Games/Music/Misc.

Princesses in Video Games

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This week, I'm going to talk about different types of princesses, beginning with digital ones. I am no expert on video games, but princesses have been a big part of them ever since the NES era of the 1980s. They have become a staple of the ever evolving technology. The two most famous video game princesses are Zelda from The Legend of Zelda, a series that began in 1986, and Peach, who evolved from Princess Toadstool in the Super Mario Bros. series that started 1985. Though they both began as stereotypical blonde princesses in pink dresses who needed to be rescued by the hero of their corresponding game, Peach and Zelda each stand out as very different characters. I would say it's no contest which one of them is the better princess.


Even though Zelda began as a damsel in distress, the many incarnations of the series have evolved her into a wise, graceful, and confident leader. In many ways, she is no more of a damsel in distress than Princess Leia is from Star Wars. Both get ca…

Princess Offspring

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What stories are left to tell after a princess finds her prince and lives happily ever after? That's the question Mattel decided to explore when they created Ever After High in 2013. The series detailed the lives of the teenage offspring of famous fairy tale characters through dolls, books, and animated shorts. It was initially created as a companion franchise to their already popular Monster High series from 2010 and was clearly inspired at least somewhat by the Disney Princesses. Though this was not the first time fairy tale characters were documented to have offspring, it was the first story about all of their children attending school together and exploring their own identities in relation to their famous parents. The franchise was so successful that many other companies tried to create knock-off versions of it, including Disney with their cringe-worthy Descendants movies.


Princesses having offspring dates back to the days when the fairy tales were first transcribed. In Charl…

Princess Cosplay

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As a princess lover, I like to imagine what it would be like to live a day in the life of my favorite princesses. Thanks to the magic of cosplay, this is possible. The term "cosplay" is a mash-up of the words "costume" and "play." It originated in Japan in 1984, referring to fans who dress up at anime conventions. I learned about it through my high school's anime club, when its popularity grew heavily in America around the anime craze of the '90s. My first attempts at cosplay were feeble, to say the least. My skills took off when I studied a "Fashion Design" elective class at my school. I learned how to sew properly by both machine and hand using Simplicity patterns. After I bought a crinoline skirt at a Renaissance Faire, my gowns started to look perfectly princess. Since then, I have cosplayed as several of my favorite princesses.


Cosplay is a very expensive and time-consuming hobby, so I don't recommend doing it often unless you h…

Princess Fashion

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I've been seeing several viral posts recently about historical fashion lately. One was a gallery of women's fashion every year from 1784 to 1970, and another was a video re-enactment of how women got dressed in the 18th century. These got me thinking about some of my favorite princess fashions. Though princesses are not known to be historically accurate, their fashions drew inspiration from many different places, and history is one of them. If you take a look at the way fashion has evolved over time, you can get an idea of which parts inspired the princess movies and which parts were altered.


Something that surprised me in the re-enactment was how many pieces were assembled on a woman to give the appearance of a single dress. Today, most dresses are a single piece, but historically, gowns consisted of a corset bodice and a large skirt with a crinoline underneath. This was something I also noticed about Disney's theme park princesses. Though they look like one dress when yo…

Princess Rap Battles

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In 2014, Whitney Avalon produced and starred in a new web series called "Princess Rap Battle." The series pitted princesses against each other to rap about why they were the superior heroine. It quickly started a trend in 2016 that was used for shows such as Galavant and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. One thing that made Whitney's videos stand out from other princess-themed web shorts is that she had some very famous guest stars, including Sarah Michelle Gellar and Disney Channel star Laura Marano. Her first video, "Snow White vs. Elsa," was very appropriate since it put the oldest Disney Princess head to head with the newest Disney Princess of the time.


Rap is obviously not the genre of choice for a Disney Princess, but that's what made the concept so novel. It was especially hilarious to see the docile Snow White rapping out insults. In some ways, these videos could be interpreted as princess parodies, but the princesses do act mostly in character and make some val…

Princess Fanart

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Every fandom will inevitably have an endless amount of fan-made creations all over the internet. The Disney Princesses, in particular, seem to be an obsession among artists. They have been "re-imagined" in countless different styles, timelines, and alternate realities. In fact, the trend got so out of hand that roughly two years ago, a website called LuckyPeach posted pictures of Disney Princesses reimagined as hot dogs as a joke. The post went viral. It was everywhere. People just can't get enough of Disney Princess reimaginings no matter what form they take on. One of the most famous princess fan artists is Amy Mebberson, who is known for her ongoing comic series, Pocket Princesses.


What I love about Amy's art is that she shows the princesses interacting with each other, like in the above Acme Archives lithograph where Merida, as the only non-singing Disney Princess, is annoyed by everyone else's singing. I met Amy at the D23 Expo in 2013. She had a fabulous ac…

New Princess (and Villain) Music Videos

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Move aside, Princess Rap Battles! There are some new music videos in town. Princess fans have gotten more creative than ever and are releasing tons of cosplay videos inspired by our favorite princesses. It's the perfect season for dressing up in costume and singing songs. Since Halloween is coming up, the latest fan videos have more of a villainous spin. These production groups have done lots of great princess videos in the past, and they are sure to make more in the future. Up first, we have a special treat from Rachel Bloom. I have been eagerly anticipating Friday's premiere of her show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and was pleased to find that she released this sneak preview yesterday of the Disney-inspired song introducing the episode.


Unlike their last princess number, the new song "Where's Rebecca Bunch?" is an ensemble sequence with the everyone in the show except Rebecca dressed as puritans in a colonial village. The video draws heavy inspiration from the song &qu…

Disney Princess Enchanted Tales and Why It Failed

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In 2007, Disney decided to create a direct-to-DVD animated series to supplement their Disney Princess brand called Disney Princess Enchanted Tales. The series was supposed to include two new half-hour princess stories per volume with original animation, songs, and stories. They initially planned three volumes with stories about Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, and Cinderella. The series immediately got the shaft after the first volume, "Follow Your Dreams" was released, causing other stories that had already released teasers of clips and songs to never reach completion. Why was it such a massive failure? There are a number of factors that play into this.


I don't consider Enchanted Tales to be a series of sequels because it was not marketed as part two of anything, but I also don't exactly consider it an animated series either because it wasn't on TV and does not follow a continuing storyline. Instead, it is a bunch of random one-off specials meant to teach kids hea…

The Best Princess Albums You've Never Heard

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We all have songs from our favorite princess movies on our playlists, but did you know that there are many obscure princess albums don't come from a movie or show? Princesses are known for their beautiful voices, so songs performed by them are calming and lovely. They have a style of music that's somewhere between classical, Broadway, and romance. Many princess performers have also released solo albums where they hand-pick their own songs, giving it a personal touch. Here are a few of my favorite princess albums that you've probably never heard.


