Disney has announced their newest animated princess, the lavender-gowned Sofia, who will star in her own animated television show and movie that will debut in fall 2012, with the tv series following in the spring of 2013.
Despite the frilly dress and sparkly crown, some of the signature apparel worn by Disney princesses, Sofia’s character is not a member of the official Disney Princess lineup, although her show will feature cameos from Cinderella and the fairies from Sleeping Beauty.
The new series, entitled “Sofia the First,” will follow the little girl’s journey as she becomes a princess after her mother marries the king of her storybook world. Sofia is introduced to a world of glamour and excess when she moves into a castle where she meets her step siblings Amber and James.
“Modern Family” star Ariel Winter will voice Sofia, with “Grey’s Anatomy” star Sara Ramirez as her mom, Queen Miranda, comdian Wayne Brady as a clever rabbit named Clover, and “Project Runway” fashion expert Tim Gunn voicing Baileywick, the Royal Steward.
“Sofia the First” will air on the Disney Channel and Disney Channel Junior, a daytime block of television aimed at children between the ages of two and seven.
“Although Sofia will have plenty of pretty dresses and sparkly shoes, our stories will show Sofia, and our viewers, that what makes a real princess is what’s inside, not what’s outside,” said Nancy Kanter, senior vice president of programming and general manager for Disney Junior Worldwide.