Sofia the Princess
Original title: Sofia the First
Characters: Princess Sofia, Queen Miranda, King Roland II, Princess Amber, Prince James, Cedric, Baileywick, the fairies Flora, Fauna and Serenella, Clover the rabbit, Mia the sparrow, Robin the robin, Hazelnut the squirrel, Beccalegno the crow, Minimus the winged pony, Ruby Gemstone, Jade Chen
Author: Craig Gerber
Production: Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Distribution
Directed by: Jamie Mitchell
| Country: United States
Year: 11 January 2013
Broadcast in Italy: 11 May 2013
Gender: Comedy, Fairy Tale
Episodes: 46
Duration: 22 minutes
Recommended age: Children from 0 to 5 years old |
Sofia the first, this is the title in the original language, known in Italy as Sofia the princess, is a cartoon TV series signed by Disney that with its first season has literally conquered the hearts of girls. The author is Craig Gerber, while the direction is by Jamie Mitchell, obviously this is a Disney production that first aired on the Disney Channel, now also on Rai 2.
Sofia was born following the great success of the 3D animated film Sofia, once upon a time there was a princess. But whoever thinks that Sofia is the classic princess surrounded by the pomp of the court, with an endless wardrobe and toys of all kinds is wrong. The little princess, in fact, is far from the fairytale stereotype. After all, Disney has accustomed its audience to well-rounded, intense, character characters. Disney princesses are proud, courageous women, modern heroines suspended in a timeless space, as only that of fairy tales can be. Not only that, Sofia has another peculiarity in addition to those listed, she is a child, which is why she is particularly suitable for transmitting positive messages to a very young audience.
The episodes of the TV series are structured in a very classic way, we have an introduction in which a fact takes place that starts the development of the episode. In the central part, usually, there is a structure that recalls that of the musical, so we enter that typicality of all the Disneyan fairy tales. The conclusion, of course, is always positive and contains, in a very sober and never pedantic way, a teaching, a small "moral" that takes up the fables of Phaedrus where a teaching was hidden. In this second season, the Disney princesses will rush to help little Sofia unravel her difficulties. These will appear in several episodes, like the one with
Ariel, to whom Sofia asks for advice, or the one with
Beautiful , who tells the little girl about her difficulties when her prince was still a beast, or the one with
Cinderella which explains how the jealousy of the stepsisters have put her in difficulty, with a purely functional role, they represent the experience and wisdom of adult princesses.
Sofia is therefore an alternative princess, especially since she was not born a princess. The mother, Miranda, marries a king Roland who is not Sofia's father. Miranda meets him in the shop where he works and love blossoms immediately. Even if the woman is not of the same social class as him, the king wants her by his side. Here a typical extended family is formed, since the king already has two children, who are about the age of Sofia (7 years old). The little princess must therefore adapt to court life, but it is not as simple as it seems. She doesn't like frills and frills, just like she doesn't like pompous dresses, jewels and heels. Here, with a girlish voice and intoning absolutely current notes, the little princess makes the young audience understand how important what you have or what you wear is not as important as what you have inside, and this will be a recurring theme in many episodes cartoons broadcast in Italy from May 2013.
An episode with a strong message is certainly "The little witch". Sofia is with her friends while discussing the party that Jade will have to give for her birthday. Suddenly Dawn arrives, a naughty witch who teases everyone. Dawn is a lonely girl, she has no friends, she does not receive she never invites to any party and she unleashes her discomfort by making magical teasing to her peers. Sofia, however, thanks to her sensitivity, immediately understands that Dawn is not bad, but that she just needs to feel part of a group, to have friends. The princess invites the young witch to Jade's party, and thus triggers the change in the girl who begins to remedy her misdeeds. Jade, however, is not convinced and sets up a witch trap. Eventually the party will be a real success and all the girls will will have fun, including the witch.
An episode that teaches not to lie, not to cheat and that you can't always win, is that of "The butterfly princess"In this episode Sofia, half-brother James and half-sister Amber must attend a masquerade ball where a winner will be announced for the best costume. Amber, who is a bit spoiled, wants to overdo it, creating the Most beautiful dress ever, but she is not very skilled with needle and thread. So she resorts to magic. At the masquerade party Amber shows off a spectacular butterfly costume that leaves everyone breathless. Little Prince James' attempt to captivate her is useless. jury with her dragon costume, Amber wins over everyone. But the problem is that the girl won by deception and whoever is unfair, sooner or later pays the bill. Amber is no longer able to take off the costume, she has transformed in a butterfly, but thanks to Sofia's help there will be a happy ending.
In each episode the main characters move against a traditional fairytale background, with spells, winged horses, talking animals, such as the Baileywick rabbit or gruff characters, such as Cedric, the court sorcerer. Miranda, the queen, is the classic modern mom who wants to do everything for her family. Affectionate with little Sofia, but also with her husband's two children, of whom she becomes a mother in all respects.
Well structured, this TV series offers a moment of leisure for the whole family, but without ever losing sight of the sound principles and core values of our society, such as the family. From a graphic point of view, it is certainly not a masterpiece, but it fully fits into a standard range. The music, on the other hand, all have the magic of Disney's fairy tales which, as always, does not miss a beat.
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