"The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea" was released in 1992 and is available in physical and digital form on Amazon. It contains original songs performed by the actors from the 1989 movie. Jodi Benson dominates the CD, as expected, with her iconic mermaid voice, but there also new songs from Sebastian, Scuttle, and Ariel's sisters that allow you to get to know those characters a little better. If you listen to the tr…

Princesses and Puppets

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The Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade , one of the best princess events in existence, was inspired by the 1986 Jim Henson movie, Labyrinth . Though the protagonist Sarah is not a princess, the most iconic scene is when David Bowie 's character brings her to a royal masquerade ball where her dress is transformed into a magnificent ballgown. Throughout the movie, Sarah interacts with puppet characters on her quest to recover her baby brother from the Goblin King's labyrinth. Jim Henson has always shown muppets interacting with humans, but it is not too common to see them in princess stories and even less common for princesses to be portrayed as puppets. Jim Henson made a handful of fairy tale muppet specials with mixed results. The best by far is  Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince  from 1971 based on the classic fairy tale with a few fun twists. Melora is a beautiful human princess who is cursed to have her words twisted so her father can't understand her when speaks.

Animated Russian Fairy Tales

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Yesterday, a friend of mine shared an image she saw on Claire Keane's Twitter that sparked her interest. If you're out of the loop, Claire Keane is the daughter of the legendary Disney Princess animator Glen Keane who did concept art for the Tangled movie and series. She tweeted a drawing from a short Russian movie that was released in 1952 called The Scarlet Flower. The movie is a Russian adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast." After watching this lovely work of art on YouTube, I found a link to another animated Russian fairy tale from 1968 called Rusalochka, which is the story of "The Little Mermaid." The artwork in Rusalochka completely blew me away. Every frame looks like something that you would find hanging on the walls of a fine art museum. It was refreshing to see such a unique perspective on my favorite fairy tale.


Both of these movies have a classic and otherworldly feel to them. The Scarlet Flower tells Charles Perrault's version of "Beaut…

Holiday Princess Specials

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December is here, which means there's no fighting the holiday spirit. Lights are twinkling, Christmas songs are invading all the radio stations, and princesses are spreading their holiday cheer. Holiday specials that feature our favorite princesses usually come in the form of cheaply produced sequels , but there are other forms of media as well. For instance, there was a Disney Princess  DVD called "A Christmas of Enchantment" released in 2005 that contained mash-ups of clips and shorts from various Disney productions, but it quickly fell in the same direction as the Disney Princess Enchanted Tales series . There was also a Disney Princess Christmas Album released in 2009 with new holiday songs performed in many of the original  voices of the Disney Princesses  in which they harmonize beautifully about their excitement for the holiday season along. The album contains a few covers of classic Christmas songs as well. The newest holiday princess special is the 21-minute

"The Grande Mermaid" Is Finally Here!

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I have mentioned in other posts how impressed I am by the quality of PattyCake Productions Unexpected Musicals series in which they recreate classic movies and replace the soundtrack with that of a specific pop singer. In the past, I have particularly enjoyed their videos for "Cinderswift" and "Michaeleficent." However, I could not have possibly been more excited than I was when I learned that they were working on a video for my favorite movie and fairy tale of all time, "The Little Mermaid." The production was delayed for a few months due to Hurricane Irma, which hit the coast of Florida last September, but little by little, the filmmakers soldiered on. For the first time that I've ever seen from PattyCake Productions, they even released a trailer, building more excitement for this short than any of the ones in the past. Now, "The Grande Mermaid," set to the songs of Nickelodeon actress and pop singer Ariana Grande, is here at at last and h…

Story Saturday: "The Princess Vlog"

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"The Princess Vlog" Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess named Lisa who created a blog to keep her court informed about all of the latest princess news in the world. She had a small but loyal following. Lisa was happy with her court but always wished that there could be a way for her kingdom to grow bigger. One day, she went to visit her prince's kingdom, where her father-in-law, the king, encouraged her to start a YouTube channel to spread her message of love and kindness to the rest of the world. So, the princess used a magic wand that had been presented to her at her royal wedding to transform herself into a cartoon character. With the help of a little pixie dust, she created a video of her very first blog post.

Though she received a much smaller reception on her video than she had hoped, Lisa did receive some helpful scrolls from her royal family members overseas. She knew she couldn't do everything herself, so she asked her husband, Prince Derrick, for…

New Princesses of Heart in Kingdom Hearts III

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The internet has been buzzing about Kingdom Hearts III finally getting a release date after fifteen long years of anticipation. Unless it gets delayed again, we will be able to catch up with Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they travel through the realms of various Disney movies on January 29th, 2019. There have been a couple of trailers dropped over the last few days revealing footage from Frozen, Tangled, Toy Story, Monsters Inc.Hercules, and Pirates of the Caribbean. For me, the biggest announcement came from the latter half of last night's trailer in which Larxene of Organization XIII remarked that Elsa might be one of the new seven pure hearts that they needed for their latest quest. Anyone who has played the first game knows that this is a reference to the Princesses of Heart, a select group of Disney Princesses who had their chance to become video game royalty when they got captured by Maleficent in an attempt to use their pure hearts to open the Door to Darkness. My biggest pe…

Why Kilala Princess Should Be an Anime

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Amid all the recent Kingdom Hearts hype in anticipation of the new game, I learned that there was once a Kingdom Hearts anime series in development that never made it to production. This has been the case for many princess ideas that never quite made it out the door, such as the "Princess Academy" short and the unreleased episodes of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales. The series would have been inspired by the Kingdom Hearts manga that was released in 2009, which got me thinking about another Disney Princess manga that could have made a terrific anime. Kilala Princess came out in 2005 and told the story of a girl whose wish to be a Disney Princess came true. She found a magical tiara that was guarded by a prince named Rei who was searching for the true princess to save his kingdom. The tiara allowed her to travel to the worlds of Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, collecting jewels for its seven spikes so that it would regain its full power.


Kilala Prin…

How To Be a Princess in Kingdom Hearts Union X

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Kingdom Hearts Union X [cross] is a cell phone game that was originally released in America under the name Kingdom Hearts Unchained. It allows you to create a custom avatar and travel through the Disney movies to become a keyblade master. Even though it takes place within the canon Kingdom Hearts universe, it has many distinctive differences from the other games. First, this game is completely free to anyone who has a smart phone. There are certain bonuses that you can spend real money on, but it is absolutely possible to master the game without spending anything. Also, instead of playing as one of the main heroes from the Kingdom Hearts universe, you can essentially be anyone you want. You can name your character, decide if you want them to be male or female, choose a face and skin tone, and unlock tons of hairstyles, costumes, accessories, and descriptive titles throughout the game. Since I had so many options, I did everything I could to make my character as princess-like as possib…

The Evolution of the Disney Princess Anthem

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Yesterday, Disney released a new music video of Auli'i Cravalho performing the latest incarnation of the Disney Princess anthem, "Live Your Story." The video looks like your average Disney Channel pop remix even though it's performed by an actual Disney Princess instead of a Disney Channel pop star. It works to Disney's benefit that the actress they cast for Moana was so young, considering their obsession with creating teen pop stars. The music video contains clips of a magical bedroom with subtle nods to Disney Princess movies, a balloon-filled bubble room and some shots that appear to be filmed at The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles, hearkening to Belle's library. This video is the latest in a long line of Disney Princess anthem songs that date as far back as 2004.


