King Roland II is a major character in the Disney Junior series Sofia the First, voiced by Travis Willingham . He is the King of Enchancia, husband of Queen Miranda, father of Princess Amber and Prince James and stepfather of Princess Sofia.
Background
Personality and Traits
He is regal and imposing, yet kind and welcoming. He cares not for background, but rather for character, seeing as he married Miranda (a shoemaker) for true love and he was happy that Sofia accepted him as her new father. Due to his father Roland I being reportedly too busy with royal affairs, leading to him and Tilly being raised chiefly by their mother, he tries to focus his attention on his family. When Miranda and Sofia enter his life, he desires to make them feel as happy as possible, sometimes, in the case of Sofia, making Amber jealous in the process. He also has a sense of humor, when he suggested Sofia calls him "Roland" or "Hey! You with the crown!" He left "Dad" for last, as he didn't want Sofia to feel obligated to do so. Roland can be commanding and authoritative. Roland is also helpful and insightful. Recently, Roland has revealed a protective side, when Sofia was going into the "great outdoors" with her Buttercup scout troop and ordered Baileywick to accompany them and warned him that Sofia had better return without so much as a scratch (not even a single one) and disregarded Sofia and Miranda's assurances that such measures were unnecessary, given Sofia had long been a Buttercup before she became a princess. Still, he apologized to Baileywick (after the poor man had a nasty case of rashes from a poisonous flower) and also to Sofia after Baileywick told the king how Sofia took charge and showed real leadership. Roland has been shown trying to make things fair for everyone, despite name, rank, or such. One example was, raising Gwen's position from kitchen maid to royal inventor, to show his thanks for her help. He encourages his children in their endeavors and tries to share an equal amount of time with each child. He creates events for children, villager and royal, to get together and have a good time.
Roland is shown to be a bit naive and clueless when it comes to magic because unlike his mother, sister, and youngest daughter he doesn't really understand it and is unaware of the magical objects and passageways in his own home. He also isn't keen when it comes to what his sister and mother really do or like.
Role in the Series
Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess
King Roland II first appears when Sofia and Miranda arrive at his castle to deliver him new slippers. It's love at first sight for Roland and Miranda and the couple soon marry, making Miranda the new Queen of Enchancia and Matriarch of the Royal Family. When Miranda and Sofia arrive at the castle, he accepts Sofia as his new daughter immediately. To make her feel welcome, he tells her he's throwing her a Royal Ball in honor of her Royal Debut. Later, Roland overhears a conversation between Miranda and Sofia with the little girl telling her mother about her discomfort with her new life and how she doesn't want a Ball. To ease Sofia's concerns, he gives his new daughter a lovely amulet that he says is special. He also tells her about Royal Prep and how she'll learn all she needs for the Ball there.
On the night of the Ball, Roland becomes one of the many victims of the sleeping spell that teaches Sofia not to mess with magic. When he wakes back up, he dances with his new daughter who calls him "Dad" instead of "Your Majesty" for the first time. He then dances with his whole family.
Sofia the First
As the King of Enchancia, Roland is a major character in the series.
Roland is shown to be very mature and responsible. He takes his responsibilities as the King of Enchancia seriously to the point where he tries to teach James to follow suit. Because of this, he is hailed as the best King Enchancia has ever had. He's also kind and insightful as shown at the Tri-Kingdom Picnic when he started playing badly on purpose to show Emperor Quon that no matter what he could have fun playing the games. This indirectly helps Sofia teach James good sportsmanship. He's also a devoted parent to his children, especially Sofia. He's shown throughout the series to be much nicer and more open-minded than Amber but not as much as James and Sofia.
This is because of certain flaws of his own. He shows many times throughout the series that he takes things at face value, has a tendency to jump to conclusions without even trying to get the facts first, and stubbornly stick with them even when evidence to the contrary appears. The flaws have the added effect of giving him poor detective skills and making him gullible when it comes to disguises especially ones created by magic. Luckily, he has Sofia by his side to help him realize his mistakes. Roland is aware of this as shown when he tells Sofia he's lucky to have her since she's always looking after him.
Roland is devoted to Sofia to the point where he's overprotective of her as shown in "The Buttercups" when he insisted that Baileywick accompanie her on her hike despite Sofia and Miranda both telling him such a thing is unnecessary and in "Princesses to the Rescue!" when he agreed with Quon that the rescue mission to the Jade Jaguar's cave is too dangerous for her. In "Dads and Daughters Day", Roland shows that he has become aware of Sofia's vulnerable side and the fact that she feels the need to prove herself, as shown when he tells her not to take mistakes she has been making so hard. When Sofia runs off during the Sing Along, Roland goes after her and gets her to tell him what is wrong: That she sees her mistakes as confirmation that she does not belong on the Dads and Daughters field trip because she is just his stepdaughter and not his real daughter like Amber. Before Roland can make her feel better they see the rest of the group being attacked by pelicants, who knock them down a gully. When Sofia sees a picture of her in his watch, Roland tells her that just because he was not her father when she was born does not mean she is not his real daughter and that he loves her now and forever. Working together, they retrieve the egg and return it to the pelicants.
Elena and the Secret of Avalor
Roland and Miranda are trying to find a place to take their kids for their summer vacation. Because Roland wants to visit a kingdom they have never been to before to establish trade links with, they still have not picked a place for their vacation by the time Amber and James meet up with them. Suddenly, Sofia comes up to them and tells them they should go to the Kingdom of Avalor. Roland agrees unaware that Sofia has an ulterior motive for wanting to go to Avalor. When they arrive in Avalor, Roland asks Admiral Vasquez if he sent a message ahead telling Queen Shuriki of their arrival. After receiving an affirmative, A horrified Sofia asks her father why he did that to which Roland tells her that it is the custom to meet with a Kingdom's ruler when visiting a new kingdom.
Roland and his family meet Queen Shuriki and Chancellor Esteban. When Sofia asks Shuriki if there is a law against dancing when Shuriki is reluctant to dance with her, Roland tells her that no one would outlaw dancing. After the dance, Roland tells Shuriki about his kingdom, unaware this is making her consider invading Enchancia. Shuriki has just signed the trade deal when a girl Shuriki identifies as Princess Elena comes in and tells Shuriki it is time for her to pay for her crimes. Roland asks "What crimes?" to which Elena reveals that Shuriki invaded Avalor and overthrew the Royal Family of Avalor which is her family. Shuriki orders her guards to seize Roland and his family and then reaches into her pocket. Elena holds up a wand stating "Looking for this?" Shuriki deduces that Sofia took it and Elena confirms Sofia's involvement in her return, to Roland's shock. After Elena fails to defeat Shuriki and escapes, Shuriki orders her guards to capture her and Sofia. Roland angrily tells her to leave Sofia alone to which Shuriki orders her guards to imprison Roland and his family to which Roland tells her she will regret it, but Shuriki smugly replies that she doubts it. In the dungeon, Roland assured Miranda they will get out and find Sofia. Sofia arrives and breaks them out. Elena tells them everything, convincing Roland to forgive Sofia for hiding her true intentions for visiting Avalor, and then Roland helps her free her family and then her kingdom, using his sword to intimidate Shuriki's guards, making them lose their nerve and flee when confronted by him.
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