Disney's Sofia the First

[trance2009]

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/tim-gunn-modern-family-teen-launching-disneys-1st-200007136.html


Tim Gunn who works on Modern Family is behind this to an extent, which they are labeling as Disney's newest princess.

 

[honorableninja]

aurora a teacher? odd choice that seem more a role for belle out of all princesses.

 

[Tommy Lawson]

Either the Disney Animators' Collection dolls were an amazing coincidence by Disney, or maybe they were made with Sofia the First in mind.

 

[ShadowGUN]

(Though a Disney creation, and a princess, she is not part of the Disney Princess lineup).

So she is not a real Disney Princess then ?

 

[Peter Paltridge]

It's weird that it took this long for Disney to make any kind of show out of their hugely successful "Princess" merch. I can honestly see the kid catching on, as she's closer to the age of those watching -- they would identify with her more.

So she is not a real Disney Princess then

?

And yet Mulan is despite no evidence. Go figure.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

Yeah I'm with Peter: Despite some half attempted DTV specials they haven't really done much in the way of original animation content with the Disney Princesss line that connects all the princesses. So the most surprising thing is that it took this long. Well that and Sofia is actually getting her own movie. I wonder if it's another DTV or if it's an actual theatrical release. If it's the later then that actually means another new 2D disney animated movie is going to be in theathres and on that mark alone, Sofia should be watched so that part of Disney's brand dosen't die. At the very least I'm sure the series and toy line of Sophia will do well. And plus it's nice that they are focusing more about what makes up a princess instead of just becoming one. Yeah I doubt they'll get into the more political or even more hot button aspects of royality but it's defintley a step in the right direction for the princess brand.

 

[Ed Liu]

Disney announced the Sofia the First pilot at the 2011 upfront. She seems to be making the rounds now because the series and movie is coming soon, though the NY Times is saying the "movie" is really the series pilot.

Anyway, I think the delay in getting a new Princess character (even if she's not going to be part of the Disney Princess franchise) is anecdotal evidence that the management at Disney is taking animation seriously enough not to just keep shoveling known-marketable quantities out there. Disney Princesses makes Disney a ton of money every year ($4 billion, according to that NY Times article) and they used to exploit that with some really mediocre stuff.

 

[Light Lucario]

I think it sounds like a cute idea and I definitely can see a lot of kids getting into it due to how Sofia is closer to their age than the regular Disney princesses. I'm kind of surprising that Aurora is the teacher. Even though she is included as one of the Disney Princesses, I never thought she was that popular, especially when she's getting the teacher role when there are a couple of other Disney Princesses that would fit that role much better. Still, it sounds like it could be a fun.

 

[Dudley]

I think it sounds like a cute idea and I definitely can see a lot of kids getting into it due to how Sofia is closer to their age than the regular Disney princesses. I'm kind of surprising that Aurora is the teacher. Even though she is included as one of the Disney Princesses, I never thought she was that popular, especially when she's getting the teacher role when there are a couple of other Disney Princesses that would fit that role much better. Still, it sounds like it could be a fun.

I hope other Disney princesses will make cameos (historical accuracy be darned). Belle can teach Sofia the importance of reading books.

 

[Peter Paltridge]

I think it sounds like a cute idea and I definitely can see a lot of kids getting into it due to how Sofia is closer to their age than the regular Disney princesses. I'm kind of surprising that Aurora is the teacher. Even though she is included as one of the Disney Princesses, I never thought she was that popular, especially when she's getting the teacher role when there are a couple of other Disney Princesses that would fit that role much better. Still, it sounds like it could be a fun.

Well, we already know Jasmine's teaching stint didn't go very well.

 

[Hordesman]

And plus it's nice that they are focusing more about what makes up a princess instead of just becoming one. Yeah I doubt they'll get into the more political or even more hot button aspects of royalty but it's definitely a step in the right direction for the princess brand.

