Exclusive: Disney Channel to Premiere New Princess Franchise Sofia the First

Disney Channel will roll out Disney's first "little girl princess" franchise, Sofia the First, via a new animated TV movie set to air next month.

Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess will premiere Sunday, November 18, at 7/6c on the Disney Channel, and then be repeated on Thursday, November 22, at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. Central) on preschool network Disney Junior (in a telecast hosted by The Biggest Loser's Alison Sweeney). The movie is a precursor to a Sofia the First series set to debut in early 2013 on Disney Junior.

Performers lending their voices to Sofia the First include Modern Family's Ariel Winter, who plays Sofia, a girl who becomes a princess when her mother marries a king. Sara Ramirez (Grey's Anatomy), Wayne Brady (Let's Make a Deal) and Tim Gunn (Project Runway) also lend their voices.

A Sofia the First storybook was released Tuesday by Disney Publishing, while an online site (DisneyJunior.com/Sofia) launches Friday, November 2. A Sofia the First digital album will be uploaded on Tuesday, November 13, via iTunes.

As part of the movie's premiere telecast on November 18, Disney Channel will also air a music video featuring Winter, who performs the song "Rise and Shine."

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