This
supersized episode is actually the series finale of Sofia the First. As such,
Andrew Rannells’s character Skye is just one of many who gets one last
appearance in this episode, and I’ve never seen most of the others before. But even if it’s crowded, it’s easy enough to
follow, and I imagine it was a pretty good send-off for kids who enjoyed the
show (premise spoilers.)
About to
graduate from “Royal Prep Academy,” Sofia’s big day is interrupted by her
Mystic Isles friends who need her for some major Protector duties. Suffice to say, an ancient, evil sorceress
named Vor is unleashed from a long imprisonment, and she just so happens to
decide to begin her dominion over all realms with Sofia’s kingdom. Sofia is called on to fight a greater evil
than she ever has before, and while she has lots of friends and family ready to
fight by her side, the ultimate showdown is just between her and Vor.
Like I
said, this episode features all sorts of characters, many of which I haven’t
encountered in my scant experience with the show. In addition to the Mystic Isles crowd, there
are Sofia’s friends (some of whom have magical abilities/resources, some
without,) the rest of Sofia’s family, and members of the royal staff. It’s no doubt more enjoyable for fans of the
show who know who all these people are, but everything is signposted well
enough that I didn’t have any trouble keeping track of the basics of who people
were. I also – here, at the end of all
things – got a little background on Sofia’s origins, growing up as a peasant
whose dressmaker mother wound up marrying the widowed king, which I’d gleaned
from the show’s theme song but was still nice to see alluded to on the actual
show itself. In the portions of the episode
devoted to the graduation, there are references to how Sofia’s experiences with
her blended family brought growth and change for her, as while as how her
friends at school helped her adjust to her new life.
The
action/adventure stuff is put together well enough. Vor is both a nigh-unbeatable threat right up
until the moment she’s beaten (but plenty of adult genre shows have the exact
same problem) and depicted in such a way that the final just-Vor-and-Sofia
confrontation feels kind of manufactured, but the final key to victory is
brought in pretty organically and features some important personal moments for
Sofia. If I was a kid who’d been
watching this show all along, I’m sure I would’ve been satisfied with how it
turned out.
Another
episode with very little Rannells, although I knew going in that Skye probably
wouldn’t be a very big feature; there are just too many characters to
include/say goodbye to to focus on this recurring unicorn from another realm. As such, we just get a handful of lines and –
once again! – no singing, which, in an extra-long episode with multiple songs,
feels unfair.
So,
that’s it for Sofia the First. Wrapping things up…
Recommend?
In
General
– For kids, sure. For adults, not so
much.
Andrew
Rannells
– Maybe, at least “The Mystic Isles” and possibly “The Mare of the Mist.” Those two feature Skye the most and Rannells
is admittedly a fair amount of adorable fun as this semi-competent unicorn
knight errant.
Warnings
Scary
moments for kids.
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