The first Disney Princess anthem, called "If You Can Dream," was released as a bonus song on the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs Volume 1 DVD in 2004. The song was alongside a video made…

The Princess Blog Is Celebrating Its First Year!

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One year ago today, I decided I needed a better outlet for my writing. I hadn't released any new books in a few years, and I was on an indefinite hiatus from my screenwriting. I needed a way to share my love of fairy tales and dreams that would be easily accessible to a wider audience. It needed to a place where I could share my knowledge with the world without getting too personal. Thus, The Princess Blog was born.

A princess-themed blog seemed like the obvious choice, given that once upon a time, I ran a large Disney Princess fan group on LiveJournal, produced a hefty number of princess music video mash-ups, and later earned the nickname "Princess" at one of my office jobs. Around the time I started my blog, I was a fan of the women's news site HelloGiggles and noticed that they had been posting fewer princess articles than they used to. The Princess Blog needed to be a resource that people could depend on for the latest princess news, so I developed the tagline &q…

Disney Princess Designer Dolls

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We all had lots of fun playing with princess dolls as kids and brushing their hair until it became ratty and tangled. For those of us who are older, there has is the option of purchasing pricier collectible dolls that are made with finer details in their hair and clothes and come with their own stands for display purposes. While princesses have never exactly been lacking in options for collectible dolls, the Disney Princess Designer Collection that was revealed at the D23 Expo in 2011 was the start of something special. Each princess had her own designer dress that looked like it came straight off a modern-day runway. The collection was released alongside lithographs, cards, mugs, and other paraphernalia featuring beautiful matching artwork. The dolls themselves weren't sculpted from your typical Barbie mold. They had fully articulated wrist and elbow joints, salon quality hair that stayed perfectly in place, bigger painted eyes, and long realistic eyelashes that you could actuall…

Traci Hines Made a Wreck-It Ralph Fan Video That's Packed with Princesses!

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Creativity is in the air this month with new episodes of our favorite TV shows and Halloween just around the corner. Princess fans everywhere are getting into the spirit with cosplay and collaborative music videos. PattyCake Productions, known for their fantastic movie and pop song mashups recently teased an upcoming villain music video on their Facebook page. In the meantime, the wait is over for Traci Hines's latest collaboration with a large group of princess cosplayers recreating the famous trailer scene from Wreck-It Ralph 2 to the song "When Can I See You Again?" by Owl City from the first Wreck-It Ralph. The song is upbeat and peppy in the spirit of the scene it is attempting to recreate, making it a terrific choice for the video. The lyrics about having a great time hanging out with someone and then needing to leave blend perfectly with the plot where Vanellope sneaks into the Disney Princesses' secret dressing room and has some fun with them before needing to…

PattyCake Productions Launched a Disney Princess Web Series!

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Princess Month is still going strong with movie anniversaries galore. Did you know that November 18th was National Princess Day? Creative fans have been getting in on the action this month as well. To that effect, PattyCake Productions, the team that brought us the Unexpected Musicals and Villains Lair series, introduced Princess Academy, their newest web series, last week. Not to be confused with an unproduced Fantasia short of the same name, Princess Academy is a live-action web series featuring original songs and stories about our favorite Disney Princesses. PattyCake Production had previously impressed me with their gorgeous Little Mermaid video, "The Grande Mermaid," so I was excited about their latest endeavor.


The premiere episode, "Happily Ever After," was launched on the release date of Wreck-It Ralph 2, though subscribers to their Patreon page gained early access to it. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The main character is a modern-day nerd wh…

Princess Animatronics

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There are many ways to find immersive princess experiences at the Disney Parks. The most common way is through meet'n'greets. They let you interact with the princess in real life, allowing you to ask them any question you can think of and learn how they might respond, not to mention the terrific photo ops. Another way is through dark rides, which is the official term for the slower rides at the parks that allow you to travel through movie scenes that are recreated by animatronics, a revolutionary technology that bring sculptures to live with mechanical movement and programming. All of the dark rides at the Disney Parks use animatronics for their constantly moving characters. Until a few years ago, the only Disney Princess dark ride that could be experienced in this way was Snow White's Scary Adventures. This ride was overseen by Walt Disney himself and is one of the few remaining rides that opened with Disneyland's launch in 1955. Even though it feels a little dated n…

Disney Is Pulling All the Stops for 2019!

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There may not be a new Disney Princess this year, but that doesn't mean Disney isn't prepared for it. Since 2019 is odd-number year, there's going to be another D23 Expo this summer, but that's not the only princess-related thing happening in the upcoming months. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Disney's The Little Mermaid, and we can expect Disney to celebrate it in a big way, just like they did for Snow White's 80th anniversary back 2017. Like most princess movies, the Ariel's official anniversary isn't technically until November, but Disney tends to stretch out celebrations throughout the whole year year. The Little Mermaid Anniversary Edition Blu-ray is coming out next month. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll even get that live TV special we were promised a while back. Between that, the upcoming Aladdin remake, the new Dashing Collection for the Disney Store, and Disney's exclusive streaming service, 2019 is shaping up to be a big year …

Review: Kingdom Hearts III

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Thirteen years after the release of Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts III is finally available for us to peruse. With over a decade of buildup and hype, this game is a massive undertaking both to play and to review. There's just so much of it. There are a lot of cutscenes, a lot of new abilities, a lot of Disney characters, a lot of hidden Mickeys, and a whole lot of backstory to catch up on if you haven't played all nine of the previous games in the series. It's just a lot in general. Fortunately, Kingdom Hearts III definitely lives up to all the hype. It is beautiful, emotional, and fun to play, but because of its enormous scope, it never lets the player take a breath. Between the endless array of minigames and the endless array of bonus abilities popping up on your screen during battles, it's very difficult to find time to sit back and enjoy the rich and tranquil environments of the Disney movies that you are playing in. For the purposes of this review, I will be fo…

What About Kairi?

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*The following post contains spoilers for some of the final cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts III. For a less spoilery post, please refer to the review I posted last week.

Kairi is the only original Princess of Heart in the Kingdom Hearts series. She has been there since the very beginning when we saw her playing on the Destiny Islands with Sora and Riku. While Sora and Riku demonstrated enormous growth since the first game, Kairi still remains very much static. It's been 13 years since the first game, but her role still follows many of the same outdated tropes as much older video game princesses. While being a damsel in distress is not necessarily as bad as it's cracked up to be, a princess character does need to have some sort of redeeming quality to make up for her lack of physical prowess. For Cinderella, it was her unwavering loyalty to her stepfamily and her late mother despite the tragic events of her life that would have turned anyone else into a bitter cynic. For Snow White

The Internet Dropped Two New Princess Shorts!

