When her mother Miranda marries the king of Enchancia, Roland the Second, Sofia becomes a member of the royal family and moves into their grand palace. She attends a preparatory school under the tutelage of fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather in order to train for her new role as a princess. With the help of a magic amulet that enables her to talk to animals and a special appearance from Princess Cinderella, Sofia adjusts to her new surroundings and tries to form a strong and close bond with her initially reluctant stepsister Amber.
The premier movie provides examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Sofia constantly pronounces Cedric's name as "Ceedric", the same pronunciation listed in the closed captions.
- Adults Are Useless: When Professor Popov notices Sofia dancing uncontrollably due to the trick shoes Amber gave her, he does nothing. He also isn't present during the scene of Amber giving Sofia the trick shoes, and doesn't show up before the lesson begins. Also, Sofia and James didn't even bother to tell Miranda and Roland about what happened as a result.
- An Aesop: Everyone deserves a second chance.
- Backhanded Apology: After Sofia's dance lessons were ruined, Amber gives her a rather sarcastic apology for grabbing the trick shoes by mistake. Of course, Sofia doesn't buy this apology and angrily ignores Amber because she knows that Amber gave her the trick shoes on purpose to ruin her lessons.
Amber: Oh, Sofia. I must have grab a pair of Cedric's trick shoes by mistake. He's always leaving his stuff lying around the castle. Sorry about that.
- Bilingual Bonus: The sleeping spell incantation is "Somnibus Populi Celae"; somnibus is Latin for "dream", which sets the nature of the spell. The counterspell is "Populi Celae Excitate"; excitate is Latin for "excite".
- Blackmail: Cedric almost did this to Sofia; he gave her a sleeping spell instead of the intended dancing spell which will cause everyone in the room to fall asleep, only offering the counterspell if she hands him her amulet, which would result in breaking the promise she made to Roland.
- Break the Haughty: Amber is satisfied after ruining Sofia's dance lesson until James says right to her face that he now likes Sofia more after what Amber did today. Not only does Amber make a sad face right after this, but hearing the handmaidens call Sofia the prettiest princess in the palace sends her to her room, crying.
- But Now I Must Go: Once Cinderella helps Sofia learn the way to fix her mistake, she disappears in shimmers and sparkles.
- Chekhov's Skill: The amulet grants Sofia the ability to talk to animals; this allows Sofia to hear Wormwood tell her animal friends the location of the counterspell and she finds it easily and thanks him to his surprise.
- Clothing Reflects Personality: While Amber is wearing her signature yellow-green dress throughout the special, it symbolizes her jealousy toward Sofia. Later on, she changes into a dark blue ballgown for Sofia's welcome ball, which signifies her warming up to Sofia at last.
- Creative Closing Credits: The credits has Ariel Winter singing in live-action intercut with scenes from the pilot.
- Death Glare: Sofia gives a rather hateful one to Amber as if to say "You!" after realizing she tricked her and ruined her dance lesson. James gives her the same seconds later.
- Didn't Think This Through: Cedric tricks Sofia into using a sleep spell that'll make everyone around her sleep so she'll have to give him the Amulet of Avalor in exchange for the counterspell. By the time he realizes he should stay out of the ballroom to avoid being affected by the spell, it's too late. Not that Sofia will even give him the amulet anyway, as she promised her dad she won't take it off no matter what and will get a third option to take from a Disney Princess.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Cedric shows no interest in Sofia, something we don't see for the rest of the series.
- Epic Tracking Shot:
- The opening scene features a pan from the shoe shop in Dunwiddie Village all the way to the castle.
- The final scene of the episode zooms out of the ballroom through a window to the castle exterior.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Sofia felt this way toward Amber after she ruins her dance lesson. Ditto for James, who calls her out on it before the royal ball.
- First Day of School Episode: The second quarter of the special revolves around Sofia's first day of princess school at Royal Prep.
- Five Stages of Grief: Amber goes through each of the five stages as the movie progresses: she is unwelcoming over Sofia's induction into the royal family (denial), becomes jealous over her getting all the attention at Royal Prep (anger), gets James to play a prank on her with the enchanted swing set and tricks her into using magic shoes for her dance lesson (bargaining), breaks down and cries as Suzette and Marcy are occupied with getting Sofia ready for the ball (depression), and admits her jealousy and finally accepts Sofia as a sister (acceptance).
- Foreshadowing:
- When Sofia confesses to her mom, she says she's worried she'll trip and everyone will laugh at her, but her mom is sure she'll do fine and quotes, "No one laughs at a princess." Later on in the movie, Amber's meddling with Sofia's dance lesson is what makes her trip up, and in return, everyone laughs at her.
- After Cedric gives Sofia the sleeping spell instead of the intended dance spell, he stops her right before she finishes reciting it, to avoid experiencing its effects, and tells her to wait until she's in the ballroom to recite it. This actually foreshadows him falling under the sleeping spell himself, as he realized too late he has to stay out of the ballroom to avoid being affected himself.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: In the final scene as the camera zooms out of the castle, Cinderella's carriage can be seen leaving.
- Grand Staircase Entrance: Sofia as she is arriving at her welcome ball in the ballroom.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Amber is this toward Sofia upon her arrival, especially when the other princesses and princes turn their attention toward her.
