Whether you know the theme song from viral TikToks or grew up watching the series, Sofia the First remains one of Disney Jr.’s most beloved shows. Nearly a decade after the animated series concluded, Ariel Winter—who voices the titular Sofia—is stepping back into her princess roots to reprise the cherished character for a new generation of viewers. Sofia the First: Royal Magic, which hits Disney+ today, follows Sofia, now the most magical princess in the EverRealm, as she attends the Charmswell School for Royal Magic, where she embarks on “so many incredible new adventures,” according to Winter.

Along with Winter—who stopped by DECIDER’s studio last week to talk about the new series—Sofia the First: Royal Magic will bring back much of the original voiceover cast, including Wayne Brady, Sara Ramirez, and Tim Gunn. Even Winter’s Modern Family co-star Eric Stonestreet, who played her uncle in all 11 seasons of the sitcom, is reprising his role as Sofia’s loyal pegasus, Minimus, in the reboot. Oddly enough, while Winter and Stonestreet talk frequently, the actress said she was unaware that he had recorded for Sofia the First: Royal Magic.

“When he went back in the booth to record as Minimus, he didn’t tell me,” Winter recalled. “We were chatting about something else, and I was like, ‘Hey, I just went in to record, and they were like, ‘Eric was just here.’ Why didn’t you tell me?’ And he was like, ‘Oh, I just didn’t think about it.'”

Like “real family,” Winter said it’s not uncommon for work to be left out of their conversations. “You talk about so many other things and then work you just leave out,” she said. “But it would be so fun to have Eric and I in the booth together.” Until that happens, Winter is simply happy bringing Sofia back to the small screen.

“It’s amazing to get to play a character for so long and to be asked to come back,” she said. “There’s nothing better than knowing that you’ve made an impact, and that people enjoy working with you, and that you get to continue doing something you love and playing characters that you love.”

When Winter spoke to DECIDER, she talked more about what’s to come in Sofia the First: Royal Magic, the moment she realized how big the theme song had become online, and what it’s been like renting a house with her Modern Family co-star Nolan Gould. Check out the full interview below.

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DECIDER: Ariel, I’m so excited to have you here today. I cannot believe it’s been 14 years since Sofia the First first came out. It’s been eight years since it ended. What has it been like to step back into this character?

ARIEL WINTER: It’s been amazing. I’m so grateful to get to be Sofia again. She is such a beloved character, and I think she is just so wonderful. It’s been amazing to be able to influence young generations of kids in such a positive way, because she’s just so kind and such a special character. She’s brave and empathetic and just so lovely. It’s just been wonderful to get to bring her back and know that I’m going to be able to do that again for new generations of kids. It’s just wonderful. 

What can fans expect from this new series? How does it compare or differ from the original run?

We’re very lucky that we have so many of our amazing original cast coming back. We are so grateful for that. They’re incredible. But we now have so many amazing new cast members. They’re wonderful. But Sofia goes on so many incredible new adventures. She’s now at a school for royal magic. She has just learned that she is the most magical princess in the EverRealm, which is obviously a big thing to put on her shoulders, but she is so strong and capable and so that’s going to be incredible for her. We also have all of the princesses coming this time. We have Moana this season, which is so fun and I’m very excited for her. So I think people are really going to love the show this year. They’re going to have so much to love from the old show and new things about this one. 

The iconic theme song is getting a bit of a remix in this show. As we know, the original song went viral on TikTok. At what point did you realize how big the song had gotten? And what was your reaction?

Two stories are actually really funny. One, my nieces went to this party a year ago. They got back to their friend’s house and they called me, and they were like, “My friends want to rap the Sofia the First theme song for you.” My nieces, at this time, were like 16. I was like, “Rap the Sofia the First theme song for me?” I was like, “What do you mean?” They were like, “Yeah, they want to rap it for you.” And I was like, “I would love that. That’s incredible. That sounds amazing.” Their friends in the background were like, “No, no, no, we can’t do it.” And I was like, “No, please.” They rapped it for me and it was amazing. They were like, “The show just meant so much to us. We loved it. It’s one of our favorite songs.” And I was like, “That’s actually incredible. You guys are 16, and it still means so much to you.” This was before they knew that I was doing the new series. It hit me in that moment. I was like, “OK, wow, it is still so relevant. The show hasn’t been on air for you guys in so long.” But it still meant so much to them.

And then I had somebody else tell me that their kid was at a party and the Sofia the First theme song came on along with some of their other current music that was not Sofia the First-related. The kids were jamming out to it the same way they were to Sabrina Carpenter. I was like, “That’s incredible. That’s so amazing.” And then to see all of the videos of the song on TikTok and Instagram, it’s just so incredible. Obviously, we love the music, but to see everybody loving it so much and to have it have such an impact is just the best. 

I feel like you’ve done so much voiceover work over the years. Do you prefer that to live action? 

I don’t know if I would say I prefer it. I think there are wonderful things about both. What’s great about voice work is you can go in your pajamas, you can do it anywhere. I can be in a different country and still do my voice work. But I don’t know if I prefer one or the other. They’re just very different. Voice acting is difficult in its own way. You’re bringing a drawing to life, so you have to emote totally through your voice, which can be kind of difficult. But for me, I started doing it so young that I just love it so much. I think it’s so cool to bring an animation to life. But then there’s also on-camera and you’re working with the other actors. I think they’re both great. 

There have been so many great actors who have voiced characters on the show. You, Sara Ramirez, Wayne Brady. Even Sabrina Carpenter, who is just dominating the music scene, voiced Sofia’s friend Princess Vivian in the original run. Did you and Sabrina get to work directly with each other or see each other outside of filming at all during that time?

