Medieval, meet musical [‘Galavant’ series premiere review]
You, like us, already know that Disney has had its fair share of musicals on film and on the stage. Now their trying to take the world by musical storm by broadcasting one on TV (Watch out, NBC!).
Galavant‘s Pilot and the following episode “Joust Friends” premiered yesterday on the Disney-owned ABC television network. As you can already tell from the episode titles, the show itself is an incredibly witty interpretation of the classic knight’s tale.
This “musical-comedy extravaganza” follows the adventures of a hero named Galavant (Joshua Sasse), who goes on a journey to save his beloved Madalena (Mallory Jansen). She has possibly been forced into marriage with the maybe evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson) who is supported by his right hand man Gareth (Vinnie Jones). Joining Galavant are his squire Sid (Luke Youngblood) and a Princess named Isabella (Karen David), who actually harbors secrets of her own.
The show itself is basically a deconstruction of the fairytale genre. It combines cliché elements like medieval tournaments, heroic journeys, and maidens in distress with cleverly written jokes and unexpected twists. The wit of the show is made even better by the catchy, subtly hilarious music written by famed composer Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin”, “Enchanted”) with lyrics by Glen Slater (“Sister Act: The Musical”, “Tangled”). With Menken’s musical prowess and Slater’s clever lyrics, we’re left with classic Disney-sounding tunes that’ll stick in your head forever.
It wouldn’t be an “extravaganza” of a show without extravagant guest stars! “Joust Friends” featured John Stamos playing a knight who challenges Galavant in a jousting tournament. Other stars to look out for in future episodes include Ricky Gervais, Hugh Bonneville, and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
As amusing as the show is, viewers should be warned that Galavant is much more adult than your typical Disney work. It isn’t exceptionally explicit, but audiences should still be warned that Galavant isn’t afraid to take its witticisms to slightly inappropriate places – which does make the show unique in a fun way! But, of course, audiences and especially parents should be aware of the content being presented.
In all, Galavant was a really fun watch and the way they change up the fairy tale genre alongside great music is incredibly entertaining for today’s audiences that want something fresh. If you’re into modern wit, medieval settings, and classic Disney music this show’s definitely for you for the new year.
Here’s what some of you said about it on social media!
@DisneyExaminer It’s literally quirky comedy. And the songs, the choreography, EVERYTHING! Just feels golden. I think I’m hooked. #Galavant
— Dylan ✿ ‶D Barenzu‶ (@Haisai_DBarenzu) January 5, 2015
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Galavant is a mini-series and will air on Sunday nights at 8 PM E/P on ABC for the next 3 weeks.
Will you be watching Galavant’s new adventure in the coming weeks? What other ABC premieres are you looking forward to for this new season for TV? Let us know!
