The Princess Blog

Disney hasn't always been the sole distributor of fairy tale film adaptations. There was a 30-year gap between 1959's  Sleeping Beauty , which  marked the end of their Golden Age, and 1989's  The Little Mermaid , which heralded the start of  the Disney Renaissance. During this "dark" era, a large portion of the world was experiencing a tense political climate due to the growing emergence of the Cold War. However, cinema was not completely devoid of new fairy tales at this time. The biggest provider of fairy tale retellings during the '60s and '70s was happening overseas in Czechoslovakia, where a large quantity of low-budget live-action musical films based on and inspired by popular fairy tales were being produced. Movies like The Princess with the Golden Star  in 1959, The Terribly Sad Princess  in 1968, and Princess Goldilocks  in 1973 ushered in a market for relatively obscure fairy tales that still remain untouched by Disney. This trend started ...

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for anything related to "The Little Mermaid."  For as long as I can remember, Disney's Hollywood Studios  had a short stage show dedicated to their animated adaptation called "Voyage of The Little Mermaid."  The show, which I refer to as "watching the movie on fast forward," got shut down during the COVID lockdowns of 2020 . During this time the theater grew a mold infestation , which forced them to do renovations and give the show a much-needed update. Today is the official premiere date of "The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure,"  a new stage show located in the same theater as "Voyage of The Little Mermaid." I am so pleased that they took this opportunity to update their "Little Mermaid" show at Walt Disney World instead of replacing it with something entirely different, like they did with Ariel's Grotto restaurant in Disney's California Adventure . "The Little M...

Based on an Italian folktale called "Fanta-Ghiro the Beautiful,"   Fantaghirò,  or Cave of the Golden Rose  in the egregiously titled English version, is an iconic and beloved European franchise of movies and animation  from the '90s that perfectly embodies the shift from femininity to feminism that took place that decade. The series, which is practically unheard of outside of Europe, is essentially a Western version of Mulan  without the ambiguity of the main character's royal status . It follows a traditional "chosen hero's journey" archetype, with the twist being that the chosen hero is a woman born to a king who was desperately seeking a male heir. Fantaghriro disguises herself as a man to fight for her kingdom , falls in love with an enemy king, and ends the centuries-long war between their two kingdoms. Although elements of these films are hokey and don't always make sense, they take place in a high fantasy setting that provides many fairy t...

I was in the mood for something hopeful recently, so I took a dive back into the Hope Ever After  multi-author series of fairy tale retellings. A Crowned Hope  by Kayla Eshbaugh is the sixth book I've read from this series, and I don't even think I've covered half of them yet. This book is a sweet retelling of The Prince(ss) and the Pauper  with cozy romantic vibes. Although the book has a villain, he is a minor part of the story and only appears in a few scenes. Overall, it is a pleasant escape from reality with a humble protagonist who is loved by many people. Keira is a peasant girl who owes money on her cottage to a greedy noble named Lord Roth, who threatens to force her to marry him if she can't pay it off. She just happens to be good friends with Princess Anna and shares a strong enough resemblance to her. Because of Anna's trauma over a recent lost love, she asks Keira to impersonate her to deter the affections of a foreign prince who has come to court her....

The Proud Princess  (or  Pysná princezna ) is a 2024 animated remake of a 1952 live-action Czech movie  based on the Czech fairy tale "Potrestaná pýcha" or "Punished Pride." The story is similar to "King Thrushbeard"  with a prideful princess and a king in disguise. However, it also has unique elements, including a kingdom-wide ban on music and a magical singing flower. The fact that this animated remake came out at a time when live-action remakes are at their peak demonstrates that Disney is missing out on a great opportunity that the Czech market has cashed in on. The 1952 live-action movie is incredibly entertaining despite its dated black and white palette, and its animated counterpart is a faithful adaptation with updated characters and effects that bring the story to life for a new generation. Princess Carolina is a beautiful but spoiled princess from the Midnight Kingdom who grew up with a father whose actions were guided by three corrupt officials...

