Nellie Andreeva

Last night’s premiere of Disney Junior’s animated special Sofia The First: Once Upon A Princess delivered 5.2 million total viewers on Disney Channel, becoming the top cable telecast of 2012 among kids 2-5 (1.5 million/9.1 rating) and girls 2-5 (954,000/12.2 rating). In fact, Sofia The First, which stirred controversy over the ethnicity of the lead character, ranked as the No. 1 cable TV telecast in five years in kids 2-5 (since Spongebob Atlantis Pantis on November 12, 2007) and in more than 10 years in girls 2-5 (Oswald on May 6, 2002). It now stands as Disney Channel’s No. 1 telecast ever among girls 2-5, its No. 2 telecast among kids 2-5 (behind High School Musical 2) and its No. 1 preschool telecast ever in total viewers, adults 18-49 and women 18-49. The movie averaged more than 3.0 million kids 2-11 and more than 1.4 million adults 18-49. It will have its Disney Jr premiere on Thursday at 9 AM.

Sofia The First: Once Upon A Princess will kick off a Sofia The First series, whose January premiere date will be announced shortly. Created for kids ages 2-7, the movie introduces Sofia, an average girl whose life suddenly transforms when her mother marries the king of Enchancia and she becomes a princess. The film drew complaints from Hispanic groups over the Caucasian look of the title character vs. her alleged Latin heritage.

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