Rating: G
Genre:
Comedy
Theatrical Release: 08/03/2001(USA)
Release Date: 08/03/2004
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1/THX
Run Time: 115 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
This teen comedy from
Disney is based on a popular novel by
Meg Cabot and directed by
Garry Marshall.
Mia Thermopolis (
Anne Hathaway) is a teenage klutz who's openly mocked by the popular
Lana Thomas (pop singer
Mandy Moore). In fact,
Mia's only friend at her exclusive prep school is the socially outcast
Lilly (
Heather Matarazzo).
Mia's life takes a dramatic turn, however, when her mom announces that her late biological father was in actuality the crown prince of a small European nation, Genovia. Now
Mia is the sole heir to the throne, and her grandmother,
Queen Clarisse Renaldi (
Julie Andrews) wants to tutor the awkward teen in royal behavior. It's a daunting task given
Mia's lax table manners, poise, and hair care, but the girl perseveres with some makeover help from her grandmother's security chief
Hector Elizondo) and a style expert (
Larry Miller). In the meantime,
Mia's romantic affections are torn between the handsome, popular Josh (
Erik Von Detten) and the more appropriate Michael (
Robert Schwartzman), who also happens to be
Lilly's brother.
The Princess Diaries is the second film from
Whitney Houston's production shingle after the television version of
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997).
~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide