The Sunday (November 18) premiere of Disney Junior's "Sofia the First," an animated fairytale about a little girl who becomes a princess, delivered a crowning glory of 5.2 million Total Viewers on Disney Channel, handily becoming the #1 cable TV telecast of 2012 among Kids 2-5 (1.5 million/9.1 rating) and Girls 2-5 (954,000/12.2 rating). The movie also delivered with older kids and adults, attracting more than 3.0 million Kids 2-11 and more than 1.4 million Adults 18-49.
In a most impressive feat, "Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess" ranked as the #1 cable TV telecast in 5 years in Kids 2-5 (since 11/12/2007, "Spongebob Atlantis Pantis") and in over 10 years in Girls 2-5 (since 5/6/2002, "Oswald"). Furthermore, it now stands as Disney Channel's #1 telecast in the network's history among Girls 2-5, its #2 telecast among Kids 2-5 (behind "High School Musical 2") and its #1 preschool telecast ever in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49.
Disney Channel will present encore telecasts all week (Tuesday, November 20 at 10:45 a.m., Wednesday, November 21 at 8:00 a.m., Thursday, November 22 at 7:00 a.m., Friday, November 23 at 6:00 a.m., Saturday, November 24 at 8:00 a.m. and Sunday, November 25 at 7:00 a.m.).
The movie also becomes available today on WATCH Disney Junior, Disney Junior On Demand and DisneyJunior.com.
"Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess" will also be presented THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (9:00-10:00 a.m., ET/PT) on Disney Junior, the new 24-hour channel.
A January premiere date for the series "Sofia the First" will be announced shortly. The movie and series will roll out internationally through mid-2013 on both Disney Channels and Disney Junior channels. The series continues Sofia's journey of becoming the best she can be, with relatable situational stories, set in a magical world of castles, wizards and flying horses, designed to provide kids 2-7 fundamental lessons about developing social skills.
Created for kids ages 2-7 and their parents/caregivers, "Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess" introduces Sofia, an average girl whose life suddenly transforms when her mother marries the king of Enchancia and she becomes a princess. Sofia soon discovers that looking like a princess isn't all that difficult, but displaying honesty, loyalty, courage, independence, compassion and grace is what makes one truly royal. It stars the voices of
Ariel Winter (ABC's "Modern Family"),
Sara Ramirez (ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"),
Wayne Brady ("Let's Make a Deal"), and
Tim Gunn ("Project Runway"), Darcy
Rose Byrnes, Zach Callison, Travis Willingham, Jess Harnell, Ashley Eckstein,
Meghan Strange, Disney Legend Russi Taylor, Barbara Dirickson, Tress MacNeille and Jennifer Hale.
Craig Gerber developed the movie and serves as co-executive producer and story editor. Jamie Mitchell is executive producer and director.
John Kavanaugh is the songwriter/music director and Kevin Kliesch is the composer. "Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess" is a production of Disney Television Animation.
Disney Junior reflects the emotional connection generations of consumers have to Disney storytelling and Disney characters, both classic and contemporary. It invites mom and dad to join their child in the Disney experience of magical, musical and heartfelt stories and characters, while incorporating specific learning and development themes designed for kids age 2-7. Disney Junior's series blend Disney's unparalleled storytelling and characters kids love deeply with learning, including early math, language skills, healthy eating and lifestyles, and social skills. Disney Junior launched in February 2011 with a daily programming block on Disney Channel. In its first year, Disney Junior posted the network's biggest yearly audience in the daypart in Total Viewers, Kids 2-5, Boys 2-5 and Women 18-49, increasing by double-digit margins among preschooler demographics over year-ago levels. On March 23, 2012 Disney Junior added a cable and satellite channel in the U.S. Disney Junior channels in Japan, India and Disney Junior Portugal launched in fall 2012, bringing the total number of channels to 33 worldwide.
