It's Been A Royal Displeasure -.-
It's very clear as day why Disney greenlit Sofia The First as soon as they heard the pitch. A show about a young girl learning to be a princess AND she gets to be friends with other Disney Princesses?! It would've been foolish not to pick it up in favor of something weaker. This show would not only be great for the young girls watching but also for parents who would want to dress their daughters up as Sofia, like Cinderella, Ariel and Jasmine before her. Watching the show and pilot movie in full though, all that hype surrounding it was all for not! Instead of being anywhere near the leagues of Disney Princesses of old, Sofia The First is more in the ballpark of Karma's World, Vampirina, and Fancy Nancy in terms of quality. From the awful writing to the cringy lyrics, this show doesn't even last 2 seconds before tripping over itself.
Created by Craig Gerber, Sofia The First's first issue is in the backstory. Basically, her Mom, a shoe cobbler, falls in love with the king, they get married and coronated into royalty. That sentence sounds like a really interesting story that could've tackled the struggles of widowed parents, the effects it has on the children, and how it's not too late to fall in love again. Wanna know how much time Sofia The First gives this very interesting and potentially emotional plot? 3 FREAKING MINUTES! That backstory is zoomed passed at Mach 6 speed before the title drops in the pilot movie with the rest being a generic and repetitive story of Sofia adjusting to palace life! If you think it gets better in the main series, think again! Each episode has the same problem of forced and unnatural conflict that is dragged out to try and reach 22 minutes. Episodes like The Big Sleepover, A Royal Mess, and Cedric's Apprentice should've been 11 minutes top with how simple their plots out and how easy they can be solved. The show also has some mediocre world building as Encantcia is a very generic kingdom with nothing that makes it stand out from other much more interesting kingdoms. Where's the rich history? Why are the citizens just mindless sheep? Why would I want to come here instead of Agrabah, Atlantis, or Atlantica? What really makes this show frustrating to sit through is the handling of its messages. I'm all for teaching young children to not judge others before you get to know them, that it's never okay to lie, and that if you want others to be your friends to just be yourself. The problem with Sofia The First is that it drags these messages into the ground with its awful pacing and incompetent characters. This show's never once heard of the concept less is more, which is a problem because kids hate being bored when watching a show that takes forever to get to the point.
The characters don't offer much outside of their one archetype, and that's a major problem if you want young children to say they're their favorite characters. Starting with our eponymous princess, Sofia is a normal girl who becomes a princess overnight...and that's it. Yeah, she can talk to animals with her amulet, and she wants to do the right thing; the problem is she's really irresponsible, selfish, and ignorant about it. Every episode has her learn a lesson she should've figured out sooner and ends with her getting what she wants, even though it never feels earned. No one else is much better as they're all defined by their one characteristic. James is the typical mischievous boy, Clover is a glutinous rabbit, Baileywick is the obedient steward, King Rowland is the typical stoic king, Miranda is the sweet mother that's more of a tool for Sofia, and Vivian's character begins and ends with her being shy. There's also Cedric, the royal sorcerer who wants to take Sofia's amulet to take over the kingdom to make up for the fact that he's nothing but a poor man's Jafar. Then there's Amber, Sofia and James' spoiled brat of a sister. Amber is very much another prime example of a spoiled little twerp who no one should take seriously. She's rude, she's selfish, she arrogant, she's envious of Sofia, and she's narcissistic. The worst part about her? Her brother and father act NOTHING like her! They're not well written characters, but the fact that they're nice and she's as nasty as a mule mud pie leads me to believe she's adopted or from a previous marriage! She's easily the worst character in the show as well as one of the worst characters in Disney history!
The one genuine compliment I'll give this show is that the voice acting is really good. Sam Riegel once again shines as an excellent voice director and is able to bring out the best performances from the actors, despite lackluster material. Ariel Winter sounded very sweet and chipper as Sofia, not to mention she's got really good singing chops. Was very surprised to hear Steven Universe himself, Zach Callison, as James. He made him sound very playful and lively, much like his more famous role. Darcy Rose Byrnes did a superb job making Amber sound snobbish and has a really good singing voice. Sabrina Carpenter sounded sweet and innocent as Vivian, while also having a very energetic singing voice. Tim Gunn does a very good job making Baileywick sound well spoken and loyal. Sara Ramirez sounded very sweet and motherly as Miranda. Major props to the veteran voice actions for bringing their A game to their respective characters. Travis Willingham as the stoic King Rowland, Jess Harnell as the conniving Cedric and Wayne Bradey as the comic relief Clover. Even though their characters aren't anything to write home about, the actors did a very good job bringing them to life.
