Last year, the thought was that during Once Upon a Time’s winter break, they would air a spinoff based on Wonderland. As it turns out, the plan was changed and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland aired in the fall and failed to find an audience. This year, ABC has decided to try a new show in place of Once, and they hope that they will find better results.
The main difference is that Galavant is not a spin-off of Once. In fact, it is not even the same genre. Galavant is a thirty minute musical comedy series from the writer Dan Fogelman who wrote Tangled and was behind ABC’s The Neighbors. (ABC is airing two episodes back-to-back so it fills the one-hour time slot). While the show features knights and castles, it does not feature fairytale characters or magic. But despite it not being an extension of Once, it is a whole lot of fun.
The music, provided by Disney Legend Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater is very catchy and varied. The comedy is zany and requires some of your divided attention in order to get the full effect. Imagine a combination of Enchanted with The Naked Gun.
If you have seen the ads for the show that focus on the guest stars, a line-up that included “Weird Al” Yankovic and Ricky Gervais, you probably have the idea that the show does not take itself seriously. You would be correct. The show is perhaps the zaniest show ABC has aired since the ill-fated Knights of Prosperity.
But as Disney fans, that chance to have new Menken music every week, is exciting. He gets to showcase a great variety of styles as each song is inspired in a different genre. But you don’t have to take my word for it. At a recent event, Alan Menken discussed what it was like working on the series.
Rarely do you find a show that is as fun as Galavant. The songs, the comedy, and the cast all contribute to a fun hour of television. I just hope that viewers that are used to watching Once will give a very different show a chance.. While the shows may be very different, they both feature Disney DNA which makes this Disney fan very happy.
But before you go, at the aforementioned event, Alan Menken performed a medley of his Disney work. So if you want to relive your childhood and beyond, take a watch and catch Galavant on Sunday at 8/7c.