In the Disney context, a princess is a role model for kids who want a husband/ aka "Prince" when they grow up.

 

[AdamYJ]

aurora a teacher? odd choice that seem more a role for belle out of all princesses.

Maybe they're using Briar Rose (sorry, but I tend to go with the more folkloric names) because she's the princess that's had the least done with her. Every other princess has had a straight-to-video sequel or two, tv series appearances or other things of the sort. Other than a short video appearance, I don't think there's been much done with Sleeping Beauty.

 

[Tommy Lawson]

TV Guide has just posted a new video trailer for the premiere of Sofia the First this November on Disney Channel. The special is going to be called Once Upon a Princess. Right now, the article says the premiere date is Sunday, November 18, however considering that is weeks away at this point, and that the trailer itself only says "Coming This November," it is subject to change. The date does make sense, since Thanksgiving weekend, usually a low-rated weekend, starts on Thursday, November 22, and I doubt Disney would want to air it that weekend. Also, from Entertainment Weekly, there is artwork for a character named Baileywick.

 

[Dudley]

Considering how The Disney Princess is the most lucrative franchise based on licensed characters (as mentioned here), this should do exceptional in ratings!

 

[Tommy Lawson]

With the guest characters from other Disney Princess properties, I humorously like to think of the show as "It's like Gokaiger for Disney Princess fans." Nick and More now has a Disney Channel press release confirming Once Upon a Princess will air on Sunday, November 18, at 7:00 pm as a 1 hour special on Disney Channel.

 

[BonnieB21:-)]

No Other Threads For Sofia The 1st?!!?

I just happened to be flipping around and catch the first episode of Sofia The First. I actually liked it more than I thought I would. And I thought I wouldn't like it at all.

The CGI is so much better than Green Lanten: TAS, Monster High movies, Monsters Vs. Aliens, and Kung Fu Panda: LoA. There's plenty of songs, a villain in Cedric the Magician, and a two parent family in a Disney animated program! If I didn't know any better. I'd swear that Sofia's mom was doomed and that her new blond step sister was going to become wicked. But since this is a preschool show, I doubt any of that will happen. And it's not ALL about putting on clothes, being popular, and having parties (even though there's a fair amount of that), it's more pro-social "being a princess means ruling others as you would want to be ruled" learning how to get along type morals and of course dealing with a blended family.

I thought the use of Cinderella to teach a lesson about getting along with step siblings was very smart.

Wayne Brady is the singing bunny rabbit, Ariel Winter from Modern Family is Sofia 1st., Jesse Harnell is Cedric and Tim Gunn is Baileywick.

Anyone else watching Sofia The 1st.?

 

[PeppeRaskell1]

I watch the show from time to time. It's cute, and I was afraid when I first watched it, it would be a Princess of the Week kind of show with one of the many Disney Princesses showing up to help Sofia with a problem. "Mr. Cedric" (Sofia pronounces it SEE-drick) is a real schemer, but all his efforts to steal Sofia's amulet and take over the kingdom are, for the most part, doomed to Epic Fail because of his klutziness. And I like the rabbit's dragon girlfriend (saw her in the "Pet Fair" episode), she's a hoot.

 

[SaneMan]

As far as girl-oriented pre-schooler shows go, this is a pretty good one

 

[Heeroyuy_Batman]

Considering what it is, I like the show. Though, I'm a bit surprised that only Cinderella has shown up so far. Then again, only seven episodes have been released thus far. I'll be very surprised if some of the other princes and princesses aren't connected to other Disney characters sometime in the future, particularly Prince Xander who could easily be related to Princess Jasmine or even be a descendent of her and Aladdin, which would be a savvy marketing tactic and a good way to increase interest in original characters.