Visually, it's got absolutely stunning designs and backgrounds...on top of some clunky character animation. As expected from Disney, the characters have a very appealing and expressive designs with big eyes, round heads, and unique hairstyles. They also go all out in the attires with vibrant dresses, classy suits, and even some sharp casual clothes. The characters also have an illustrated coating to their character models to give them that classic old school Disney animation look. The backgrounds are also very well drawn and expansive with beautiful use of watercolors, shading and contrast. The big issue with the visuals though is the actual character animation. Despite having dazzling aesthetics, the characters look like plastic dolls come to life when in motion. They don't have a clear sense of mass, their hair and clothes barely bob when they movie, and their facial expressions are restricted to their character models. This is especially the case during the song and dance numbers where, try as they might, it just comes off like the characters are dancing in a pool of pudding.
I wish I could say at least the songs are catchy, but oh brother of Moses are these songs Cringe with a capital C! Production-wise, they make good use of their instruments and melody to have an upbeat jazz inspired vibe to them. The actors also have great singing chops and do excellent work hitting those long notes. Where they all fall apart, though, is in the lyrics. The lyrics have such amateurish structures, bad wording and forced rhyming. Perfect Slumber Party, Cedric The Great, and Blue Ribbon Bunny are the most egregious cases. Listen to verses like "At a perfect slumber party, we don't snort and we don't squeal," or "and everyone who teased me will be at my command!" or even "He's a blue ribbon bunny and I'm all the rage" and tell me they making you want to start dancing instead of gagging!
This princess isn't even worth saving from a fire breathing turtle monster. Sofia The First is another awful misfire from the Mouse House's television division. The writing is terrible, the characters are one note, the animation is clunky, the messages are redundant, and the songs have absolutely cringe lyrics. I will give credit to the spot on voice acting and dazzling aesthetics, but those surface level compliments don't make this show worth watching. If you want a cartoon about being a princess for young girls, watch Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True. It does a much better job showcasing what it means to be a princess and is far more memorable than this royal mess -.-
Created by Craig Gerber, Sofia The First's first issue is in the backstory. Basically, her Mom, a shoe cobbler, falls in love with the king, they get married and coronated into royalty. That sentence sounds like a really interesting story that could've tackled the struggles of widowed parents, the effects it has on the children, and how it's not too late to fall in love again. Wanna know how much time Sofia The First gives this very interesting and potentially emotional plot? 3 FREAKING MINUTES! That backstory is zoomed passed at Mach 6 speed before the title drops in the pilot movie with the rest being a generic and repetitive story of Sofia adjusting to palace life! If you think it gets better in the main series, think again! Each episode has the same problem of forced and unnatural conflict that is dragged out to try and reach 22 minutes. Episodes like The Big Sleepover, A Royal Mess, and Cedric's Apprentice should've been 11 minutes top with how simple their plots out and how easy they can be solved. The show also has some mediocre world building as Encantcia is a very generic kingdom with nothing that makes it stand out from other much more interesting kingdoms. Where's the rich history? Why are the citizens just mindless sheep? Why would I want to come here instead of Agrabah, Atlantis, or Atlantica? What really makes this show frustrating to sit through is the handling of its messages. I'm all for teaching young children to not judge others before you get to know them, that it's never okay to lie, and that if you want others to be your friends to just be yourself. The problem with Sofia The First is that it drags these messages into the ground with its awful pacing and incompetent characters. This show's never once heard of the concept less is more, which is a problem because kids hate being bored when watching a show that takes forever to get to the point.
