"SOFIA THE FIRST," AN ANIMATED SERIES ABOUT A LITTLE GIRL PRINCESS
ADJUSTING TO ROYAL LIFE, DEBUTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 11 ON DISNEY CHANNEL AND
DISNEY JUNIOR

Classic Disney Princesses Ariel, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine
Make Special Appearances

Eric Stonestreet, Viola Davis, Bonnie Hunt, Ellie Kemper, Megan
Mullally, Kiernan Shipka and Jeffrey Tambor among All-Star Guest Voice
Cast

The highly anticipated debut of Disney Junior's "Sofia the First," a new
animated series about Princess Sofia, an adventurous little girl who is
learning how to adjust to royal life after her mom marries the king and
she becomes a princess overnight, debuts FRIDAY, JANUARY 11 on Disney
Channel (9:30-10:00 a.m., ET/PT) and Disney Junior (5:30-6:00 p.m.,
ET/PT). Created for kids 2-7 and their parents/caregivers, "Sofia the
First" tells the story of an ordinary girl who becomes a princess and
throughout her journey learns that possessing the characteristics of a
true princess – honesty, loyalty, compassion and grace – is what makes
one truly royal.

Classic Disney Princesses Ariel, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine make special
appearances in event episodes throughout the year, offering Sofia words
of wisdom when she needs it most.  Fauna, Flora and Merryweather (the
beloved fairies seen in Disney's classic "Sleeping Beauty") are featured
as the headmistresses of Sofia's new school Royal Prep Academy.

The series stars the voices of Ariel Winter as Sofia, the young princess
in training; Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda, Sofia's loyal and caring
mother; Wayne Brady as Clover, Sofia's wise-talking rabbit sidekick and
Tim Gunn as Baileywick, the castle's royal steward.  Winter's "Modern
Family" co-star Eric Stonestreet ("Modern Family") guest stars in the
premiere episode as the voice of Sofia's flying horse Minimus.  Other
notable guest stars include Viola Davis ("The Help"), Bonnie Hunt
("Cars"), Ellie Kemper ("Bridesmaids"), Megan Mullally ("Will &
Grace"), Kiernan Shipka ("Mad Men") and Jeffrey Tambor ("Arrested
Development").

SOFIA THE FIRST – (DISNEY JUNIOR) PRINCESS SOFIA
Copyright Disney Enterprises All rights reserved.

The November 18 premiere of Disney Junior's animated television movie
"Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess" introduced a record numbers of
viewers to Disney's first little girl princess, Sofia the First,
delivering 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.
 Impressively, the movie 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.

In the premiere episode, "Just One of the Princes," Sofia strives to
become the first princess to earn a spot on her school's flying derby
team.  Although paired with the overly-anxious horse Minimus (voiced by
Stonestreet), Sofia learns to believe in herself and proves that a
princess can do anything she sets her mind to.  While she lives in an
enchanting fairytale world of castles, wizards and flying horses, Sofia
remains a relatable peer-to-peer princess who is experiencing many of
the same social situations as young viewers at home including fitting in
at school, building sibling relationships, making new friends,
discovering how and when to be brave, learning the importance of telling
the truth, and mastering new skills and good sportsmanship.  The
stories are designed to provide young children with fundamental lessons
about developing social and emotional skills to help prepare them for
life.

Events across multiple platforms will mark the series debut with
a preview of the premiere episode available via Disney Channel SVOD,
WATCH Disney Junior and on iTunes beginning Friday, January 4.  The
January 11 linear premiere on Disney Channel will be simulcast on WATCH
Disney Channel and mobile providers AT&T and Sprint TV. Following
the series premiere throughout the month of January, new episodes will
be available one week prior to their linear premiere via Disney Channel
SVOD and WATCH Disney Junior.

In early January, DisneyJunior.com/Sofia will launch the new
game "Minimus the Great," where players can help Sofia take care of her
horse Minimus and train for the big Royal Prep Flying Derby race.

Craig Gerber ("Pixie Hollow Games") developed the series and serves as
co-executive producer and story editor.  Jamie Mitchell ("Special Agent
Oso") is executive producer and director.  John Kavanaugh ("Winnie The
Pooh: Springtime with Roo") serves as songwriter/music director and
Kevin Kliesch ("Tangled Ever After") is the composer. "Sofia the First"
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.