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Just when I thought I wouldn't have anything else to talk about until the Aladdin remake comes out, the magical world of the internet surprised me yet again with two charming new YouTube shorts. Technically, neither of them are about princesses, but both are related to some of the most well-known Disney Princesses. The first is a new music video from PattyCake Productions, the dream team that brought us "Princess Academy" and "The Grande Mermaid." The second video is a clip from an upcoming animated Guardians of the Galaxy series on Disney XD called Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! (not to be confused with the ride at Disneyland of the same name). This series will premiere this Sunday with the full episode for the princess clip below featuring Gamora, the green-skinned Avenger.


Just in time for Mothers Day, "Tough Love" is the second episode of PattyCake Productions' Villains Lair web series. It features three of the most de…

Jasmine's Solos Ranked

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Another Aladdin production, another Jasmine song. With the recent addition of "Speechless," Jasmine has had a different solo song in every incarnation of the story. Yes, "A Whole New World" is consistently used as the romantic duet, but it is not seen as Jasmine's signature song in the same way that "Part of Your Wold," "Someday My Prince Will Come," or "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is associated with their respective princesses because it is just as much Aladdin's song as it is Jasmine's. While Ariel and Rapunzel have many original solos scattered throughout The Little Mermaid and Tangled series, the Aladdin series sadly did not contain any original songs. As a result, Jasmine's songs are buried within so many different productions of Aladdin that even die-hard fans might have trouble finding them all. That's why I decided to compile this list of my top three Jasmine solos along with a little background on t…

How Princesses Use Technology

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The first teaser trailer for Pixar's Onward dropped a few days ago, and it got me thinking. Onward has a typical fantasy setting of mermaids, faeries, and unicorns, but instead of taking place once upon a time, it takes place during our time. Therefore, these mythological beings whose ancestors lived in the days of magic and adventure now live in your average suburban neighborhood watching TV and surfing the internet. The combination of magic and technology is not entirely new. Series like Mysticons and Winx Club also take place in modern settings, and the characters are shown to take advantage of computers and technology just as much as we do. However, most princess stories are set in the medieval or Renaissance era, long before such things were heard of. Sometimes it's fun to imagine how they might behave if they were brought up with access to all of the modern conveniences we have today.


The first time I saw a traditional princess use modern technology in a fairy tale setti…

Princesses of the Magic Kingdom

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I just got back from Florida, and my trip would not have been complete without a visit to the Magic Kingdom! Ever since the 2013 Fantasyland expansion, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom has become the ultimate destination for theme park princesses. I noticed some changes to the princess attractions since my last trip. Unlike Disney Springs, these changes were all improvements. Instead of waiting in a long line to meet three princesses at random and hope to get the one you want, the princess meet'n'greets have been streamlined to specific spots for specific princesses, eliminating the guesswork and frustration of learning your favorite princess just got swapped with another one when you reached the front of the line.

As usual, Ariel is in her grotto next to her ride. You can meet her in mermaid form at Walt Disney World, as opposed to Disneyland in California, where she only makes appearances as a human. Belle comes out in the secret library through the magic portal in her …

The Princess Blog Is Celebrating Two Years!

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Two years ago today, I thought about how far my professional career had strayed from my true passion now that I was in my 30s. What was I doing to create my own happy ending? Sure, I had written a few books and had recently gotten married, but I didn't feel like I was living my life to the fullest and celebrating my love of fairy tales and storytelling. That's when I decided to start a blog. The topic for my blog was obvious. I've loved princess stories my entire life, and there are more of them out there now than ever. Starting The Princess Blog not only gave me an excuse to continue indulging in my fandoms, but it also forced me to write every day. I now have over 300 posts about everything from movies to books to lifestyle guides. It's gone through a few changes over the past couple of years, such as posting every week instead of every day as well as a cosmetic makeover, but its basic philosophies remain the same as they have always been for the last two years…

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders 25th Anniversary Celebration

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Three princess anniversary celebrations within roughly two weeks? Yes, please! Today marks the 25th anniversary of one of my favorite cartoons of all time, Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, and my friends over at the Jewel Riders Archive are celebrating in a big way. Instead of attending a panel or screening, I celebrated this princess anniversary with a Skype party in which I got together with the Jewel Riders Archive, the founding member of the original Avalon fansite, and a prominent fan artist from the early days of the fandom to record a podcast where we discussed our favorite memories of the show. It was a huge honor to be included in this elite group of fans. The world of Jewel Riders has been a major inspiration for many of the stories I have written in the past, leading up my most recent one, The Stolen Jewel. The Princess Blog recently celebrated its two year anniversary, and I owe some of its inspiration to the Jewel Riders Archive, which continues to inspire fans to…

Everything Princess So Far on Disney+

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Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you've probably heard about Disney's upcoming streaming service that plans to give Netflix a run for their money. I already signed up for a three-year subscription to Disney+ at the D23 Expo this year, but like most people, I will have to wait until November 12th before I can access it. That is not the case for the lucky residents of the Netherlands, who woke up this morning to a free trial of the service. They must have felt like they won the lottery as Dutch residents now have access to a vast library of Disney movies and shows spanning across generations. Word spread like wildfire about this, and many sources are already listing some of the content that is confirmed to be on the app now through the November 12th launch date. I made sure to gather as much information as I could about the princess-related content that was released in this trial. The biggest news is that the service has its very own "Princesses…

Disney Princess Majestic Quest Is Here!

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When I attended the D23 Expo last month, one of the things I was most excited about was the chance to play a demo of the new Match 3 cell phone app, Disney Princess Majestic Quest. The ads for this game taunted me on social media for months, dating back to before they had even selected a title. I took an online survey to share my opinion on which of three titles I thought would work best--Disney Princess Gems, Disney Princess Match, or Disney Princess Majestic Quest. It was a long wait before I could finally download the game on my own smart device, and I am pleased to say it was well worth it. The game was advertised to only include Jasmine and Belle at launch, even though there was a big Ariel billboard for it on display at the D23 Expo. When it became available, I was surprised to see that not only was Ariel included in the launch, but she was also featured the game's menu icon.

If you're not familiar with Match 3 games, they are a digital craze that was made popular by Be…

What's Still Missing From Disney+

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Today is the day!  Disney's new streaming service, Disney+, is now available on smart devices everywhere. The highly anticipated launch did not go as smoothly as planned with the servers crashing earlier this morning, probably due to everyone wanting to be the first to access its content. That snag got fixed in a timely manner, but I can't say the same for the password issue. It seems like I need to reset my password almost every time I log on from a new device. Putting all of that aside, the app works exactly as advertised but with somewhat less content than expected. Initially, Disney claimed that they would be releasing their full library of movies, televisions shows, and specials, but it looks like we're going to have to settle for a decent-sized chunk of them instead. There were a few movies and shows added since the preview that launched in the Netherlands a couple months ago, but not quite as much as I was hoping for. I don't consider myself a Disney expert by a…

The Swan Princess Has a Live-Action Concept Trailer

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Yesterday was November 18th, which was dubbed National Princess Day in 2017 in honor of the anniversary of The Swan Princess. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this underrated classic, the filmmakers got together to create a concept trailer that would give its fans an idea of what a live-action remake might look like. Don't get too excited though. There are no concrete plans for a live-action "Swan Lake" adaptation as far as we know. The team behind The Swan Princess is extremely enthusiastic about the film, even 25 years later and are looking into every avenue they can find to keep its legacy going. Earlier this year, they released the ninth sequel in The Swan Princess franchise and are currently working on the tenth. Executive Producer Seldon Young is eager to keep the fandom going through any means possible. Yesterday, he released this concept trailer for a live-action remake in the hopes that it might attract enough interest to set such a project into motion.


