Review: Sofia the First - Royal Magic

It's been four years since the announcement of a new Sofia the First series. Today, that series is finally available to watch on Disney Jr. and will be coming to Disney+ tomorrow. Sofia the First: Royal Magic is everything I hoped it would be, with callbacks to the original show and most of the original cast and crew returning alongside many new faces. Sofia is back with her iconic purple dress, magic amulet, and the same sweet and cheerful personality that we all know and love. The show's pilot included a cameo from Rapunzel that referenced a "council of princesses," but this hint to additional Disney Princess adventures is not mentioned again in the rest of the eight episodes that premiered today, so we will have to wait and see how she encounters other classic princesses in the future.

Sofia the First: Royal Magic does an excellent job of blending new characters and settings with the ones from the show's initial, welcoming new audiences without alienating the older ones. Sofia's family is still around, and several episodes take place at her castle in Enchancia. However, the show focuses more on her new school, Charmswell School for Royal Magic, which is run by Miss Nettle, the former rival of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. As many fans predicted, Cedric is a magic teacher at the school and mentor to the students, with his days of evildoing far behind him. Sofia has a new animal sidekick named Pepper the Puppercorn, but Clover still lives at the castle and has not been replaced by Pepper.

The biggest change in Royal Magic is Sofia's new friends, who are now part of the main cast. In the original series, Sofia was more of an outcast who needed to learn to get along with her new family and mostly befriended animals, but now she is accustomed enough to royal life to have close human friends. Since she is attending a school for royal magic, each of her new companions has a magical gift like her. Princess Layla, whose father was recently crowned king, has a magic butterfly bracelet that gives her wings. Princess Camila, a similar character to Lucia from Disney Jr.'s Ariel, wears a magic wand in her hair at all times and is training to become the realm's first sorceress queen. Last but not least, Prince Zane has a magic mandolin that can control people's moods.

The 11-minute episode format works well for the new storylines. It provides enough time for each episode to provide a lesson and introduce a new song. The music in this show has an autotuned Disney Channel sound to it that I don't find as appealing as the songs in the original series. Some of the lessons in the show feel more natural than others. For instance, in the episode "Give it a Twirl," Sofia acts out of character by wanting to compete with Layla and has to learn to work together with her, which is something that she's never struggled with in the past. My favorite episode so far is "Royal Mix It Up," in which Sofia is paired with Prince Zane's autistic-coded sister, Zaria, and struggles to find things they have in common with each other, even though they want to be friends for Zane's sake. This episode seemed far more consistent with Sofia's personality, and Zaria's autism adds a unique element to the new series that wasn't present in the original.

The addition of new characters, settings, and songs does create a few gaps in comparison to the original series. Sofia's amulet is still referenced from time to time, but it's less important in this show than it was in the original. Having a magic amulet puts her on equal footing with her new friends, who all have their own magical abilities. Now that Cedric is no longer trying to steal it, the stakes are significantly lower without any new villain to take his place. Rapunzel's appearance in the first episode is very brief and doesn't include a musical number or sticky situation that Sofia needs to overcome. Instead, she only appeared to let Sofia know to expect to see other princesses at some point in the future. As much as I'd love to see the full council of Disney Princesses, it seems like they are saving the iconic guest appearances for future specials.

Sofia the First: Royal Magic delivers a warm, nostalgic return that successfully welcomes newcomers to Sofia's world while continuing to cherish her older fans with many nods to the original series. The blend of old favorites like Cedric and Clover with new friends from Charmswell like Layla and Zane keeps it fresh without losing what made us love Sofia. It’s a promising introduction to Sofia's new adventures, and with hints of a princess council, there’s still plenty to look forward to. What's your favorite episode of Sofia the First: Royal Magic so far? Let me know in the comments!