Jump to content

Sofia the First

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Efreng1965 (talk | contribs) at 10:08, 3 May 2015. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sofia the First
File:Series ,Logo.jpg
Created byCraig Gerber
Directed byJamie Mitchell[1]
Voices ofAriel Winter
Wayne Brady
Sara Ramirez
Travis Willingham
Darcy Rose Byrnes
Tim Gunn
Jess Harnell
Zach Callison (Seasons 1–2)
Tyler Merna (Seasons 2-present)
ComposersKevin Kliesch (score)
John Kavanaugh (songs)
Erica Rothschild (songs)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes48 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerJamie Mitchell
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesDisney Television Animation
Rough Draft Studios Korea Co., Ltd.
Original release
NetworkDisney Junior
ReleaseNovember 18, 2012 (2012-11-18) –
present

Sofia the First is an American computer-animated television series that incorporates characters from the Disney Princess franchise. The series stars Ariel Winter as Sofia, a young girl who becomes a princess when her mother, Miranda, marries King Roland II of the kingdom of Enchancia. It features songs written by John Kavanaugh and Erica Rothschild and a musical score by Kevin Kliesch.[2]

Craig Gerber, who created this Disney Junior TV series, also co-wrote the DisneyToon Studios Tinker Bell film The Pirate Fairy.

The series' 60-minute pilot episode, "Once Upon a Princess", premiered on November 18, 2012 on Disney Channel, featuring a cameo from Cinderella. 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,[3] and then the series was renewed on January 8, 2014.[4] The show's second TV movie, "The Floating Palace", aired on November 24, 2013, with an appearance from Ariel. The third TV movie, "The Curse of Princess Ivy," aired on November 23, 2014 featuring Rapunzel.

On January 29, 2015, a spin-off of the series titled Elena of Avalor was announced to premiere in 2016, with the main character debuting in an upcoming episode of Sofia the First.[5]

Cast

Main characters

  • Ariel Winter as Princess Sofia - An 8-year-old, young village girl who became a princess after her mother married King Roland II. She is friendly, kind and adventurous. Ever since she was brought into the royal family, she became the bearer of the mystical Amulet of Avalor which gave her the ability to speak to animals (though it cursed her once) and summons the Disney Princesses to help her. Sofia loves the outdoors.
  • Darcy Rose Byrnes as Princess Amber - Sofia's stepsister, James' twin sister, and King Roland's daughter. She is stoic, vain, but nonetheless, a good friend. Honoring her title as princess, she devotes her life to a huge liking of jewelry and keeping everything clean and pristine.
  • Zach Callison (Seasons 1–2)/Tyler Merna (Seasons 2–present) as Prince James - Sofia's stepbrother, Amber's twin brother, and Roland's son. Unlike Amber, he is adventurous and outgoing.
  • Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda - Sofia's mother and stepmother of the royal twins.
  • Travis Willingham as King Roland II - Sofia's stepfather and the father of the royal twins.
  • Jess Harnell as Cedric - The royal sorcerer of Enchancia. Despite the latter, he doesn't do his job well (his spells usually backfire). Ever since Sofia wore the Amulet, he tried numerous attempts to steal it and take over the kingdom but fails. He has a crow named Wormwood and lives in an isolated tower. He secretly longs to take over the kingdom to bring glory to sorcerers everywhere, but is also intensely loyal to his closest friend, Princess Sofia.
  • Wayne Brady as Clover - A rabbit and friend of Sofia with help of the Amulet. He usually thinks of eating constantly.
  • Tim Gunn as Baileywick - The castle steward. Being a workaholic, he does his job well though he did fall into a few accidents. He can be overprotective of Sofia at times, but she doesn't really mind most of the time.
  • Meghan Strange as Robin - A robin and friend of Sofia.
  • Ashley Eckstein as Mia - A bluebird and friend of Sofia.