Just…

Review: The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince

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There are precious few video games that allow you to play as a princess who does something other than dress up or recover the royal jewels. Until recently, Child of Light was the only game I knew of for modern consoles that fit those criteria. That's why I was eager to play The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince when it went on sale in the PlayStation Store. Its storybook illustration aesthetic and sidescrolling gameplay look so similar to Child of Light that I mistakenly thought it was made by the same people at first. Once I actually started playing, it became clear that The Liar Princess has a much smaller budget and a more linear world. Instead of the colorful cast and robust battle command menus from Child of Light, The Liar Princess's story is told entirely by a single Japanese narrator accompanied by cutscenes of an illustrated storybook that depicting the story. I completed the entire game in a single evening, which made me question its $20 price tag.


Story-wise, The L…

Kingdom Hearts Finally Shows Kairi Some Love!

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Kingdom Hearts 3, which came out at the beginning of the year, was an enjoyable enough sequel if you could overlook some rushed storylines and underdeveloped characters. The character that got screwed over the most was Kairi, the series' only Princess of Heart that wasn't from a Disney movie. Kairi's development within the Kingdom Hearts series is important because she doesn't have a movie or spin-off to tell her story while Sora, Riku, and Roxas are all playable in various other games. We know that she grew up in Radiant Garden where her grandmother told her stories about the ancient Keyblade War and that she eventually found herself stranded on the Destiny Islands where she met Sora and Riku, but that is where her story ends. Kairi made multiple claims about wanting to help Sora after she got her own keyblade at the end of Kingdom Hearts 2, but we barely ever saw her use it. Even when she did during one of the final battles in Kingdom Hearts 3, she was highly unskill…

PattyCake Productions Released a Holiday Princess Special!

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It's a good year for princess holiday specials. Shortly after Elena of Avalor released a Hanukkah episode, PattyCake Productions premiered their latest Princess Academy short. I've always loved the incredible talent and attention to detail that goes into each one of PattyCake Productions' crowdsourced videos, and this was one of the best ones yet. Not only does it contain two completely original princess songs, but it also had a short storytelling session with gorgeous Disney quality illustrations. I also liked that they kept the story mostly secular since princess fans come from all backgrounds. Even though there was a Christmas tree and a mention of Christmas day in one of the songs, the princesses came together to celebrate an original holiday called the Winter Wishing Solstice and described some traditions that sounded very plausible for a fairytale-inspired religion. The short also featured an enormous cast with many characters that you don't see very often in Dis…

What's Coming in 2020

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Last year was quite possibly the biggest year for princess media ever. I don't think anything from 2020 will compare to the sheer number of princess anniversary events, TV shows, books, and movies that 2019 bestowed upon us, but that doesn't mean we won't have anything to look forward to in the coming year. Two of our favoriteDisney Princess cartoons will be ending soon, leaving us with a tiara-shaped hole in our hearts. Fortunately, the advent of Disney+ allows for even more original content from the studio than feature films or Disney Channel specials, promising some low-key princess entertainment while the cinemas get overrun with live-action remakes. One such upcoming Disney+ original princess movie is Secret Society of Second-Born Royals.


Secret Society of Second-Born Royals stars the immensely talented Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who played the title role in Andi Mack, one of my favorite shows from the last decade. In this upcoming Disney+ original movie, she will take on t…

Review: Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind

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It's been almost a year since Kingdom Hearts III made its long overdue debut. Amidst the disappointment that fans had with the highly anticipated game, the most popular question of all was "What about Kairi?" The new Kingdom Hearts III: Re Mind DLC, which came out yesterday, attempts to answer this question. Kairi is essentially the princess of the Kingdom Hearts universe, but is never treated as such. She is constantly placed on the sidelines, even after she receives her own keyblade to fight with at the end of Kingdom Hearts II. The Re Mind DLC addresses this issue immediately. When you start up the game after installing the DLC, a lovely new illustration of Kairi slowly fades into existence next to Sora's on the menu screen as a gentle reminder that she has been patiently waiting for her turn to be included in the story.


For half the price of the game, I can understand why some people would consider Re Mind to be a disappointment. There are some new scenes and gam…

Review: Cinders

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I have a weakness for visual novels. It took way too long for them to become popular in western society, which made me learn about them much later in life than I would have liked. Visual novels are a mix of video games and books. You read all the dialogue at the bottom of the screen while watching an image of the character who's speaking over a background illustration set to music. The thing makes them unique is the ability to make decisions for the main character and choose how they react to the situation, which may change the outcome of their story. It's a technologically advanced version of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. Since visual novels tend to cost closer to the price of a video game than a book, I usually stick to free smartphone ones such as Lovestruck: Choose Your Romance. However, since I'm going to be locked in my tower indefinitely, I decided it might be worth dishing out some extra money to play Cinders, a visual novel that lets you enter the …

COVID-19 Updates from the Kingdoms

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We've been locked in our towers for weeks now with no word from Mother Gothel on when we can go back outside. This is a hard time for everyone, including fairy tale princesses. If you've been too stressed to keep up with the ever-changing schedules for upcoming princess movies and events, don't worry. I've got you covered. As we all know, the Disney Parks are now closed indefinitely around the world. However, Disney cast members are being placed on furlough so they can still get paid during these uncertain times. Movie productions have been delayed as well. The live-action Mulan, which was supposed to come out in theaters on March 27th, is now set for theatrical release on July 24, 2020. Another upcoming princess remake, The Little Mermaidstarring Halle Bailey, has also halted production indefinitely. The project was supposed to start shooting earlier this month in London. There are photos circulating of a boat set in Pinewood Studios that has been temporarily abandone…

Everyone Is Singing Princess Songs!

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In these tough times, we could all use a smile and a song to cheer ourselves up. Hollywood and Broadway are shut down right now, but the people behind them still want to bring joy to the world. That's why the past few days have been filled with beautiful musical performances for everyone with a computer to stream online from the comfort of their own homes. Various stage shows such as the Disney Cruise Lines adaptation of the live-action Beauty and the Beast movie and weekly recordings of Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest hits that used to require an expensive ticket and carefully planned trip are now available to watch from the comfort of our own living room for free thanks to the magic of the internet and the generosity of entertainers. Many of the people who performed in these glorious productions still have the urge to entertain people from quarantine, so we were also treated to more recently recorded serenades of various Disney songs that follow the stay-at-home guidelines b…

PattyCake Productions Pays Tribute to ABC's Once Upon a Time!