- Heel–Face Turn: Amber undergoes one near the end, when she apologizes for being jealous and accepts Sofia as a true sister.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: At the ball, when Sofia recites Cedric's sleeping spell, everyone in the room falls asleep, including Cedric himself.
- I Gave My Word: When Sofia is given the Amulet by Roland, he gives her a solemn promise to never ever take it off, which she keeps. When asked by Cedric to see it, she very politely refuses and stays true to it no matter what.
Cedric: Oh, I'll give it right back! I promise!
Sofia: But I promised never to take it off. And my mother says: "A broken promise can never be glued back together."
- Instant Costume Change: When Sofia arrives at the castle she is in her villager clothes; when she is crowned seconds later she has instantly changed into her princess gown with no showing of such.
- It's All My Fault: Sofia says this word-per-word after she shows the ball under the effects of the sleeping spell, thinking she said Cedric's dance spell wrong. Amber says this to Sofia as she admits her guilt, for giving her the trick shoes which ruined her dance lesson because of her jealousy towards her.
- Jerkass Realization: When Sofia shows Amber the problem she caused, she finally admits her guilt and jealousy toward her and in return, accepts her as a true sister.
- Karma Houdini: Sofia and James are angry at Amber for ruining the former's dance lesson, but they never tell their parents about it, nor does Popov call them and report the incident.
- Match Cut: When Sofia stops dancing uncontrollably for a while, we get a brief shot from her perspective zooming in on the sneering Amber. A similar shot is given for Sofia's "Oh, Crap!" reaction shot, but the camera zooms out.
- MacGuffin: The Amulet of Avalor. Doubles as Clingy MacGuffin as Sofia must never ever take it off.
- Melancholy Musical Number: Sofia's lament about her doubts of being a princess.
- Mood Whiplash: Though minor, after Sofia slips up during the dance lesson, making everyone laugh at her just as she predicted, her mood shifts from embarrassment to anger as she stands up, takes off the trick shoes and gives Amber a "What the Hell, Hero?" glare.
- Musical Spoiler: When the trick shoes take effect and Sofia's dance lesson flies off the handle, the orchestra's music changes to a more frightening and urgent manner.
- Near-Villain Victory: Cedric was close to getting the amulet, but he gets hit with his own sleeping spell when Sofia recites it, making him fall asleep as well. If he wasn't in the ballroom at the time Sofia cast the spell, Cedric would've won without question.
- Never My Fault: Before Sofia's ball, Amber calls James out for the prank he played on her on her first day at Royal Prep when she was the one who told him to do it in the first place.
- Oh, Crap!: Sofia's reaction when she sees Amber sneering at her during her dance lesson, which is that moment she realizes Amber tricked her and gives her a Death Glare afterwards. She gets another at the ball when everyone falls into a deep sleep thanks to the sleeping spell she recites.
- Please Wake Up: A non-fatal example, but Sofia says this word-per-word to Miranda after she casts the sleeping spell at the ball.
- P.O.V. Cam: Amber's mean grin during the dance lesson is from Sofia's perspective, making her realize she's been tricked.
- Powers in the First Episode: Sofia receives the Amulet of Avalor and is blessed with the ability to talk to animals and summon famous princesses.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: James calls Amber out on ruining Sofia's dance routine out of jealousy.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: When Sofia recites Cedric's spell and everyone falls asleep, she thinks she said it wrong. She's incorrect, as he gave her the wrong spell (a sleeping spell instead of the intended dance spell), but she's right that she didn't say the proper words.
- Scare Chord: As the camera centers on the sleeping spell Sofia is holding behind her back as she comes down the stairs, the background score is accompanied by an eerie tremolo.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- Slasher Smile:
- Amber flashes a few of these, her meanest one from when Sofia notices her when her dance lesson is being ruined.
- Cedric has a few of these as well whenever Sofia is not around.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: When Sofia helps a baby bird, her amulet blesses her with the ability to talk to animals, which she discovers the following day.
- Stalker Shot:
- During the scene where Roland first gives Sofia the Amulet of Avalor, Amber can be seen spying on her out the door.
- After Sofia walks down the stairs at her ball, Cedric appears watching her from the doorway.
- Stealth Pun: Jealous stepsister Amber wears a yellow-green dress — she's literally green with envy.
- Storybook Opening: How the movie opens.
- Tempting Fate: Sofia worries she'll trip and everyone will laugh at her. Later on in the movie, she does just that, thanks to Amber's meddling. Miranda even says to her, "No one laughs at a princess." Again, guess what happens!
- Title Drop: From the last lines of the movie:
Sofia: I've been wondering, why do they call you "Roland the Second"?
Roland: Because my father, the former king, was also named Roland.
Sofia: Hmm, so I guess that makes me... Sofia the First.
Roland: I guess it does.
- Tranquil Fury: James barely raises his voice when confronting Amber of ruining Sofia's dance routine.
- Unwitting Pawn: Sofia is this to Cedric, being given a sleeping spell instead of a dance spell to put everyone in the ballroom to sleep to blackmail her into handing her the amulet in exchange for the counterspell. His plan falls apart however, when he gets affected by the spell as well and Sofia had to rely on Amber to help her.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Both Sofia and James (but especially the former) toward Amber when she ruins the former's dance lesson with Cedric's trick shoes and James calls her out on it minutes before the ball starts.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Miranda's talk with Sofia when she doubts being a princess.