Recurring characers

  • Jennifer Hale as Cinderella from Cinderella - she helps Sofia make amends with Amber and become true sisters in "Once Upon A Princess." She sings a song called "True Sisters." Hale does her own singing voice for this due to Tami Tappan not showing up for the recording in time.
  • Linda Larkin as Jasmine from Aladdin - she teaches Sofia and Amber how to tame a wild carpet and not to be afraid of trying something new in "Two to Tangu." Her singing voice was performed by Lea Salonga. She sings a song called "The Ride of Our Lives."
  • Julie Nathanson as Belle from Beauty and the Beast - she shows Sofia that actions speak louder than words when apologizing for bragging didn't work in "The Amulet and the Anthem." This was also Nathanson's first time providing the singing voice of Belle after taking over for Paige O'Hara, the original voice of Belle. She sings a song called "Make It Right."
  • Jodi Benson as Ariel from The Little Mermaid - she encourages Sofia to enlist Cora to help rescue Oona from the sea monster, saying that the love of family is held by all in "The Floating Palace." She sings a song called "The Love We Share." She is the first Disney Princess not to be shown in her re-design.
  • Kate Higgins as Aurora from Sleeping Beauty - she teaches Sofia that in a crisis she can always count on her animal friends in "Holiday in Enchancia." She is the first Disney Princess who doesn't sing in the series.
  • Katherine Von Till as Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - she teaches Sofia to learn the importance of trusting one's instincts after Sofia suspects that a visiting sorceress is not who she says she is in "The Enchanted Feast." She is the second Disney Princess who doesn't sing in the series.
  • Ming-Na Wen as Fa Mulan from Mulan - she teaches Sofia and her friends that they are stronger than they know in "Princesses To The Rescue." Her singing voice was performed by Lea Salonga and is the second Disney Princess not to be shown in her re-design, rather in her armor. She sings the song "Stronger Than You Know."
  • Mandy Moore as Rapunzel from Tangled - she shows how much Sofia and Amber's relationship has grown and deepened despite mistakes that Amber has made in "The Curse of Princess Ivy." She also teaches Amber to mend their relationship she has to "Dare to Risk It All."
  • Anika Noni Rose as Tiana from The Princess and the Frog - she teaches Sofia that what matters most when giving a gift to someone is that it comes from the heart in "Winter's Gift". She sings a song called "From the Heart".

Episodes

Main article: List of Sofia the First episodes

Reception

In October 2012, Sofia was mistakenly identified as Disney's first Latina princess when a producer misspoke during a press tour. A Disney Junior executive 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." [6] In actuality, 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."[7]

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.[8]

Merchandise

A range of Sofia the First merchandise has been launched by the Disney Store in the US, including costumes, books, toy figures, wall posters, and homeware.[9] Products have also been launched in UK, Canada and Australia.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sofia the First. www.bcdb.com, May 13, 2013
  2. ^ "Kevin Kliesch talks about composing the score for Disney Junior's "Sofia the First"". Media Mikes.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 5, 2013). "Disney Junior's 'Sofia The First' Renewed For Second Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  4. ^ Bibel, Sara (January 8, 2014). "'Sofia The First', 'Doc McStuffins' & 'Jake and the Neverland Pirates' Renewed by Disney Junior". TV by the Numbers. Disney Channel. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Steinberg, Brian (January 29, 2015). "Disney Junior Readies 'Sofia The First' Spin-Off". Variety. Variety Media. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  6. ^ Rodriguez, Cindy. "Disney producer 'misspoke': 'First Latina princess' isn't Latina". CNN. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  7. ^ Rodriguez, Cindy. "Backlash for Disney's first Latina princess". CNN. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  8. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda. "Disney Channel's 'Sofia the First' Crowned #1 Cable TV Telecast Ever in Kids 2-5". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  9. ^ "Sofia The First". Disney Store. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  10. ^ "Sofia the First". characterworld.uk.com. Retrieved 21 June 2013.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sofia_the_First&oldid=660567143"