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It's been two years since we left Storybrooke, and many people still aren't ready to say goodbye. ABC's Once Upon a Time is a bit of an enigma to me. It started out as a clever concept featuring Snow White's estranged daughter, Emma Swan, who grew up in our miserable reality having no idea that she had an epic destiny ahead of her. Over time, the show weened off from its original characters and turned into a blatant marketing ploy for Disney's newest franchises. I guess that's what happens when you put a show about fairy tales on a channel owned by a studio that produces the most well-known theatrical versions of them. Many of us look back at the first season when the show was new and innovative with a nostalgic optimism for what it could have been. This weekend, PattyCake Productions released their take on this iconic series with a new music video called "Once Upon a Time: The Musical".

From what I have seen, PattyCake Productions makes two kinds of m…

Celebrating Three Years with The Stolen Trilogy!

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Three years ago today, I decided to create a safe space on the internet for people who love princesses and fairy tales as much as I do. My social media feed had become too political, and the people I could discuss the latest princess shows with were few and far between. I had just gotten married and celebrated my birthday, so I was in a great place to do something just for me. Thus, The Princess Blog was born. In the beginning, I made a new post everyday, starting with an analysis of Disney Princesses. Now, I share roughly two updates a week, but my level of passion has not shifted as I continue to pursue new princess content to enjoy and review. I've also worked on other writing projects over the years. The biggest of these is The Stolen Trilogy. I wanted to create a world similar to my favorite show, Princess Gwenevere, and the Jewel Riders, by exploring the lives three royal ladies who lived together in a castle and went on their own magical adventures. This week, the trilogy i…

Review: Dress Up! Time Princess

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Due to my obsessive personality, I try my hardest to avoid gimmicky smartphone apps that try to suck up all my time and money, but one slips through the cracks every so often. I downloaded Dress Up! Time Princess on a whim, expecting to get tired of it after a few days and uninstall it, but then, it blew all of my expectations out of the water. This game is the most perfect combination of visual novels, dress up dolls, and gacha apps that I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. It has all of the best types of princess games rolled up into one. I've played other apps that offer individual facets of this one and got tired of them over time, but Dress Up! Time Princess contains so many different activities that it is impossible to get bored. It combines the best of technology with the best of femininity, something that Disney has been rigorously attempting to weed out of their own princess branding. Similar to the Choices and Lovestruck apps, Dress Up! Time Princess allows you t…

I Found Two Indie Games Inspired by "Sleeping Beauty!"

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While trying to distract myself from my addiction to Dress up! Time Princess, I was encouraged to browse through the Steam catalog for other princess-related games I might enjoy. Sadly, there is no "princess" tag on Steam, and searching for such a thing can yield some questionable content. I decided to skip past the mainstream generic anime and Disney Princess games at the top and found some surprisingly unique indie games. Both of the ones I decided to buy happened to be inspired by the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty." However, the games themselves could not have been more different. One is a visual novel called Once Upon an Electric Dream that tells a sci-fi reimagining of "Sleeping Beauty" in space (you read that right), and the other is a point and click adventure game called Little Briar Rose that allows you to play as the prince(s) from the fairy tale. More on that later. The first thing that caught my eye about Little Briar Rose was the art style. The …

Review: Dress Up! Time Princess - Swan Lake Visual Novel

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I already wrote a general review of the smartphone game app Dress Up! Time Princess, but each visual novel within the game is so intricate and time-consuming that it warrants its own review. Immediately after I reviewed this game, I learned that it was about to release a new story based on the classic fairy tale ballet "Swan Lake," which is even more relevant to my blog than the other available stories since this is the only one so far that allows you to play as an actual princess. It is the shortest of the visual novels in the game (not counting side stories) with two potential love interests and three distinct "good" endings. It has fewer dress options than the other stories, but the ones in this book were some of my favorites. The only thing I didn't like was how much extra work was required to make them, which was probably intended to compensate for its length.
In order to incentivize its players to participate in its visual novels, Dress Up! Time Princess a…

Review: Dress Up! Time Princess - Queen Marie Visual Novel

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Queen Marie is the first visual novel that players can unlock in the Dress Up! Time Princess smartphone game app. It is the most user-friendly story in the game, but that doesn't mean it's easy to complete! It is the polar opposite of Swan Lake with dynamic story branches that shift based on your choices and a myriad of possible endings. It also has the largest number of characters to bond with, although only two of them are viable love interests. The game allows you to play as Marie Antoinette from the perspective of a modern girl who is aware of her gruesome fate and has the ability to alter history, similar to the anime My Next Life as a Villainess. The interactive visual novel also allows you to unlock a full closet of extravagant French colonial-style gowns and wigs.
Queen Marie gives Dress Up! Time Princess players the opportunity to experience the luxurious lifestyle of the pre-revolution French monarchy while making decisions that can alter history and potentially preve…

Review: Dress Up! Time Princess - Magic Lamp Visual Novel

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Magic Lamp was the last visual novel I completed in the Dress Up! Time Princess smartphone app and will likely be my last one, at least for a while. This app is extremely addictive and time-consuming. If you download it, be sure not to start new stories lightly. Take your time with them. Don't attempt to do three stories at once like I did. The Magic Lamp novel contains two chapters and takes about as much time to go through as Queen Marie, which is a little over a month. This novel stands apart from the others in the game because of its Arabian setting. Similar to Swan Lake, the story begins as a gender-bent retelling of "Aladdin," complete with similar-looking characters and costumes, but it goes in an unexpected direction by the end of the first chapter. Magic Lamp reveals secrets about the characters' pasts that are very different from the fairy tale or Disney interpretation. Players who enter the world of Magic Lamp assume the role of Gina, a slave girl who is li…

First Listen to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella!

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When I first heard that Andrew Lloyd Webber was bringing yet another musical based on "Cinderella" into the world, I met the news with a healthy dose of skepticism. Now that there are two full songs from this upcoming show available online, I have never been more pleased to be wrong. Just a few days ago, Webber released the show-stopping number "Bad Cinderella" on both YouTube and Spotify. This song was teased in a very early preview video for the show, but hearing it in full gave deeper clarity into the context of the lyrics and who this new Cinderella is. My growing excitement for the show led me to a Twitter post from last month in which the extraordinarily talented Carrie Hope Fletcher performed another song from the show entitled "Far Too Late," which is a complementary opposite to "Bad Cinderella" in terms of tone. Hearing both of these songs gave me a more complete image of what to expect when the theater doors will open again to audience…

