The Princess Blog

Almost two years ago, Disney announced  that they were working on a spinoff series to Sofia the First . The best place to reveal new updates about this mysterious series would have been the D23 Expo , which took place in Anaheim last weekend. Instead, Disney Jr. quietly posted on Instagram  today that we can expect to see the new series, Sofia the First: Royal Magic  on Disney+ in 2026. This is fantastic news if it's true, but Disney has broken promises on many  other upcoming shows  over the upcoming years, so it's a good idea to take all their announcements with a grain of salt until there is something more substantial like a trailer or release date. Still, it's exciting to have a title and more information about the series. Unlike the original announcement about it being a spinoff like Elena of Avalor , the show will now be a direct sequel that continues Sofia's adventures after graduating from Royal Prep . The official summary is as follows: "Sofia the Firs...

The newest incarnation of Ariel made her way to Disney Jr. (formerly spelled Disney Junior) today with more episodes anticipated for Disney+ tomorrow. There were two 23-minute episodes split into four 11-minute long segments today. These continue the worldbuilding of this new version of Atlantic that was first introduced in the "Mermaid Tales" shorts from earlier this month. There was a lot of anticipation for this show, but it also gave pause to fans of the original series from 1991 due to its rewriting of Ariel's past. Although there were many changes made to the appearances, world, and backstories of the characters, many things still remain the same, including Ariel's obsession with human objects and the appearances and personalities of Flounder and Sebastian. Overall, it is a mixed bag that blends the original lore with new changes that are indicative of a different story that may have worked better as a spinoff. Ariel follows the adventures of a young versio...

The mermaids have arrived! It's been a slow and painful wait, but the first trailer has finally dropped for the highly anticipated Mermaid Magic animated series . Rainbow SpA 's foray into the underwater world is set to premiere on Netflix August 22nd. The show gives off strong H2O: Just Add Water vibes with the three heroines transforming into humans on dry land and mermaids in the water.  H2O's attempt at its own animated series  left much to be desired, allowing this show to kick it up a notch for mermaid fans everywhere to enjoy more exciting animated mermaid adventures. The teaser was launched alongside additional previews of another upcoming mermaid show,  Disney Junior's Ariel , an original take on the classic character. Ariel has a series of ten recently released shorts called Mermaid Tales that give us a taste of what's to come. If you're more of a bookish type  (and who can blame you?), there's also a great new mermaid story out on Wattpad! The...

Today is International Mermaid Day , and it comes with big news for mermaid fans. I recently shared a leaked promo video for Disney Junior's Ariel that was taken down shortly after. Today, in honor of International Mermaid Day, an official teaser was launched containing only footage from the show without any of the interviews from its creators. There was also an update from Rainbow SpA 's upcoming animated series, Mermaid Magic , which is scheduled to release around the same time period as Ariel. Finally, my friend Kae-Leah Williamson's Wattpad book, The Siren Queen , was recently completed along with a lovely romantic prequel set in a fictional mer-universe called The Servant Girl and the Sea Prince . Though it does not have a specific release date yet, the first official teaser for Disney Junior's Ariel took the internet by storm today. It is reported to premiere sometime this summer on Disney Junior and Disney+. The teaser featured new footage of characters that ...

A new promo video has surfaced for Disney Junior's upcoming Ariel series , set for release this summer. The video, which was shared on Instagram , contains interviews with some of the show's creative team along with our very first fully animated clips from the show. It reveals an early look at the new Caribbean-inspired character designs for Ariel, Ursula, and King Triton, along with new characters, Lucia and Fernie, and replacements for Ariel's six sisters in the guise of twins named Alanna and Ayanna. The show's aesthetic is cutesy and playful and to appeal to its preschool target audience, but it is filled with contradictions to both the original animated prequel series and the prequel novel to the live-action film , which the look of this series is inspired by in part. These differences make the series difficult for long-time fans of the franchise to enjoy, which is likely why the opening interview states that it is written to be many children's first introdu...

Several months ago, I expressed concerns about Disney retconning their version of The Little Mermaid  with the prequel novel to the live-action adaptation  and the rumor of an accompanying animated series . Today, Disney confirmed that rumor at the Annecy Animation Festival. Featuring cutesy CGI animation in the style of Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First , Disney Junior's Ariel boasts a brand new design for the character, which vaguely resembles Halle Bailey from the live-action movie , with a seashell and pearl-accented outfit that is similar to the Merroway Cove mermaids from Sofia the First. She is accompanied by a younger-looking version of the 1989 animated Flounder as opposed to the more realistic CGI one from the new film, which has raised some eyebrows due to the mixing and matching of designs between the movies. Another concern is how much younger Ariel and Flounder look in this version compared to the other three opposing narrations of how they met, which wer...

Now that Sofia the First  has come home to Disney+ , Disney has shared a big announcement today to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary . Sofia the First  is getting a new spinoff ! Series creator Craig Gerber  announced earlier today "I am excited to be continuing my creative partnership with both Alyssa and Disney Branded Television. Together, we have produced three meaningful, diverse shows, and I am looking forward to broadening the scope of our collaboration while also championing new voices. It’s particularly thrilling to return to the enchanted world of ‘Sofia the First,’ where it all began 10 years ago, and create a follow-up series that is just as magical." The announcement comes as a surprise at a time when Disney Junior seemed to have been straying away from its princess properties. It is not entirely clear whether the spinoff will feature the same characters as the original series as teenagers/young adults or a new cast of younger students attending Roya...

There have been a number of Disney Princess -related announcements this week, mostly pertaining to things I have already posted about, so I decided to compile them into a quick update so they don't get buried by another story. First and foremost, the newest Disney cruise ship, the Disney Wish , completed its maiden voyage this week. I was particularly excited about this ship because it contained a new stage show inspired by Disney's The Little Mermaid . While I was hoping someone on the ship would have uploaded footage by now, I have not been able to locate anything substantial as of the time of this post. Please let me know if any of you find anything about this show. There are some new promo images  for it that made the rounds last week, giving us a better idea of the overall look and feel. It is my opinion that this show was meant to premiere after the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid , explaining the lead actress's resemblance to Halle Bailey . The ...

It's been four years since Disney introduced us to their first Latina princess, Elena of Avalor . Today, her reign on Disney Channel ends as she takes her place on the throne as queen. Elena's show had a rocky start for me , but it hit its peak somewhere  around the second season . Today's finale movie, Coronation Day , serves as an excellent reminder of all the things it did right. Elena of Avalor has an enormous revolving cast of diverse characters, which can make the show hard to follow for a casual observer. Everyone in the series showed up to celebrate Elena's coronation, reminding us how much work went into building this enormous extended universe of kingdoms that began with  Sofia the First . In addition to its evergrowing familia, the show introduced lots of Aztec mythology that I was not familiar with and some fun new mythological creatures like the jaquins, Avalor's answer to Enchancia's flying horses. This is truly the end of an era as it marks the la...

Back around 2012, a friend of mine sent me a press release about how Disney was making a new princess show about a little girl from a poor village who becomes a princess overnight when her mother marries the king. The endearing image of the little girl on the press release instantly caught my attention with her unique reddish-brown curls, playful expression, and gorgeous lavender dress that was dripping with pearl accents. Something about this description and image got me so excited for the series that I got to work right away on making a grown-up sized cosplay of Sofia's elegant gown. The series premiered on Disney Junior with a TV special called Once Upon a Princess  in which Sofia received her legendary Amulet of Avalor and sang about her insecurities for her future life as a princess heroine in the song "Not Ready To Be a Princess."  I loved her instantly. Over the next six years, she took me on a four season-long journey filled with Disney Princesses , fairies , me...