Princesses to the Rescue!

"Princesses to the Rescue!" is the thirty-sixth episode of the Disney Junior series Sofia the First, which premiered on August 15, 2014.

Plot
While visiting the Kingdom of Wei-Ling, James and Jin discover a treasure map inside the statue of a jaguar and run off to go find it. Soon after they leave, the princesses tell their fathers where they’ve gone. Emperor Quon is disturbed by this because the Treasure of the Jade Jaguar is guarded by a real jaguar. He tells Roland and the girls that many years ago the Jade Jaguar ravaged all of Wei-Ling stealing the people's tresure but he dispatched the Imperial sorceror, Wu-Chang, to deal with him. Using his magic to give himself the ability to talk to animals, Wu-Chang offered 10,000 peices of gold if he stayed in his cave whch the jaguar agreed to and the empire was safe ever since. Quon also tells them the Jaguar is so protective of his tresure that there's no telling what he'll do to the boys if they go in his cave. Roland and Quon go after them immediately. Sofia wants to come along and help but Roland and Quon both tell her it's too dangerous and to wait at the palace for them to come back. After they leave, a frustrated Sofia tells Jun and Amber she wishes their fathers would let her help. Jun tells Sofia their fathers can handle this but Sofia is unconvinced. James and Jin soon find the treasure cave which is full of gold and diamonds and encounter the Jade Jaguar which chases and traps them.

Meanwhile back at the palace, Sofia, Amber and Jun are being entertained by the Imperial Sorcerer, Wu-Chang. When Jun notices that Sofia isn't paying attention to the entertainment and hasn't touched her food, she asks her friend what's bothering her. Sofia tells her that she's too worried about what the Jade Jaguar will do to the boys to enjoy herself. When he hears where Roland, Quon and the boys went, Wu-Chang panics and tells the girls about a trap the Jade Jaguar had set to stop anyone from stealing his treasure. Knowing their fathers will also be in danger, Sofia insists they go after them before it’s too late. Before the three princesses set off to the rescue, Wu-Chang shows them a shortcut and tells them about a secret passage that will help them avoid the trap set up by the Jade Jaguar. Roland and Quon are still in the jungle looking for James and Jin and soon find their way to the treasure cave. They manage to find their sons but end up getting caught in the trap themselves. Sofia, Amber and Jun arrive just in time to hear their fathers and brothers calling for help. Instead of going through the main entrance, Sofia advises they find the secret way in by going around the cave.

They soon find themselves further in the jungle and come across a maze of warrior statues. The princesses try to get pass them but the statues won’t let them. They try and try again but soon they quickly give up. Just as Amber and Jun are leaving, Sofia’s amulet glows and a mysterious warrior suddenly jumps out in front of her. Sofia doesn't recognize the warrior until she removes her helmet and reveals herself to be Mulan, who has been summoned by Sofia's amulet. Mulan reminds Amber and Jun that she never gave up so easily when she was fighting for what she believed in and took her father's place in the army. She tells the Princesses that if they believe they're stronger than they know, they can pass anything on their way to rescue their fathers and brothers. With Mulan's encouragement, they find a way to get pass the Maze of Warriors by swinging across on vines.

After passing the Maze of Warriors, Mulan leaves the three Princesses to continue on their rescue mission. They encounter giant silver moths that Amber fans away with her fan, a lagoon swimming with giant lizards that help them across after Jun soothes them with her flute-playing and soon find the secret entrance to the treasure cave behind a waterfall. They find their families and the Jade Jaguar. Sofia tricks him into chasing her and gets him stuck in the way they came in. Sofia is able to make a deal with the Jade Jaguar promising to leave his treasure alone if he lets her family and friends go. After getting the Jade Jaguar unstuck, Sofia, Amber and Jun get Roland, Quon, James and Jin out of the trap and everyone leaves the cave. They return to the palace and celebrate the success of the daring rescue made by the three young Princesses.

Songs

 * Stronger Than You Know

Cast

 * Ariel Winter as Sofia
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes as Princess Amber
 * Tyler Merna as Prince James
 * J.J. Totah as Prince Jin
 * Michaela Zee as Princess Jun
 * Ming-Na Wen as Mulan (Lea Salonga singing voice)
 * Travis Willingham as King Roland II
 * James Sie as Emperor Quon
 * Keone Young as Wu-Chang
 * Stephen Stanton as Jade Jaguar

Trivia

 * Mulan is the second Disney Princess not to be shown in her redesign, instead wearing her armor rather than her dress. The first was Ariel in Sofia the First: The Floating Palace.
 * Sofia's green outdoor outfit is a replica of the red outfit that she wears in the episode "Great Aunt-Venture" when Sofia goes on an adventure with Aunt Tilly and the one her reflection wears in one of Cedric's morpho-mirrors in "The Enchanted Feast" which also includes the explorer's hat, probably to mark her exploring here. The reason it is green is both for camoflauge and to signify that she has entered a new environment, since green is the color of novices.
 * This is the third time Sofia visits another Kingdom. The first was Tangu in "Two to Tangu". The second was Merroway Cove in Sofia The First: The Floating Palace.
 * Mulan is the second Disney Princess that Princess Amber meets, the first being Jasmine in "Two to Tangu".
 * This is the first time Princess Jun meets a Disney Princess.
 * So far Mulan is the only other Princess after Jasmine that doesn't disappear magically after aiding Sofia.
 * Technically, jaguars live in South and Central America. Since Wei-Ling is based on China, it should have been a leopard or snow leopard that was guarding the treasure.
 * Just as "The Amulet of Avalor" revealed that Sofia has stored her princess test trophy in the Royal Jewel Room, this episode reveals that Fauna (after disguising as Mrs. Higgins) retrieved Sofia's lost purple fan, as she holds it with Amber and Jun's fans.
 * Mulan is the seventh Disney Princess to appear on the show.
 * The first was Cinderella in Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess.
 * The second was Jasmine in Two to Tangu.
 * The third was Belle in The Amulet and the Anthem.
 * The fourth was Ariel in Sofia the First: The Floating Palace.
 * The fifth was Aurora in Holiday in Enchancia.
 * The sixth was Snow White in The Enchanted Feast.
 * The seventh episode where Sofia does not wear her signature dress throughout the whole episode, the third time for Amber. But it's the first time for Jun.
 * This is the third episode to not take place in Enchancia, following "Two to Tangu" and Sofia the First: The Floating Palace.
 * This is the second time Lea Salonga (singing voice of Jasmine and Fa Mulan) sings on the show, the first being Two to Tangu.
 * This is the second time the Princess the Amulet of Avalor summons helps out directly instead of just pointing them in the right direction the first was Jasmine in Two to Tangu. It's also the second time their lesson is directed more towards Amber, but it's also the first time directed towards Jun. Mulan's lesson was to help Amber and Jun learn to give their all and to not give up just because things stop being easy.
 * This is the third time Roland shows that he's very protective of Sofia. The first time was in "Let The Good Times Troll" and the second time was in "The Buttercups".
 * Amber and Jun almost discover Sofia's secret in this episode when Sofia's amulet summoned Mulan. Luckily, they didn't get suspicious because they were too excited about meeting Mulan to notice how odd it was that Mulan appeared out of nowhere.
 * This is the first episode which title has a punctuation mark (! in this episode) except for apostrophes.

Goofs

 * Mulan's helmet mysteriously disappeared when she said, "Then you'll just have to be tougher."