The characters don't offer much outside of their one archetype, and that's a major problem if you want young children to say they're their favorite characters. Starting with our eponymous princess, Sofia is a normal girl who becomes a princess overnight...and that's it. Yeah, she can talk to animals with her amulet, and she wants to do the right thing; the problem is she's really irresponsible, selfish, and ignorant about it. Every episode has her learn a lesson she should've figured out sooner and ends with her getting what she wants, even though it never feels earned. No one else is much better as they're all defined by their one characteristic. James is the typical mischievous boy, Clover is a glutinous rabbit, Baileywick is the obedient steward, King Rowland is the typical stoic king, Miranda is the sweet mother that's more of a tool for Sofia, and Vivian's character begins and ends with her being shy. There's also Cedric, the royal sorcerer who wants to take Sofia's amulet to take over the kingdom to make up for the fact that he's nothing but a poor man's Jafar. Then there's Amber, Sofia and James' spoiled brat of a sister. Amber is very much another prime example of a spoiled little twerp who no one should take seriously. She's rude, she's selfish, she arrogant, she's envious of Sofia, and she's narcissistic. The worst part about her? Her brother and father act NOTHING like her! They're not well written characters, but the fact that they're nice and she's as nasty as a mule mud pie leads me to believe she's adopted or from a previous marriage! She's easily the worst character in the show as well as one of the worst characters in Disney history!
The one genuine compliment I'll give this show is that the voice acting is really good. Sam Riegel once again shines as an excellent voice director and is able to bring out the best performances from the actors, despite lackluster material. Ariel Winter sounded very sweet and chipper as Sofia, not to mention she's got really good singing chops. Was very surprised to hear Steven Universe himself, Zach Callison, as James. He made him sound very playful and lively, much like his more famous role. Darcy Rose Byrnes did a superb job making Amber sound snobbish and has a really good singing voice. Sabrina Carpenter sounded sweet and innocent as Vivian, while also having a very energetic singing voice. Tim Gunn does a very good job making Baileywick sound well spoken and loyal. Sara Ramirez sounded very sweet and motherly as Miranda. Major props to the veteran voice actions for bringing their A game to their respective characters. Travis Willingham as the stoic King Rowland, Jess Harnell as the conniving Cedric and Wayne Bradey as the comic relief Clover. Even though their characters aren't anything to write home about, the actors did a very good job bringing them to life.
Visually, it's got absolutely stunning designs and backgrounds...on top of some clunky character animation. As expected from Disney, the characters have a very appealing and expressive designs with big eyes, round heads, and unique hairstyles. They also go all out in the attires with vibrant dresses, classy suits, and even some sharp casual clothes. The characters also have an illustrated coating to their character models to give them that classic old school Disney animation look. The backgrounds are also very well drawn and expansive with beautiful use of watercolors, shading and contrast. The big issue with the visuals though is the actual character animation. Despite having dazzling aesthetics, the characters look like plastic dolls come to life when in motion. They don't have a clear sense of mass, their hair and clothes barely bob when they movie, and their facial expressions are restricted to their character models. This is especially the case during the song and dance numbers where, try as they might, it just comes off like the characters are dancing in a pool of pudding.
I wish I could say at least the songs are catchy, but oh brother of Moses are these songs Cringe with a capital C! Production-wise, they make good use of their instruments and melody to have an upbeat jazz inspired vibe to them. The actors also have great singing chops and do excellent work hitting those long notes. Where they all fall apart, though, is in the lyrics. The lyrics have such amateurish structures, bad wording and forced rhyming. Perfect Slumber Party, Cedric The Great, and Blue Ribbon Bunny are the most egregious cases. Listen to verses like "At a perfect slumber party, we don't snort and we don't squeal," or "and everyone who teased me will be at my command!" or even "He's a blue ribbon bunny and I'm all the rage" and tell me they making you want to start dancing instead of gagging!
This princess isn't even worth saving from a fire breathing turtle monster. Sofia The First is another awful misfire from the Mouse House's television division. The writing is terrible, the characters are one note, the animation is clunky, the messages are redundant, and the songs have absolutely cringe lyrics. I will give credit to the spot on voice acting and dazzling aesthetics, but those surface level compliments don't make this show worth watching. If you want a cartoon about being a princess for young girls, watch Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True. It does a much better job showcasing what it means to be a princess and is far more memorable than this royal mess -.-
- a34trgv1
- Sep 8, 2024