Review: Dress Up! Time Princess - Gotham Memoirs Visual Novel

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I was going to conclude my Dress Up! Time Princess  reviews with Magic Lamp  since that was the last princess-related visual novel in the game, but it looks my addiction isn't over yet. While spending a few weeks idly collecting materials, I finally decided to play Gotham Memoirs, the last story I had left to complete, at least until the new one comes out the end of this month. Dress Up! Time Princess is celebrating  National Princess Day  today, an event that was original created to commemorate  the anniversary of the animated classic The Swan Princess , so here is a bonus review of the game as my way of joining the celebration. Initially, I was not eager to play Gotham Memoirs because of the lack of fairy tales or royalty, but I soon came to appreciate the glamorous fashions of the 1920s as well as the extremely dynamic story paths within the book that are far more intense than of the other stories. Gotham Memoirs is thematically divergent from the other visual novels in Dress

Review: Tsioque

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Tsioque (pronounced "chalk") was an unexpected surprise buried within a video game bundle on Steam. It's a point-and-click adventure game where you play as a (very) young princess trying to liberate her castle after she is imprisoned by a powerful shadow lord. The game is created entirely with hand-drawn animation. It opens with a lovely storybook narration about how Tsioque's mother, the brave queen, left the kingdom to fight a phoenix, leaving Tsioque vulnerable to the shadow lord. The gameplay begins after she is captured and placed inside a prison cell in the dungeon. Once she figures out how to escape, has free rein to explore the mysterious and often dangerous areas of the castle. Each room is full of fun and surprises just waiting to be discovered. Despite its child protagonist, Tsioque is not what I would consider an easy game. If you enter the wrong place at the wrong time or react too slowly, you can easily get caught by one of the many villainous castle gu

Review: Dress Up! Time Princess - Helen of Sparta Visual Novel

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When the developers for the Dress up! Time Princess app  asked fans what type of story they would like to see next in the game, an overwhelming majority of people requested Greek mythology. Many were expecting a classic myth such as Hades and Persephone . The developers of this game are always full of surprises and like to incorporate some history  into their visual novels or retell an old story in a new way . Therefore, it wasn't too much of a surprise when the latest visual novel turned out to be Helen of Sparta , a fantastical reimagining of the Greek legend about the most beautiful woman in the world who acted as a catalyst for the Trojan War . Don't worry, though. There isn't any war or bloodshed in this visual novel. In fact, there isn't a whole lot of anything aside from breathtakingly beautiful costumes. Before I started playing Helen of Sparta, I wasn't very familiar with the legend of Helen of Troy except that her beauty caused a bunch of thirsty men to k

Review: Dress Up! Time Princess - Romy and Julius Visual Novel

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In a little under two grueling weeks, I managed to complete the latest visual novel in Dress up! Time Princess , Romy and Julius, a reimagining of Shakespeare's classic,  Romeo and Juliet . Every time I start a new story, I think it will be because I've gathered so many items from the previous stories, and every time, the game proves me wrong. I was overwhelmed by the difficulty level in this book. At least it was more consistent than Helen of Sparta , which was easy at first and then suddenly got super hard at the end. Two levels in Romy and Julius required a pink set with a gown, headdress, and loads of accessories that were so difficult to obtain that you can forget about completing the story until you've collected every piece from the set. The story is the strongest of the three that were released since I began playing this game. It is a unique take on a beloved classic with several satisfying endings. As the title implies, you play this story as Romy Montague, a noble

Brandy Reprises Her Role as Cinderella!

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It turns out I wasn't the only one who was excited to learn that the 1997 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella  was coming to Disney+ last week. Everyone involved in the making of this classic film from over 20 years ago got together for interviews , a live watch party on Twitter , and more. The biggest surprise of this celebration was a brand new music video  from Disney aficionado Todrick Hall  featuring the leading lady herself, Brandy Norwood . It starts out as a fun little singing session between Brandy and Todrick as they serenade each other with songs from the classic musical. Then, something magical happens as Brandy is transformed into a slightly updated version of her princess look from the 1997 film and returns to the ball with Todrick as her prince. The video comes to a "happily ever after" with socially distanced cameos from several of the other cast members in the film. Todrick Hall is no stranger to producing professional-quality Disney fan

Review: Time Princess - Shadows of London Visual Novel

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There have been many recent updates in the Dress Up! Time Princess app with the most notable being that they changed their name to simply Time Princess, which is how I will be referring to it from this point on. Another major update from this week was the second half of the latest visual novel, Shadows of London, a Victorian vampire story. This is the first visual novel in Time Princess that was released in two separate halves since I started playing it. I thought the wait time would be frustrating, but I found that it gave me ample time to craft the items I needed to access the new story levels so I wouldn't get stuck when the rest of the game was released. This is the easiest story I've played so far in Time Princess, but that might be because I've been playing it for so long. I was able to get through all the story levels from each of the two releases within a single evening. The main character in Shadows of London is Caroline Rayes, a young lady with a tragic past who

Review: Time Princess - Little Women Visual Novel

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The Time Princess app  has been really picking up the pace with its releases of new visual novels.  Shadows of London  just wrapped up, and we already have a new story inspired by Louisa May Alcott's classic novel, Little Women . Both Little Women and Shadows of London take place in the 1800s, but the fashions and storytelling techniques are completely different due to the drastically opposite lives of their protagonists. Caroline from Shadows of London is a wealthy English debutant who wears glamorous gowns in the hopes of being courted during the social season, while Jo is an independent American career woman with a relatively low income. Though Little Women does not use the game's encyclopedia feature like Shadows of London to provide history lessons about the time period, the overall story and conclusion are a great deal more satisfying. The Little Women visual novel gives players an opportunity to step into the life of Jo, the most independent of the four March sisters fro

These Fan-Made Music Videos Bring Back the Magic of Disney Princesses!

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If you've found the quality of Disney entertainment a bit lackluster lately, you aren't alone . There was barely any hype surrounding the  awesome new princess movie  they just launched on Disney+, especially compared to some of their previous movie openings . Of course, it isn't entirely their fault that they can't have big movie premieres during a time of lockdowns and safety measures , but combined with theme park closures, it leaves us feeling a little empty inside. Have no fear because fans will always be here  to bring back the pixie dust and excitement of the old days even when the studios are too busy counting their losses to notice. Last week brought two groups of powerhouse princess cosplayers  singing about the good old days and making some poignant observations on how Disney Princesses have evolved over the last few decades. Even though they were produced by different, though equally talented, independent studios, the videos perfectly illustrate the evoluti

Review: Time Princess - Phantom of the Opera Visual Novel

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The Time Princess app has been releasing an endless stream of new visual novels with no sign of slowing down. I've been impressed with the amount of well-known stories the game developers have adapted lately that aren't based on popular fairy tales. The latest one is no exception. Phantom of the Opera  is a beloved story among princess fans due to its similarities to "Beauty and the Beast"  as well as the beautifully haunting melodies of the famous Andrew Lloyd Webber musical . The innocent protagonist who performs various onstage arias in glittering costumes, best friend side character, and classic love triangle make it a prime choice for this game's traditional visual novel story dynamics. That is probably why it is one of the only stories in the game that is presented exactly as it is without any sort of modern twist such as gender-bending the characters like they did for several other adaptations . In this dress-up visual novel, players take on the role of

Review: Time Princess - Taishō Adventures

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Barely even a week after their Phantom of the Opera visual novel came out, the Time Princess app released Taishō Adventures, an original story set in Japan that could not be more different than Phantom. This is the first new story that had more than one chapter since I started playing Time Princess, harkening back to its original three visual novels . It takes place during the Taishō era , a period of Japanese history that lasted from 1912 to 1926. Since this the same time period that Gotham Memoirs takes place, there is some overlap of the clothing styles. The setting in Taishō Adventures also incorporates some classic Japanese fashions including colorful kimonos and beaded floral accessories as well as many Japanese cultural references including idioms, fairy tales, and architecture. It delivers a satisfying resolution no matter which story path you take, which is more than I can say about Helen of Sparta or Shadows of London . It takes a little while to grasp the story in Taishō

The New Disney Princess Anthem Is "Starting Now!"

