DVDizzy Forum

Craig Gerber wrote:The new show will have a different feel than the original bc of the shorter length and bc we're gearing it more towards youngsters discovering Sofia for the first time rather than those who have already watched the first series. There are still some fun surprises for OG viewers.

Craig Gerber wrote:She is the same age that she was at the end of the original series.

Craig Gerber wrote:Sofia is the same age, Ariel Winter is reprising her role and some of Sofia's friends will make appearances but I can't say who yet.

Craig Gerber wrote:Sofia will basically look the same age as she did in the original Sofia series. But she won't look exactly the same because we are using more modern animation software for the new show.

Q: I thought the Sofia spin-off was going to focus on Royal Prep!! And didn’t Sofia choose to attend EverRealm Academy?

Craig Gerber: Plans often change. In our world and Enchancia!

Q: What happened to Royal Prep? Is that still being made or has the Sofia the First continuation with her in a magic school replaced it?

Craig Gerber: We started off thinking we would do a spinoff and decided to do a sequel instead. So yes, this is replacing the other idea.

Q: Why does the series doesn’t come out until 2026?

Craig Gerber: Because it takes about 18 months to make a single episode...and the studio waits until many episodes are finished before launching the show.

Q: Is the Sofia the first sequel series is going to be a musical series just like the original series?

Craig Gerber: Yes there will be lots of music.

Craig Gerber wrote:I'm in the recording studio about to record Sofia once more.

Craig Gerber wrote:This afternoon, I'll be in the recording studio with a top-12 wizard and a certain fairy from the original Sofia series who has a surprising role in the new show!

Craig Gerber wrote:We had three VO all-stars in the booth yesterday and congrats to those who guessed one of them was Jess Harnell, who's been in every show I've made.

Craig Gerber wrote:My last meeting of the year was watching the second animatic screening of the first half of the first episode of the new Sofia the First series and the board team knocked it lot of the park. The first song sequence is *chef's kiss*!

Craig Gerber wrote:This was some long weekend. I spent most of it doing my weekly Sofia polish and finishing the first draft of a development pilot.

Craig Gerber wrote:Sofia is going to a new school and has new friends.

Craig Gerber wrote:The new show is not relying on a lot of lore from the original show to start with. Key characters are returning but we are going to establish the new characters and storylines before we revisit any older ones.

Craig Gerber wrote:Unlike a lot of sequels (esp. shows geared towards teens or adults only), the primary audience for this show is the new audience. So we don't want to overwhelm them with too many things that are from past storylines right off the bat.

Craig Gerber wrote:We're not bringing in all the roles she has right away. As I alluded to in other posts, we're not making new viewers have to "get up to speed" on older storylines like the protectors and the story keeper, etc. Some of those things will come later. Probably much later.

Craig Gerber wrote:The new show takes place three months after the original show ended. So she is basically the same age. The whole series will occur before Elena's coronation.

Craig Gerber wrote:Yes on new powers and animal friends. No on curses. The amulet shouldn't be cursing Sofia since Elena was released from it unless the amulet was magically tampered with.

Craig Gerber wrote:The new show will most likely feel younger because of the intense pressure from above to make it so.

Craig Gerber wrote:I can say that we are not toon-shading the show like the original. It's a new series with a new look. I love what we did with the original show but the new one is not meant to feel like more of the same thing.

Craig Gerber wrote:These are screen grabs from an internal animation test we did a year and a half ago. I'm surprised these images were released. Sofia's model has been revised at least 9 times since this test.

Craig Gerber wrote:I've lost count of how many iterations of Sofia we've done over the past 2 years in different phases of her design (from 2D to modeling to surfacing to lighting). A lot of effort was put into it.

Craig Gerber wrote:Some of this description is accurate and some of it isn't - but I'm not going to say which is which because it will lead to an avalanche of questions. We'll just have to wait and see.

Craig Gerber wrote:Yes, they're all meant to be the same age as Forever Royal and we re-designed them that way.

Craig Gerber wrote:You will see Sofia's family and some of her friends from the old show but not her old classmates. If we get additional seasons, we may try to bring some of them back. Mystic Isles characters won't be showing up any time soon because we are trying not to burden the new audience with too much lore.

Craig Gerber wrote:There will be no continuation of any storyline from the OG show in the new one at least in Season 1. There is a strong push to provide a new experience for the new audience. Any storyline we'd have to re-explain is usually nixed from above.

Craig Gerber wrote:Sofia's taking a break from her protector duties for a while so she's not wearing it.

Craig Gerber wrote:How could we make royal magic without the OG royal fam?!? I missed seeing these talented, amazing folks and it's been one of the greatest joys of the new show being in studio with them again! And there are even more returning voices yet to be announced.

Craig Gerber wrote:So this happened the other day….

Q: How many seasons?

Craig Gerber: Just 1 so far but it's a long one!

“Sofia the First: Royal Magic” follows Sofia as she attends The Charmswell School for Royal Magic, where she discovers she is the most magical princess in the realm and must learn how to master her powers while making new royal friends. As previously announced, Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”) will return in the titular role as the voice of Sofia in this new series featuring the beloved Sofia the First, set to debut in 2026 on Disney Jr., then Disney+. Announced today are additional returning cast members from the original series including Wayne Brady (“Let’s Make A Deal”) as Clover, Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”) as Baileywick, Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”) as Minimus, Sara Ramirez (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Queen Miranda and Travis Willingham (“The Legend of Vox Machina”) as King Roland.

• New series set to debut 2026 on Disney Jr., then Disney+
• Produced by Disney Television Animation
• Creator/Executive Producer: Craig Gerber

Disney Jr. has revealed a first-look teaser for the highly anticipated “Sofia the First: Royal Magic,” a brand-new series set in the world of “Sofia the First.” The new series is set to premiere this May on Disney+ and Disney Jr.

Joining the voice cast that includes Ariel Winter, who returns as Princess Sofia, is Nate Torrence (“Zootopia”) as Pepper, Sofia’s adorable, yet mischievous, pet puppy-unicorn. Mela Pietropaolo (“Cocomelon Lane”), Kai Harris (“Paw Patrol”) and newcomer Aaliyah Magcasi will voice Layla, Zane and Camila, respectively, Sofia’s new school friends. Darcy Rose Byrnes and Jess Harnell will return as fan-favorite characters Princess Amber and Cedric, respectively. They join other previously announced returning cast members Wayne Brady (Clover), Tim Gunn (Baileywick), Eric Stonestreet (Minimus), Sara Ramirez (Queen Miranda) and Travis Willingham (King Roland).

“Sofia the First: Royal Magic” follows Sofia as she attends The Charmswell School for Royal Magic, where she discovers she is the most magical princess in the realm and must learn how to master her powers while making new royal friends.

Craig Gerber, who developed and served as executive producer on the original series, is creator and executive producer of “Sofia the First: Royal Magic.” Krystal Banzon is co-executive producer and story editor, Kris Wimberly is supervising director, Craig Simpson is producer, and Francis Giglio is art director. The series is produced by Disney Television Animation.