Once upon a time, Disney Pictures gave us the likes of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in painstakingly rendered cartoon animation. The princesses were always pure and innocent, beautiful on the inside and on the outside. If they could ever be faulted for any thing, it would be for their unwavering belief in the goodness of others. Princesses never recognized the evil eye; they were utterly incapable of seeing others’ blatant manipulation of their destinies. And they always needed rescuing, before they could fulfill that last unalterable clause in their job description: to live "happily ever after." Well, the princess-franchise obviously works for Disney; but, with Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, there are serious attempts to make that age-old storyline amenable to young modern-day audiences. For one thing, the character of the princess gets injected with a good dose of "girl power." Anne Hathaway convincingly reprises her role as Mia, a young woman who is still getting used to the idea of being a princess (never mind the next queen-to-be), but now she has a degree in political science under her belt. Although she laments in the opening voiceover that a college education has regrettably not equipped her with lessons on how to be a queen, we have no difficulty seeing her as a princess. After all, she wears the trappings of royalty well. Whereas her predecessors in the fairy-tale genre captured hearts with grace and goodness, the most telltale thing about Mia is that she is not perfect. In fact, the film never lets us forget that the girl is a klutz. Perhaps her awkward moments are meant to endear audiences to her, make her more accessible to little girls who feel insecure in their own skins. Certainly, in the movie, Princess Mia reaches out to the orphans and proclaims these, who are without identity, all royalty for a day. More important, her attention to the children is not a transient moment manufactured for political gain as the villain, Viscount Mabrey (Jonathan Rhys-Davies), thinks it is. Mia has a vision for her country, and she is not afraid to do something about it. The expediency with which she carries out social reform stands out in sharp contrast to the great confusion that lies at the heart of her personal dilemma. In order to be eligible for the crown, Genovian law says that Princess Mia must be married. She has no trouble telling the all-male members of parliament to sacrifice their winter resort for the needy children, but it doesn’t occur to her to tell those same members what to do with their dictates. All she knows is that if she doesn’t find a husband in 30 days, her claim to the crown is forfeit. So, Princess Mia resigns herself to making that marriage happen. It goes without saying that little thought is given to any aspect of the marriage beyond the looming deadline and (let this be a lesson to all), a serious shift in perspective is in order before the movie can reach its requisite ending. Princess Mia slowly comes to assume her responsibility (emphasis on slowly), even though she recognizes and accepts the challenge from the beginning. We are to forgive her this learning curve since as Grandmother/Queen Clarisse, played by the venerable Julie Andrews, so points out (in song no less!) to a room full of princesses (and, presumably, would-be queens), a girl’s “crowning glory” is her heart of gold. While parents may find Mia’s road to empowerment tedious, it is to be hoped that their kids will come away with a positive message. This movie presents families with several opportunities to consider the validity of ideas that simply look good on screen. For example, mattress-surfing down the stairs at home à la Grandma Clarisse is an emphatic no-no. Ditto for sneaking and staying out all night with a date — even if nothing happens, it’s unacceptable behavior whether you’re royalty or not. Few children have their very own mall in a state-of-the-art closet with remote control, or are next in line to rule a country; but, then again, life isn’t fair. What Princess Mia learns about fulfilling your destiny (in her case, becoming queen) is that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the things that are important; and sometimes you have to take a stand and fight for them. There are bound to be difficulties and distractions along the way (in the form of Lord Nicholas Devereaux, Viscount Mabrey’s nephew and a handsome contender for the Genovian throne), but family (including the countless members who make up the royal household; most notably, Hector Elizondo’s “Joe," who has dedicated his life to protecting his queen), as well as friends, are constantly there to inspire self-confidence. Ultimately, Princess Diaries 2 gives us a marriage of royal duties to loyalty to self. And, just in case the moral of the story isn’t obvious enough, there’s a carefully compiled soundtrack, with selections from mostly young, female artists like Kelly Clarkson, Lindsay Lohan, and Avril Lavigne, to reinforce the message that girls can — and do — rule.
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