Sofia the First: Royal Magic’s Ariel Winter and Craig Gerber talk bringing the charm back in new series.
If there was one Disney Junior show that viewers still enjoy today, it’d have to be Sofia the First. The whimsically delightful series is about to make a comeback very soon with a new series: Sofia the First: Royal Magic. Fans and viewers of the original show are certainly in for a treat as she makes new friends in this magical academy.
Sofia the First: Royal Magic continues the adventures of Princess Sofia at the Charmswell School for Royal Magic, where she’s the most magical princess of all. She’s joined by a few new faces, but she’s also got the help of Disney’s iconic princesses as well.
Although the first episode premiered today, there’s still much that fans can expect from this upcoming series. To talk about what’s coming next in Sofia’s journey, series star Ariel Winter and creator Craig Gerber talked about Disney Junior’s newest series.
Craig Gerber Discusses Balancing New Stories With Nostalgia in Sofia the First: Royal Magic
Given how Sofia the First: Royal Magic expands upon the world of Sofia the First, some fans might be hesitant to see what the show might have. However, Gerber assures fans that there’s always something in the show that many will find enjoyable.
“It’s tricky because there’s a lot of love for the show from original fans and they’re all quite vocal about it and they remember a lot about the original show,” Gerber began. “The way we went about it is that we created a brand new adventure for Sophia.”
“By presenting the show as something new for her, we bring in the audience that doesn’t know anything about her. She still has her family, her bunny clover, her flying horse Minimus and she still lives in the same castle.”
“There’s a lot of things for the original fans of the series or young kids who know the old series very well because it’s on streaming,” Gerber explained. “They can hook into that part of it.”
Ariel Winter Discusses Rejoining the Sofia the First Universe & Her Love for Sofia
Furthermore, Winter looked back on being Sofia in the show and talked about what it was like joining this new experience. “I have been playing Sofia since I was I think 10 years old,” Winter recalled. “When I heard that the show was coming back in a new series, I was amazed.”
“It’s just such a beautiful character and such a special show. I remember when I first auditioned for it and I heard the premise and basically went in. I was a little girl and I was like, ‘Wow I would love to be a princess.'”
“As I got older, knowing what this show means to young people and just people in general is just so special,” Winter explained. “I have nieces that were watching it at the time and I just loved seeing what Sofia meant to them and the lessons that they were able to learn.”
“Getting to come back and do it again on a new adventure is just so special and I’m really excited to get to be here again with everybody and it’s really wonderful.”
Ariel Winter & Craig Gerber Talk About Sofia the First: Royal Magic’s First Recording Session
Reflecting on their time together for Sofia the First: Royal Magic, Winter and Gerber reminisced on what was that first recording session was like. Although Winter was somewhat nervous after being away for some time, she enjoyed the fun of it all.
“I just I wanted to make sure that I was giving Sofia everything that I gave her before and doing the best job I could do,” Winter described. “I’ve always been a little bit nervous singing. I have stage fright and so the first singing session back was the most stressful for me.”
“Those were always the more stressful sessions for me,” Winter said. “But as soon as I got there for both first sessions it was just so fun I feel like we didn’t it was like we never like no time had passed.”
Gerber explained his own impressions of how those first recording sessions went. “I was just blown away that she could still do the voice so well,” Gerber affirmed.
“When you’re working with a lot of child actors, I just want to make sure that I’m very much aware that this is a child, they’re acting and I want to create a safe space for them where they feel free to do what they need to do and not put too much pressure on them.”
“You’re always kind of worrying because sometimes, things can go sideways,” Gerber added. “It’s always nice to meet them as an adult and be like, ‘Oh my god, you turned out great! You survived Hollywood, congratulations,’ and you’re doing well.”
Ariel Winter Reveals Voice Acting Fact Disney Fans Might Not Realize
During the conversation, Winter was asked what was it like stepping back into voicing Sofia once again and one thing about voice acting that fans might not know of. One thing that came to Winter’s mind was the fact of doing special requests for families.
“I love voice acting in general,” Winter said. “It’s actually the very first thing I started doing. I started acting at four years old and it is the very first thing that I did. The Sofia voice has always been my favorite, I love doing it for people and I do it for kids sometimes!”
“I’ll make voice memos for them for birthdays and they just love it. Their parents will send me videos of them getting the voice memo and you just see their face light up and it’s so exciting.”
“Getting to do a Disney Princess is just a dream for anybody but especially a young girl,” Winter continued. “I feel so grateful to be able to do that also, I can show up in a in a Baby Yoda onesie and I do often do that!”
Sofia the First: Royal Magic is streaming out on Disney Junior and Disney+. New episodes will release throughout 2026.
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Chris Gallardo
Christopher Gallardo is a New York City-based freelance entertainment writer and critic. He is currently writing for Tell-Tale TV, Nerdtropolis, Popternative and Eulalie Magazine with previous contributions to The Hollywood Handle and CoveredGeekly. He has been featured other sites including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Direct, Collider, IGN, and much more. He is also a massive fan of animated shows and movies, ranging from Princess Mononoke to Invincible and Arcane, as well as a big Greek mythology fan who loves Percy Jackson, God of War, and the Hades games. You can find him on X and Instagram (@chrisagwrites)!
