November 18th was the premiere of “Sofia The First: Once Upon A Princess”, the TV movie that introduced the world to Sofia and is the precursor to the series coming to Disney Junior in January. Starring Ariel Winter, Sara Ramirez, Tim Gunn, Wayne Brady, and a slew of others, the show takes place in Enchancia, a land where Sofia’s mother has just married the king, thus making her a princess.
In the film, it goes through her trials and tribulations of becoming a princess, though she feels as if she doesn’t fit (which was explained in song, a welcome surprise for the film). In response to her tepidness, her new father gives her an amulet that for every good deed she does, will give her a gift in return (for example, she puts a baby bird back into its nest…gets the ability to talk to animals). She also has to deal with a mean step-sister (shocking, I know), an evil sorcerer (with a raven voiced by should-be-Disney-Legend Jim Cummings), and going to school at Royal Prep, the academy where all new royalty goes to study such things like manners and etiquette (with the teachers being Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, also a nice addition to the movie).
The voice cast is very nice throughout the show. Tim Gunn’s butler figure matches perfectly with that signature Tim Gunn voice (and he even says Make It Work! I was so happy to hear that!) and is a nice character. Sara does a great job as the loving and kind mother figure, while Ariel is a wonderful addition to the princess line up (which I assume will be official in a year or two). The standout, however, is Wayne Brady as the bunny Clover. A very funny role that brings humor to the show (and some great songs, his was the best of the bunch). Of the others, I also enjoyed hearing Ashley Eckstein’s voice as one of the talking birds (she is also known for her roles on The Clone Wars and That’s So Raven).
Overall though, the story was nice. A great film for kids and grown-ups to watch together. I am excited to see where the show takes off from here (since one of the other powers the amulet holds is that when Sofia is in trouble, another princess comes to guide her in a Star Trek Beam-Me-Up sort of way, a cool idea) and to see if it becomes the mega hit Jake and the Neverland Pirates is. I will be watching, though I am 16, to see how much it lives up to this wonderful film. I give this film an A!
Here is the link to the full movie so you can watch for yourself!
Before I go, just some other Disney Channel quick-takes.
- Dog With A Blog is the newest Disney Channel Original Series and I am in love with it! A great kind of humor that I haven’t really seen on Disney Channel before, and I also love seeing G Hannelius on a sitcom for once! It gets an A+…I definitely recommend it.
- Bridgit Mendler had the free single of the day on iTunes a little while ago, Hurricane, and it was…odd. Haven’t listened to anything else of her new stuff, so I can’t give an album review, but that single was a C-, at best.
- Boy Meets World is getting a sequel series, with Cory and Topanga as adults and their girl’s experiences in school. I think the plan is to have equal parent and kid air-time, so the Boy Meets World fans will have something to be excited about, while the newer Disney Channel watchers who have never heard of Boy Meets World will be equally enthralled. Personally, I never watched Boy Meets World, but I like the idea of sequel series. Hopefully this does well so it can open doors to other “reboots”, maybe for some of my favorites (If they did a That’s So Raven or Sabrina the Teenage Witch sequel…I WOULD DIE!) So the news gets a B+ from me.
Are you excited for Sofia The First as a TV Show? What did you think of the music from the film? Don’t you want a sequel to That’s So Raven too? Let me know in the comments below! Next month, get ready for A TON of 25 Days of Christmas coverage from me throughout the month! Until then…Have a Magical Day! (And a Happy Thanksgiving!)
We loved Sofia the First, although I wasn’t a fan of the music. I thought that the tunes were tired and uninteresting, and the lyrics were vapid and forced. I know that this is a kids’ show, but it was still subpar.
I could not disagree more with the author’s review of Dog with a Blog. I normally love Disney Channel shows, but the acting is terrible (aside from the middle girl) and the story lines are awful. We watched the first episode together as a family, and my husband and I kept looking at each other and rolling our eyes. Really really bad.
Sofia the First and she’s a Princess. Hmm, considering that only Kings or Queens that are heads-of-state are numbered the title needs some re-thinking.
Just watched the show for the first time today im 21 but i loved it cute bubby funny prefect for little girls or if you need to punish your little boy in a new way just kidding :P
What other movie were Flora, Fauna and Meriweather in?
I watched Sofia the First this morning & I loved it! Being from a blended family myself, I could really relate to Sofia. I’ll most likely keep watching it. (even though I’m 24)
my daughter is 4. we love disney channel shows- normally. ugh. we cringe and change the channel every time this show comes on. it’s AWFUL. the songs and lyrics and story lines are boring, uninspired and my 4 year old who generally likes any cartoon hates it!! I understand why- Sofia has an arrogance about her. It’s like I almost wanna change the lyrics of the song from “I’m finding out what being royal’s all about” to “I’m finding out what being rich is all about” She prances in takes over does what she wants with no class.i was a girl livin in the village doin alright now she became a princess overnight- o so you moved up huh. so kids, if you ever suddenly become rich and move into a palace, make sure you act insensitive, ungrateful and do whatever you want to break any and every rule. who cares?
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