, and birds Mia (Ashley Eckstein) and Robin (Meghan Strange).

Sofia with her animal friends.

       However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses as Enchancia was threatened by numerous evil forces; some of whom wanted Sofia’s amulet for themselves and their own ambitions. Among them was the bumbling royal magician, Cedric (Jess Harnell), who wanted to overthrow the royal family; Princess Ivy (Anna Camp), who took over Enchancia and wanted to make it as devoid of color as her own kingdom; Prisma (Megan Hilty), an evil crystal-conjurer determined to outclass her sister, Azurine (Rachel MacFarlane), no matter the cost; Glacia the Ice Witch (Phylicia Rashad), who bestowed anyone that brought her a gift with magic; Vor (Paty Lombard), an ancient enchantress imprisoned in the Locket of Vor for spreading evil throughout the world in order to conquer it and manipulated Prisma to get free; Slickwell (Christian Borle), a young steward that sought to replace the royal steward, Baileywick (Tim Gunn); Miss Nettle (Megan Mullally & Anna Vocino), a fairy that sought to surpass her former mentors, the good fairies; and Morgana (Catherine O’Hara), the egocentric arch-enemy of Merlin (Jeff Bennet) who sought nothing more than to defeat him, among others.

Sofia, Amber, James and Miranda.

            The series was created by Craig Gerber after he was approached by Nancy Kanter at Disney Junior for an idea for a show about a princess targeted to 2 to 7-year-olds. Gerber took inspiration from his life and family to create Sophia. His son, Miles, liked to play pretend and emulated fantasy characters he didn’t really have anything in common with. Gerber decided that his character should go through a lot of the same life situations Miles would, to serve as a “magic mirror” that would allow him to enjoy the fantasy while identifying with the scenarios on the show. He also incorporated his own childhood experiences of being from a blended family and posited what if Sofia wasn’t always a princess, but became one overnight. It was a way to modernize the princess dynamic and allow Sofia to be bold and curious as she explored her new role and the world around her.

Vor manipulating Prisma for her freedom.

            Sofia the First debuted with a Disney Channel television movie, Once Upon a Princes, on November 18, 2012. It was the 5^th most-watched program for the week, and the highest for a Disney animated special since 2009’s Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation! The series proper debuted on January 11, 2013 on Disney Junior.; becoming one of the top 3 broadcasts for girls ages 2-5. The series ran for four years, picked up Emmy and Humanitas awards, and spawned the spin-off series Elena of Avalor. For the series’ 10^th anniversary n 2022, a sequel series was announced on social media called Sofia the First: Royal Magic; which was officially greenlit in 2024 and set to debut in 2026 (as of this writing). The original Sofia continues to air in reruns on Disney Junior and on the official Disney Junior YouTube channel, and is available to stream on Disney+.