We record separately, which is a little bit sad. Maybe we should all do a group record. That would be pretty fun. 

Speaking of guest stars, Eric Stonestreet, your Modern Family uncle, will be back to voice the character of Minimus in Sofia the First: Royal Magic. Did you get to touch base with him at all?

You know what’s so funny? Eric and I talk pretty frequently. When he went back in the booth to record as Minimus, he didn’t tell me. We were chatting about something else, and I was like, “Hey, I just went in to record, and they were like, ‘Eric was just here.’ Why didn’t you tell me?” And he was like, “Oh, I just didn’t think about it.” And I was like, “What the heck? Why wouldn’t you tell me?” It’s so funny the things that you talk about. It’s like real family. You talk about so many other things and then work you just leave out, and it’s like, “Oh, OK.” But it would be so fun to have Eric and I in the booth together. 

I think back to the original run and you were voicing this character at the same time you were playing Alex Dunphy on Modern Family. How did you manage it all at such a young age?

I think you just do it. As a kid, you go where you’re told to go. And so I went. It was great. I had a great time, and made it work. 

You recently shared that you and your Modern Family co-star Nolan Gould are renting a house together. How did that come to be? What’s the dynamic like? Do you act like actual brother and sister living together?

Yes. I will put it out there. We are actual brother and sister living in that house, OK? Because we’ve seen some comments and we’ve been cackling at some of these comments. They’re unwell. Some of your comments are unwell. I am not sure what y’all are thinking, but some of you are unwell. Nolan and I have grown up together. That is my family. That is my brother. We are best friends. That is family to me. To me, that is blood. 

Nolan’s a very nomadic person, so he goes all over the place and he was like, “I want to be in LA for a bit. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I live between LA and another place, and I was like, “I want to be in LA for a little bit.” And then we just kind of had this moment where we were like, “Do we want to live together for a bit while we figure our life out?” And he was like, “That would actually be the best thing ever. Why have we never done this?” That’s basically how it came to be. We’re honestly kind of the best roommates. It works out pretty well. We just watch TV together, hang out, and he does his thing, and I do mine. It’s great. We don’t argue. I gotta say. He does enjoy the house to be a little bit warmer than I do. I would prefer it to be a little bit colder. I’m not really sure how he lives like that, but other than that, we’re thriving. 

I know you mentioned in another interview that you guys had been watching Temptation Island. Have you ever talked about throwing on an old episode of Modern Family?

Potentially. We thought about it.

Have you gone back and watched it yourself at all?

I’ve actually never seen the whole show. I’ve seen maybe three or four episodes of the show in total. But I might watch. I’ve thought about it.

You said the Modern Family group chat is alive and well. I remember Sofia Vergara saying once that Ed O’Neill never responds. Is that true?

He has been more active as of late. He’s so funny in the group chat. He’ll send a message where you’re not really sure what it’s leading to. He’ll send a message where he maybe meant to send it to one person, but it’s in the group chat. It’s never anything personal. But he’ll be like, “Hey Jesse [Tyler Ferguson], what’s up on your show?” But it’s to everyone in the chat. It’s honestly my favorite thing. Ed is one of my favorite people in general. He was always one of my favorite people on the show because he was just so funny and supportive and also just told it like it was and I really appreciated that. So, it’s pretty great that he’s been more active in the chat as of late. 

I feel like everyone is always asking you if there’s going to be a Modern Family reboot. I want to ask: if there was going to be a reboot of sorts, what would you want it to look like? Is it a movie? Another show? 

I don’t know what I would want it to look like. I mean, I think for me, I would just be happy to be together with them again. I think they did such a great job creating the show the first time, and I think they would do a great job creating it again the second. So I’d just be happy to be a part of it. 

You have gotten to spend so much of your life working with Disney. You played Alex Dunphy for 11 years, Sofia the First is now coming back more than a decade after it premiered. You also got to reprise your role as Gretchen in Phineas and Ferb last year. What is it like for you to have this longevity with these beloved characters?

It’s everything. It’s amazing to get to play a character for so long and to be asked to come back. There’s nothing better than knowing that you’ve made an impact, and that people enjoy working with you, and that you get to continue doing something you love and playing characters that you love. That’s what you really hope for as an actor — to get to create something that people really enjoy, and that makes an impact. So, I’m grateful. 

As someone in the Disney family for so long, what are your favorite Disney perks?

Getting to go to Disneyland with a guide is pretty epic. We used to get to do it a little bit more, and now we get to do it a little bit less. But it is something that is truly one of the best things ever. That is a huge perk. Like, wow. Because it’s hot, the lines are long. And I recognize that. Sometimes, when I was younger and I got to go a lot with the guide, I was like, “I don’t know how I’ll ever go to Disneyland again.” And my nieces said that to me one time. They were like, “I don’t know, how can we ever go again?” And I was like, “This is crazy. Now we have to go without [the guide]. This is wild.” But it is a great perk. 

Are there any other projects you’re working on that you can tease?

I work with an organization called SOSA Undercover. We work with local law enforcement to combat child sex trafficking online. That is an organization that is really, really, really important to me. We have a show on YouTube called SOSA Undercover that people can subscribe to and watch the episodes where we basically show the work that we do. That is something that I’m really passionate about and I’ve been doing a lot recently. There’s tons of other things that I’m doing, podcasts and whatnot. But right now I would say if people wanted to check out SOSA, that would be amazing. I would really appreciate that.

The first eight episodes of Sofia the First: Royal Magic are currently available to stream on Disney+.