PattyCake Productions Shows It's Hard to Be a Charming Prince

I've always loved PattyCake Productions' high quality princess content. Today, they surprised me with a new video to pay some respect to classic Disney princes. Animated princes have regressed over the years due to a rise in feminism and have returned to their roles as mere accessories to the princesses. There was a period of time during the Disney Renaissance in which the male leads in Disney movies expanded their roles to fully developed characters equivalent to the princesses themselves. However, in the live-action remake era, Disney has been pushing the trope of princesses saving themselves, causing them to even outshine the male leads in their own movies on occasion. This shift has taken us back to the classic Disney Princess era, in which the princes played very small roles.

The music video, which was released today, is called "Charming," not to be confused with a subpar 2018 animated film of the same name. It focuses on the three golden age princes: The Prince from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Prince Charming from Cinderella, and Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty. As typical of PattyCake, the video has strong production values and perfectly replicates various settings, costumes, and props from the films in a more authentic and aesthetically pleasing manner than many of Disney's live-action remakes. The song, performed in three parts, has lyrics reminiscent of "Agony" from Into the Woods and a melody reminiscent of "Princesses on Parade" from The Swan Princess. You can watch the full video below.

The titular Prince Charming leads the video, holding a very convincing-looking glass slipper in front of a backdrop of Cinderella Castle as he laments being viewed only as a handsome face for the future princess to marry. The irony is that princesses have long been criticized for just that, but it absolutely applies to Prince Charming as well, which is why many "Cinderella" adaptations have included scenes in which Cinderella meets the prince prior to the ball, implying that they had already formed a connection by then. He reveals aspects of himself that people don't usually associate with his character, such as his political mindset and numerous thoughts about the war in his kingdom and the economy.

Prince Charming's segment alone was enough to make this video worth watching, but it gets even better when Snow White's prince chimes in with his take. "The Prince" features some hilarious lyrics about how he has no name and simply "exists," which was indeed the case in the 1937 animated film, as the animators struggled to draw a convincing man and were forced to cut many of his scenes. He also has some funny lines about learning Snow White is dead and that kissing her would be non-consensual, which was a ridiculous controversy that came up five years ago. Phillip's part wasn't quite as entertaining since he had more of a personality and role in his film, giving the songwriters less to work with, but the cameo from Maleficent was still fun.

PattyCake Productions' new music video "Charming" is a delightful tribute to classic Disney princes, shedding light on their often-overlooked stories and personalities. The video's strong visuals and catchy song make it a must-watch for fans of Disney and musical theater. By giving voice to the princes, PattyCake highlights the importance of character development and challenges traditional princess narratives. Check out the full video to see these charming princes shine!