Sofia will be a new addition to Disney Channel and the Disney Junior lineup in 2012.
"Sofia the First" adventures will begin with the titular little girl, who becomes a princess when her mom marries the king of her storybook world. Sofia and her mom then pack up and move to the royal castle, where her fancy, glamorous new life includes frilly frocks and Amber and James, her new stepbrother and stepsister. Other Disney Princesses, including Cinderella, will pop up in Sofia's world, and "Sleeping Beauty" fairies Fauna, Flora and Merryweather will appear as the headmistresses of Royal Prep, Sofia's school."
For the full story, visit this link:
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/tim-gunn-modern-family-teen-launching-disneys-1st-200007136.html
While a new princess doesn't immediately blow my hair back, I do have a baby girl and in a couple years I'll be happy to have a show like this on the air for her. What I find interesting though, and a little weird is how Disney is making a point to say that Sofia is NOT part of the official Disney Princess lineup.
Of course, it feels like it took them a while to embrace Rapunzel as well. At least it took long enough for the sales receipts from last Christmas to hit the shareholder's meeting. Suddenly she was very much an official Disney Princess. So I suppose for little Sofia, time will tell. Or should I say merchandising dollars will tell? Browse the shelves of a Disney Store and you'll see the Rapunzel doll appears to be the only one in the Animator's collection to have sold out. Not coincidentally Disney recently made a big production of announcing Rapunzel's official Princess status with a ceremony at an actual castle in England.
If little Sofia can sell a ton of dolls and toys, she might just get her royal corporate coronation yet. But according to Disney, Sofia won't be all about bling-bling, glass slippers, and leaning on a balcony waiting for her prince to come!
"Although Sofia will have plenty of pretty dresses and sparkly shoes, our stories will show Sofia, and our viewers, that what makes a real princess is what's inside, not what's outside," said Nancy Kanter, senior vice president of programming and general manager for Disney Junior Worldwide. "That the inner character of kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty and grace make you special, not the dress you wear.
"In Sofia, we have a 'peer to peer princess,' a relatable girl experiencing the same social issues as our young viewers … learning how to fit in, making new friends, conquering new skills and building sibling relationships."
I also have to say I'm pretty impressed with the talent lineup behind the voices. Sara Ramirez is a favorite, and I admit I love Tim Gunn's voice. I know at least half the people reading this (and 90% of the dudes) are scratching their heads wondering "who's Tim Gunn???" He's a fashion adviser on the show Project Runway as well as The Biggest Loser, but more importantly he's got a voice and diction that were born for cartoon voice work! And the role of a Royal Steward couldn't be more perfect.Although if he gets his own plush, that could be weird.
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