Ariel Winter says ‘it’s amazing’ to reprise titular role in ‘Sofia the First’ reboot

By Sweenie Saint-Vil May 26, 2026 | 9:00 AM

Poster for ‘Sofia the First: Royal Magic’ (Disney)

It’s been eight years since the last episode, but just like that — abracadabra — Sofia the First is back. Ariel Winter reprises her role as the voice of Sofia in Sofia the First: Royal Magic.

“There’s so much that’s exciting about being able to be Sofia again. …She is just such an amazing little character. It was amazing in the first place to be able to influence young kids in such a positive way,” she tells ABC Audio, noting she’s grateful for the chance to return. “Sofia’s just such a great character. She’s so kind and empathetic and brave and welcoming to everyone. I feel like that’s just something that we really could use these days.”

This time round, “Sofia’s in a whole new world now than she was before,” as she’s now enrolled in a school for royal magic.

“That comes with all sorts of new adventures. She has discovered that she is the most magical princess in the Ever Realm, which is so cool,” Ariel reveals. “And we’ll get to see more princesses this time. We actually have Moana this season, which is really exciting. There’s just so much new stuff and a lot of new characters.”

She hopes that young viewers watching the show learn “to be kind to everybody…go into every situation glass half full and try to do your best to be good to people and be your best self in as many situations as possible.”

Ariel adds that adults watching with their kids can also enjoy in the series.

“As a grown person watching the show, it’s fun, the world is so fun, the music is so great,” she says, noting they can also learn from Sofia’s top-tier conflict resolution skills.

The first episodes of Sofia the First: Royal Magic are now on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.