 

[BonnieB21:-)]

Disney Princesses Will Guest Star Eventually

Considering what it is, I like the show. Though, I'm a bit surprised that only Cinderella has shown up so far. Then again, only seven episodes have been released thus far. I'll be very surprised if some of the other princes and princesses aren't connected to other Disney characters sometime in the future, particularly Prince Xander who could easily be related to Princess Jasmine or even be a descendent of her and Aladdin, which would be a savvy marketing tactic and a good way to increase interest in original characters.

I found this Huffington Post article about the planning and production of the series.

Jim Hill: Disney Junior's Novel Approach to Testing Sofia the First's Storybook World

And in the weeks and months ahead, you should look for some real old-school Disney stars to make appearances on this new animated series. For -- just as Cinderella magically turned up to help Sofia in "Once Upon a Princess," the November 2012 TV movie that officially launched this series -- there are plans to have other Disney princesses periodically pop up to help this former commoner deal with her royal mistakes."But that's not going to be an every-week kind of thing," Kanter cautioned. "You're only going to see the classic Disney Princesses appear in an episode of Sofia the First if it's logical emotionally to have Aurora, Belle or Jasmine show up. We also want to make sure -- from a story point of view -- that this is the perfect moment for that particular Disney Princess to appear. More importantly, that her appearance doesn't then overshadow the rest of the show."

Her magic pendant is supposed to grant her new powers as she does good deeds and curses if she does bad deeds. Plus it connects her to "The Princesses Of The Past" or in Tiana's case "Princesses Of Another Time". So that's how that's supposed to work.

I'm a little surprised that Royal Prep teaches lite magic. What are the professional sorcerers and the fairies supposed to do if the royalty can do it all themselves? But since we live in a fairytale land, everyone gets pegasi.

I have to quote the creator of the show for truth:


“My parents divorced when I was 8. My father remarried several years later and had a son with his new wife — which gave me a half-brother. However, I lived with a single mother, and for a while, with her boyfriend and his daughter. So I also had a de-facto stepsister for a time. Growing up in outer suburbia, I thought my family situation was unusual, but as I got older, I found that blended families were much more common. And typical childhood issues were often magnified when stepsiblings and parents came into the picture.
So decades later, in trying to bring a modern perspective to an age-old fairy tale world, it suddenly occurred to me — what if Sofia wasn’t always a princess? What if she was a normal girl whose single mother married the King and she became a princess overnight? And what if the King already had two children, giving Sofia two step-siblings whom she had to get along with? Admittedly, step-sisters aren’t a new idea to fairy tales. Just ask Cinderella. But creating a blended royal family, with both a father and a mother present, did seem like a great way to tell fantastic stories that modern children could relate to. Plus, the character of Sofia could be a bold, curious, smart young girl who takes on the role of being a young princess like any child undertaking a new, exciting adventure. In a world where many young girls want to dress up as princesses, Sofia could serve as a positive role model, displaying traits and learning lessons that young girls (or boys) will retain long after they trade in their gowns for other costumes.
When I tell people about Sofia the First, they are surprised I have two boys and no daughters. But that’s one of the things my children have taught me — stories resonate when there’s something they can relate to. My sons have both enjoyed hearing the Sofia stories and are looking forward to the show.
”

—	Craig Gerber (Co-Executive Producer/Writer) “Why I Created Sofia the First” ​

• Ariel Winter as Sofia
• Darcy Rose Byrnes as Princess Amber
• Zach Callison as Prince James
• Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda
• Ashleigh Ball as Huntsman's Daughter
• Jess Harnell as Cedric
• Wayne Brady as Clover the Rabbit
• Ashley Eckstein as Mia the Bluebird
• Tim Gunn as Baileywick
• Travis Willingham as King Roland II
• Coco Grayson as Princess Hildegard
• Harley Graham as Princess Cleo
• Meghan Strange as Poppy the Robin
• Jim Cummings as Wormwood the Raven
• Fiona Bishop as Ruby Gemstone
• Karan Brar as Prince Zandar
• Isabelle Acres as Jade Chen
• Michaela Zee as Princess Jun

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