Princess Diaries Synopsis
Princess Diaries follows the story of 15-year-old Amelia “Mia” Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) a girl that nobody seems to notice in and out of school. She is extremely shy, lacks confidence and is extremely uncoordinated. Early on she gets a visit from her lovely Grandmother (Julie Andrews) and finds out she is the only heir to the Genovian throne. This makes her the princess of Genovia. She does not take the news gracefully, so to speak, and takes quite a bit of convincing (and training) to be able to play the part.
And every princess needs a prince. Will it be the popular jock or the quiet musician, who also happens to be her best friend’s brother?
Our thoughts
The story of a makeover from average teenager into princess is sweet. There are many positive messages in this movie. Not leaving your true friends behind and finding happiness within yourself rather than from other people are my top two. This was a great movie to watch with my five-year-old. She loved the “princess exercises”, where Mia was in training to talk, wave, stand, walk and even eat like a princess!
Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement
Part 2 picks up five years later, with Mia graduating from college. She soon flies off to Genovia for her 21st birthday party, where she hopes to meet her Prince Charming at a dance in her honor. However, she also learns that her birthright to throne is being challenged by another who claims they are the rightful heir. The Genovian Parliament has decreed that since Mia is unmarried, she may not be the most suitable successor to the throne. But, she has been given 30 days to find a husband, or will lose her chance to be queen. Her engagement and the drama around who will finally get the throne rounds out the rest of the main storyline.
Our thoughts
The love triangle played out as an engaged Mia clearly has feelings for another was not easy to explain to my very observant five-year-old (“Who was that guy Mia was talking to? Is she married to him?”). I guess the discussion of the difference between boyfriends, husbands and boys that are friends was bound to come up sooner or later…I just thought I had a bit more time to address it! This movie is better suited for the tween-set. That being said, despite the questions, she definitely loved the movie and that the princess fell in love. The highlights for her was the mattress surfing down the stairs and the slumber party performances. I personally love Julie Andrews’ song the most. She is such a wonderful, timeless actress!
BUY IT: The 10th Anniversary release of Princess Diaries and Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement is available NOW on DVD/Blu-Ray from Target for $22.99.
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received the DVD from Disney free of charge to facilitate this review. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service. The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
1 comment
great movie! getting this for my daughter for christmas