Today, I’m
staying home for Maggie Smith.
Since Black Monday is on pause right now, we’re
taking a very hard left back to Sofia the First. In the show’s third season, Andrew Rannells
played a one-off character, but in the fourth, he appears in a few episodes
during a recurring arc that’s introduced here in a special hour-length
episode. I wouldn’t have thought a kids’
show would be so arc-based, but honestly, I was a little grateful for the
mini-info-dump at the start, because a lot has evidently happened since
Rannells’s last appearance on the show.
Princess
Sofia is now the “Story Keeper,” which means access to a magic library that
transports her into stories in need of a happy ending. When her self-centered sister Amber discovers
the library, Amber insists on accompanying Sofia on her new mission: a trip to the Mystic Isles, a series of islands
that are the source of all magic.
Sofia’s goal is to stop a wicked Crystal Master (an enchantress who
makes magic crystals) from taking over the Isles, while Amber is more
interested in getting herself a magic amulet like Sofia’s.
As with
the previous episode I reviewed, it’s decent enough for kids’
entertainment. The usual themes – doing
the right thing, helping friends instead of only thinking of yourself – get
some traction, and the adventure includes a few mild twists to keep things
interesting. I mean, I picked up on them
quickly, but I just appreciate that enough thought went into the story to include foreshadowing instead of things
happening Just Cuz.
Before I
get to Rannells, I should quickly point out a couple other familiar
voices. I knew that one character
sounded familiar, especially when she sang (more on that in a minute,) but I
couldn’t place her – looking it up afterwards, I found out that it was Megan
Hilty (Smash.) On the other hand, I almost instantly
recognized Mulan herself, Ming-na Wen (also, May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,) in what’s a small role here but looks like
it might be recurring as well.
Sofia and
Amber meet a number of denizens from the Mystic Isles on their quest, one of
the most prominent being Rannells’s Skye, a unicorn. I’ll be honest – this is a super cute
character. Skye has just gotten his
wings – which, the show explains, don’t develop until unicorns reach a certain
age – and is as eager to use them as he is unskilled with him. He’s incredibly loyal and carries himself
basically like Reepicheep, immediately pledging his service to Sofia and
manfully vowing to carry out all manner of duties on her behalf. Although, it’s probably best if it doesn’t
involve, you know, flying.
Rannells
gives a fun performance, mostly a show of brashness and bluster with little
hints thrown in that Skye isn’t quite as prepared for anything as he’d like to
think he is. He’ll gladly charge into
anything or fight any foe on Sofia’s behalf, and he’s quick to offer to fly her
anywhere, not remembering how tough flying is until just before he hits the
ground. There’s a cute moment where Skye
and the girls need to call on another character for help, and Rannells’s line
reading of, “I’m normally quite brave, but I require assistance on this
particular occasion!” cracks me up.
The last
episode of Sofia the First I reviewed
for The Book of Rannells had one song in it, and I’m guessing that’s probably
pretty standard for the show. But as I
said, this is a special, and I’m assuming that’s why it has extra songs, with
four full musical numbers. I find them
mostly in line with the one from the season 3 episode, kind of generic-sounding
with mediocre lyrics – they’re okay, but this is hardly Alan Menken or Robert
Lopez we’re talking about. That said,
Skye takes lead on one of the songs, sung as he shows Sofia and Amber around
the Isles, and Rannells is fantastic. I
have a soft spot for Broadway actors singing in places where you wouldn’t
normally expect it (i.e., not musicals, concerts, movie musicals, or TV shows
like Glee that are focused on
singing,) and though it seems like Sofia
the First has a decent amount of music in it, I’ll still count it for the
heck of it, because it includes what I love.
In my review of Rannells’s first appearance on the show, I mentioned
that it seemed like he was holding his singing voice back, but that it is not the case here. Instead, we have this funny/cute unicorn
going along, doing this thing, and then being like, “Oh, don’t mind me while I blow the roof off with this flimsy
little song.” The number itself is no
better than any of the other ones in the episode, but Rannells goes all in on
singing it. Needless to say, it’s my
favorite moment of the episode.
Since
this is a different character Rannells played than last time, I’ll do a new
first-impressions Andrew Rannells recommendation, then return for my overall
recommendation after I finish Rannells’s episodes in this arc.
Recommend?
Andrew
Rannells
– I think I would. Skye is a fun little
character, and I like his heroic attitude – I know it’s a kids’ show, but it’s
still a different character from the sort I’ve seen/heard Rannells play before,
and I get a kick out of it.
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