For the little princesses who can’t get enough of Sofia the First comes the 7th DVD collection, Dear Sofia: A Royal Celebration. Disney Jr. DVD’s typically feature about 2-hours of content through a collection of similarly themed episodes. In the case of Sofia, these DVDs have always celebrated the appearance of one Disney Princess who appears in an episode, but this release steps up the game by including four of them.
Preschool children who haven’t seen the animated classics will be introduced to Jasmine from Aladdin, Mulan, Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog through four separate episodes on this disc. This collection also marks the firs “double dip,” as Jasmine’s episode “Two to Tangu” was previously released on the DVD Sofia the First: Ready to Be a Princess.
Sofia calls each princess with her magical amulet. Belle sounds little like Paige O’Hara, but shows up to help Sofia learn a lesson about friendship. Mulan is actually voiced by Ming-Na Wen and her original singing voice, Lea Solanga, also returns to teach Sofia about her strength. Tiana helps Sofia learn what makes a truly special gift and Jasmine helps her with tricky magic carpet. There is a fifth episode that doesn’t feature a princess called “Minimus is Missing.”
Of all the Sofia the First DVDs currently available, this one is the most appealing simply because it features more princesses than any other. With a bonus feature of another episode and the in package gift (a letter set), it seems like an easy gift choice for the Sofia fan in your life.
Bonus Features
There is surprisingly one bonus feature, a bonus episode called “Cool Hand Fluke” where Sofia returns to visit her mermaid friend Oona.
Packaging & Design
Dear Sofia: A Royal Collection comes in a standard black DVD case which is housed inside a shimmery embossed slipcover. The initial release includes a kit for writing a letter to Sofia, with a royal letter, envelope, and flat pen. There is also an insert with a code for Disney Movie Rewards (75 points) and an ad for Disney Movie Club.
This DVD uses Disney’s Fast Play, which means parents can pop the disc in and walk away knowing that the feature will automatically play without a menu. Allowing this option to run its course plays ads for Disneynature Born in China, Aladdin Diamond Edition and Inside Out.
Final Thoughts
Dear Sofia: A Royal Collection may not actually feature letter writing within the episodes, but it’s a cute way to link these episodes on this DVD set. Kids will be happy to have so many Disney princesses on the same DVD and adults will at least be intrigued to see how these hand-drawn animated characters appear in CG and the varying degrees of success that result.