By Zach Johnson
A little princess' reign continues.
Sofia the First: Royal Magic, a brand-new series set in the world of Sofia the First, will premiere Monday, May 25, on Disney Jr. at 7 a.m. ET/PT and Disney Jr. on Demand, with the first eight episodes available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. and select international markets the next day, Tuesday, May 26. The series will continue to roll out globally throughout the year.
The EmmyⓇ Award-winning series Sofia the First premiered in 2012 and still holds the record for the Top 3 cable TV telecasts for Girls 2-5 of all time. It remains one of the most successful global preschool franchises for The Walt Disney Company, with more than 3 billion hours watched since its inception*. Families have also brought the show home, with over $1 billion in retail sales to date. That love for the series is why Disney Jr. and Craig Gerber, who developed and executive produced the original series and serves as creator and executive producer of the new series, wanted to continue Sofia's story.
"We were fortunate to have such a long run, and even now, I hear from fans about how much the character meant to them. When you see that outpouring of love, you can't help but think, 'Maybe there is a good reason to bring it back — both for the original fans and for a new generation,'" Gerber said. "Sofia always had a little bit of magic — and there's always been magic in this world — so then I thought, 'What if [we] went a little further down that road?' We created The Charmswell School for Royal Magic for her, since her amulet has made her the most magical princess in the EverRealm. It's important for her to learn how to use her magic in case danger arises and she has to protect her family and friends."
Royal Treatment
There are some elements, however, that Gerber didn't want to change.
"Sofia is both aspirational and relatable," Gerber said. "She is an underdog, but she is very positive. She sees the best in people. She doesn't always succeed, but she always tries again. She is resilient, she is brave, and she is kind. I think a lot of people plug into that character and root for her to do well. It's a classic fish out of water story, and it's set in this wonderful world that is exciting, fantastic, and lavish."
Ariel Winter, who returns as the voice of Sofia, said that while Sofia the First: Royal Magic shares many similarities with the original program, it's also evolved for modern audiences. "We want to be as current as possible, but we also want to preserve the integrity and the premise of the original show," she explained. "Because that's what people fell in love with."
While the same story principles apply, Sofia the First: Royal Magic looks and feels brand-new thanks to its updated theme song and its more streamlined, polished animation style.
"So much has changed with CG animation, especially on the television side," Gerber said. "We can get much closer to that feature animation quality than ever before. Things were very limited when we did the first Sofia show, so we leaned into that by making it look like a storybook. In this case, we could have better surfacing, better hair and fur textures, and better lighting, etc. In this case, we took advantage of every possible advancement that we could."
The things that make Sofia, Sofia, however, remain the same.
"She's so kind and empathetic and welcoming and brave. And it's just wonderful to get to know that I'm putting art out in the world that is like that," Winter said. "When I'm voicing Sofia, I feel such joy — because this character is just so positive and so sweet. Sofia is very glass half-full, and it's so important to have such positive characters and wonderful worlds."
Crown Jewels
Many Disney Princesses appeared alongside Sofia in the original series, and this season, Auli'i Cravalho will reprise her role as Moana — marking the first time she interacts with Sofia. Rapunzel, Jasmine, Cinderella, Aurora, and Elena of Avalor will also make special appearances this season, offering guidance, wisdom, and support when Sofia needs it most.
"To have Moana is pretty top-tier," Winter said, "I'm pretty excited for that."
Reprising their roles from the original series are Wayne Brady as Clover, Tim Gunn as Baileywick, Eric Stonestreet as Minimus, Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda, Travis Willingham as King Roland, Darcy Rose Byrnes as Amber, and Jess Harnell as Cedric.
Fans can further engage with Sofia the First: Royal Magic through an extensive range of apparel, books, toys, and more. To date, over 3,000 publishing titles for the series have been released globally, with more on the way. In 2012, Sofia the First made her Disney Parks debut, and this summer, she will be part of Cool KIDS' SUMMER at Walt Disney World Resort and the Disney Jr. Let's Play! Party at Disneyland Resort. Additionally, a new line of toys and role-play items from Just Play will be available exclusively at Walmart this summer in the U.S. and at other retailers globally.
*Source: Nielsen Media Research for Lin+Streaming to 12/28/25; Live for streaming viewing Live+7 for Linear Viewing