Review: The Proud Princess (2024)
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. When she came of age to marry, her portrait was sent to the Sunshine Kingdom, where Prince Benjamin instantly fell in love with her. In a spontaneous decision to switch clothes with a cobbler he meets on the way to court the princess, Benjamin disguises himself as a peasant, revealing Carolina's arrogant nature. He gets a job at her castle as a gardener and harvests a magical singing flower that reminds the princess of her happier days before singing was banned from the kingdom. This inspires him to give her music lessons, causing the two to fall in love. His pretend status as a peasant gets him banned from the castle for winning the princess's heart, and the two decide to run away together.
One of the things I liked about this movie is that, unlike many Disney remakes, which try to correct non-existent problems with the original films, this movie celebrates everything that made the 1952 original great while taking full advantage of the animated medium. Many scenes between Carolina and Benjamin are nearly identical to the original film. However, thanks to the modern visuals, the singing flower glows and dances in a way that can only be done in animation, and many animal sidekicks have fun and humorous antics that would have been difficult to film with real animals. Simple modern visual effects enhance Carolina's backstory by showing artwork of happy times from her childhood, reflected in her favorite palace fountain. Action sequences in which the two must escape the wicked advisors take place in the same settings as the original film, but are made larger than life by the animated medium, such as a downhill log ride that adds a roller coaster-like loop.
Since there is no feature-length animated adaptation of "King Thrushbeard," this Czech version of the fairy tale conveys the same themes with beautiful visuals and believable characters. Carolina and Benjamin are still the same people in this movie as in the 1952 film, but they are even more memorable thanks to their detailed character models and updated dialogue. Their love story is convincing, showing how Benjamin gradually reminds Carolina of her happy childhood by reintroducing music to her life, similar to Maria and Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. While the behavior of the male lead from the "King Thrushbeard" fairy tale borders on abusive at times, King Benjamin is consistently kind to Carolina, never forcing her to work until it becomes necessary after they run away together. This makes their relationship healthier, so she is more justified in accepting his deceit about his identity.
Comments