After my last Ren Faire review , one of my readers suggested I check out the Scarborough Renaissance Festival  in Waxahachie, Texas. This is a much bigger and more popular festival than the Sherwood Forest Faire, but does that make it better? Though this faire offers some unique experiences that Sherwood didn't, the trip reminded me more of a stressful visit to a Disney Park  than a relaxing jaunt back in time. It was a three-hour drive to arrive at an enormous parking lot on a hilly field with a long walk to the front gate. While the castle tower entrances and dividers between the grounds were impressive, there were long lines for everything. Renaissance Faires are always fun experiences, so I understand why this one was so popular, but I prefer a more intimate and relaxing setting. For me, the biggest appeal of the Scarborough Renaissance Festival is the Mermaid Lagoon, a small walk-around area that costs an extra dollar per person to speak to two live mermaids and one merma...

The latest ARC I received from the new All That Glitters  multi-author series of fairy tale retellings is Siren's Treasure  by Suzanna Fowers . This action-packed retelling of "The Little Mermaid" comes out tomorrow! Since "The Little Mermaid" is one of my favorite fairy tales, I was particularly excited to read this entry in the series. This is the third book I've read from All That Glitters. Each one has been drastically different in terms of theming, characters, and tone. This story focuses heavily on the lore behind the original fairy tale while packing it with fantasy and Greek mythology elements. Although most people are at least a little familiar with fairy tales when they read adaptations, this book requires readers to know the original story inside and out before diving in. This wasn't a problem for me, but I think new books should explain as much of the story they're telling as possible to help the reader along. Siren's Treasure  is a ...

Today is the day that Disney's live-action Snow White  comes out on Disney+, providing an opportunity for the many people who did not see it in theaters to watch it. In honor of this occasion, I have explored many of the previous live-action interpretations of this character that have come before. Although I still have strong feelings about remaking the first feature-length animated movie of all time in a live-action format, I did not think that Disney's newest adaptation was the worst one. Yet, it had so much competition from its predecessors that it did seem a bit unnecessary. Let's explore all the live-action Snow Whites that came before and see where this one falls. Please note that this is purely for fun and not an official ranking by any means. All opinions are my own. Feel free to share yours in the comments, whether you agree or disagree with my list.. 10. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) I tried to watch this movie again recently because I didn't remember i...

I received an ARC of Forest Princess , the first book in the Forests of Anvrea series by Lucy Winton . This book is the first in a romantasy trilogy about a kingdom where magic is banned. While I appreciate that the book is a quick and easy read for people who are pressed for time, a certain something was missing that prevented me from being compelled to read the next chapter and root for the characters. It's a simple and sweet story without many twists or turns that wraps up too quickly and easily. Princess Kerenza is forced to hide her magic from the world due to her father's kingdom-wide ban. She is determined to change the laws when she becomes queen, but there is little she can do about it until then. After she is captured by a group of rebels who know about her magic, she escapes with a group of traveling smugglers. As she gets to know them, she grows feelings for a young man named Edmund, but represses them due to their class difference. During her time traveling with th...

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Rose of Versailles anime , MAPPA  launched a brand new movie that was licensed by Netflix  to retell the story using updated music and animation. The Rose of Versailles  sort of works as a film, but it struggles with many of the same issues as the Sailor Moon Cosmos  movies in that it tries to retell a long story for people with short attention spans and ends up skipping over many important details. The movie is presented as a disjointed musical. The first hour contains a stylized music video practically every five minutes to notate the passage of time and the emotional state of the characters. There was only one point where it looked like a character was singing the song, and it came so long after the more artsy videos that it was pretty jarring. The new adaptation of the 1972 anime retells the story about a woman named Oscar who is trained to be a French soldier to defend Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. It co...

So far, I have not read a single book by Abigail Manning that I haven't enjoyed.  Insomniac's Curse  is no exception. This "Sleeping Beauty" retelling is a creative reimagining that takes the story in a bold new direction. I have never read a book that reminded me so much of the dichotomy in the video game  Slay the Princess , which is really saying something because that game makes you think. It has lots of surprises with a hero and heroine that are easy to love. This book is a magical escape from the world we know, with a sweet romance and a few subtle references to the Disney movie. I found it a relaxing read with plenty of thrills along the way. Kaliope is an innocent maiden living in the woods, being raised by her three spinster aunts. She has a hard time sleeping at night, and for good reason. When she falls asleep, she has episodes where she loses control of her body and launches into violent attacks on the villagers. Her aunts have done their best to hide h...