"The Bamboo Kite" is the seventy-fourth episode of the Disney Jr. animated series Sofia the First. It premiered on July 8, 2016 and is the twenty-second episode in the third season.
On July 4, 2016 (The USA Independence celebration of 240 years), the episode was made available on the Disney Jr. app before making its television premiere.
Overview[]
Sofia visits the kingdom of Wei-Ling to attend the Festival of Kites, where Jun has the honor of launching the first kite this year.
Plot[]
Sofia arrives in Wei-Ling to celebrate the Festival of Kites with her friends Prince Jin and Princess Jun. Upon arrival, she finds everyone giving their kites a practice flight. While it seems like a festival worth looking forward to, Jin tells Sofia that Jun has the summer sniffles, and might not be able to attend the opening of the festival the following day. Sofia asks Wu-Chang if there is a way to help her get better. The elderly sorcerer brings up the legend of an ancient rare flower, known as Mendseng, which could instantly cure the summer sniffles. However, Emperor Quon appears to no longer have any need for Wu-Chang's wisdom and now seeks advice from his Adviser of New Things, who says Jun needs to rest for six and a half days to get better. While the old sorcerer feels unwanted, Sofia, on the other hand, believes they can find the Mendseng. She volunteers to go, and so does Jin, along with Wu-Chang. After all three of them suit up, they set out on their journey to Mount Dashan.
For the trip, Jin has brought along all-new gadgets to help them on their journey. He brought along a perfect pointer to show them which way they are going. They arrive at a huge wall that runs around central Wei-Ling, and there appears to be no way around it or a gateway. The only ways are to go over the wall, and while Wu-Chang uses a levitating spell, Jin and Sofia get over using a grappling slingshot. Upon making it to the other side, they meet a magical talking Panda named Kai who likes to dance. He offers to dance for them, but Jin declines because of their journey to get to Mount Dashan and help Jun. Kai sadly leaves, making Sofia and Wu-Chang feel sorry for him. So they decide to stay around to watch Kai dance. After an amazing performance, Sofia, Jin, and Wu-Chang continue on their journey, until they hear from Kai that they won't make it to Mount Disharn before dark. However, he has a suggestion and presents them with a couple of bamboosts. They were very popular with the ancients because of their magical elastic properties.
Hopping through the forest on the Bamboosts, Sofia, Jin, Wu-Chang, and Kai make it to Mount Dashan in no time. Now they have to get to the top of the mountain in order to reach the Mendseng. They will not be able to get to the top by using the Bamboosts and Jin's grappling hook cannot reach. Wu-Chang has a suggestion. Gathering everyone onto a log, he uses his levitation spell to fly them to the top of Mount Dashan. However, they are too heavy, and Wu-Chang cannot hold them up any longer. They near a ledge and all four make it across just as Wu-Chang's spell gives up. Wu-Chang apologizes for endangering everyone, but Jin assures him it is all right. Jin can now use his grappling hook to get them up the rest of the way. They finally reach the top and find the Mendseng flowers, enough to brew a healing tea for Princess Jun. However, upon realizing how late it is, their chances of getting back to Jun in time is slim. Wu-Chang steps forward to apologize to Jin because he feels responsible for causing so many delays with his old ways, but Jin points out that because of his old ways, they made it to Mount Dashan along with the assistance of new ways. Kai believes there is a place for both ways, which gives Sofia an idea. Working together, they build a bamboo kite big enough to carry everyone back to the palace. After attaching Jin's Easy Breezy to the back to use as a propeller, Kai bids his friends farewell and dances home. Then Sofia, Jin, and Wu-Chang take off in their kite and fly all the way back to the palace.
They soon make it back in time to give Jun her healing tea. Convincing the Emperor, Jun drinks the tea and is instantly cured of the summer sniffles. The next day, the festival of kites begins along with Kai joining the festivities.
Cast[]
- Ariel Winter as Princess Sofia
- Jesse L. Martin as Kai
- Michaela Zee as Princess Jun
- Keone Young as Wu-Chang
- Josie Totah as Prince Jin
- James Sie as Emperor Quon/Advisor on All Things New
Song[]
Videos[]
Transcript[]
The transcript for The Bamboo Kite may be viewed here.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Viewership: This episode was watched by 0.715 million viewers on its premiere.[1]
- Sofia visits Wei-Ling for the second time in the series. The first was in "Princesses to the Rescue!"
- Jun is the first character to appear sick in the entire series.
- This episode was previously scheduled for July 10, but for some unknown reason, this statement was incorrect.
- That would be when the episode had its premiere airing on the Disney Channel.
- This is Wu-Chang's second appearance in the series, and with a more active role.
- The summer sniffles is a pun to the common cold.
- Sofia is seen in her newly redesigned signature gown for the first time in this episode.
- This is another episode where Sofia is the only main character present.
- This episode's closing sequence features the Wei-Ling palace.
- This episode aired a year after "Buttercup Amber", making this the third episode (after "The Emerald Key" and "The Secret Library: The Tale of the Noble Knight") to air on the anniversary of a previous episode.
- The huge wall that Sofia, Jin, and Wu-Chang run into is a reference to the Great Wall of China.
- Mount Dashan may be a pun on the Chinese term "大山" (dà shān)，which literally translates to "Big mountain" (大=Big，山=mountain), referencing Mount Dashan's height.
- Moral: Honor the old and celebrate the new.
International premieres[]
- December 18, 2016 (Brazil)
References[]
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (July 11, 2016). Updated: Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.8.2016. Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2024.