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Every few years, the Disney Princess brand updates its official anthem . This year's addition came out in honor of Disney's Ultimate Princess Celebration . "Starting Now"  is performed by Brandy, who recently made a comeback of her 1997 role in  Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella . It is the fourth song to represent the Disney Princess brand since it began in 2000. Brandy continues the tradition of the anthem being sung by an actress who played a princess in a Disney movie. The only outlier is 2012's "Hall of Fame,"  which was performed by a popular band, The Script. "Starting Now" has some similarities to the very first Disney Princess anthem, "If You Can Dream,"  in that both songs contain references to classic Disney Princess song lyrics. I have to admit that I prefer the soothing lullaby instrumentals of "If You Can Dream" to the generic synthesized pop vibes of "Starting Now." Give it a listen below to

Review: Time Princess - Saga of Viera

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Saga of Viera is the latest visual novel that the Time Princess app released as part of their massive one-year anniversary update. The story takes place in a high fantasy RPG world of elves, curses, and gods. It is about as short as  their Swan Lake visual novel  and contains a number of unsatisfying "good" endings like Helen of Sparta and Shadows of London . Though I enjoyed the story in Saga of Viera more than Helen or Shadows, I was disappointed to see it end abruptly with no resolution for the downtrodden protagonist. I've always been a fan of fantasy video games  and even wrote a book inspired by them , so the elven kingdom setting and aesthetics were very appealing to me. It was also nice to have another original story , so I didn't feel like I was missing something by not being familiar with the original work like with Little Women . In Saga of Viera, you play as a fortune-teller named Zoya whose bloodline is cursed. Due to magical reasons beyond her knowledg

Review: Yes, Your Grace

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Yes, Your Grace  is a charming video game with strategy and visual novel elements in which the player takes on the role of a king who has daily meetings with his subjects in order to maintain the well-being of his kingdom. Though you cannot play as a princess, the king has three daughters, who each have unique personalities and quirks. The decisions that the player makes throughout the story directly affects their fates. Though it is possible to give two of the princesses a happy ending, one of them is a victim of circumstance, and there is nothing you can do to save her, which diminishes some of the replay value. Yes, Your Grace can be completed in about half a day and has a surprisingly engaging story filled with fun characters and challenging situations that simulate what it might be like to run an actual kingdom. The story kicks off when soldiers from an enemy kingdom show up to claim Lorsulia, the eldest daughter of King Eryk and Queen Aurelea, who was promised to them as an act

Review: Time Princess - Tang Dynasty Hunter

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My favorite smartphone game,  Time Princess , allowed a bit more of a break to prepare for the next visual novel, which allowed me to complete it within a week's time. Tang Dynasty Hunter is another Asian-inspired story  set in China this time instead of Japan. The little I know about Chinese mythology comes from my binge-watch of Netflix's Ashes of Love , a gorgeous fantasy drama about gods, goddesses, and mystical realms. This story had a few minor similarities in that immortal beings are spirits of inanimate objects or elements that take on human form. The Tang Dynasty is a period of Chinese history that lasted from 618 to 906 A.D.  and is considered a golden age of Chinese arts and culture. The dress-up elements of this story had some creative and exciting new hairstyles and stunning artwork. Tang Dynasty Hunter is about a demon hunter named Pei Jin, who is on a quest to help her master that got poisoned by a demon. In order to do this, Jin must find a series of magical mem

You Can Listen to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella Right Now!

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After a long  series of lockdowns and delays , Andrew Lloyd Webber's new Cinderella musical  finally premiered on June 25th at the Gillian Lynn Theatre in England. Being on the opposite side of the globe, I have no way of seeing this show in person, and I'm sure neither do many of you. It's time shine up your glass slippers because we're in luck! The official cast recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella  was released today, and both acts have been uploaded to the official YouTube channel in chronological order! The songs recount the complete story of this new fairy tale adaptation, which is the next best thing to seeing the actual show. I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this new version of "Cinderella" and can't wait to tell you all about. There will be a few spoilers in this post, so if you would like to avoid them, you can listen to Act 1 here and Act 2 here before reading it. The story is pretty much how I interpreted it base

Review: Time Princess - Si-woo's Sight

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After almost a year of playing Time Princess  for fantasy and historical visual novels, I was a little disappointed that the newest one times place in modern times. It was probably long overdue considering how many different eras and cultures the game encompasses. Si-woo's Sight is a ghost story that takes place in Korea and focuses on the trials and tribulations of becoming a pop idol, a type of celebrity that is specific to Asian cultures. Depending on their contract, American pop stars typically have more freedom than idols in the respect that they don't have to follow strict rules about who they can spend time with in their private and professional lives and how many years they can perform for. This story opened my eyes to some of the problematic elements of Asia's restrictive celebrity culture. However, the supernatural elements revolving around ghosts and exorcists felt a little too similar to the game's last visual novel, Tang Dynasty Hunter . You play Si-woo'

Review: Time Princess - Princess Sissi Visual Novel

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The latest visual novel in the Time Princess app  shares similarities with the game's first story, Queen Marie . Both are historical narratives about royal European women who made an impact on their time period. Princess Sissi is much shorter and follows a linear story path, while Queen Marie has numerous different branches the player can take based on their decisions. I learned about Princess Sissi after someone recommended the Saban cartoon  to me about two years ago. I expected the new visual novel to be similar, yet it only contained the events that were portrayed in the show's first episode. Even though I already knew everything that was going to happen, but it was still nice to play as a character I was already familiar with. This visual novel only explores an early portion of Sissi's life before she became empress. It would have been interesting to see a second chapter about her experiences trying to rule Austria and how she struggled with trying to satisfy both side

The Princess Blog Turns Four!

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Those of you who are subscribed to my author newsletter  should have received an email yesterday letting you know that it was the fourth anniversary of The Princess Blog! I started my blog a few days after my actual birthday, so I was busy celebrating that yesterday at another enchanted maze room , which is why this post is a day late. For my third anniversary last year, I offered a special deal on the three books from The Stolen Trilogy , which I had just finished writing at the time. Since then, I've combined all three books into a digital box set on Amazon Kindle , which I am offering a special deal on for this weekend only. Instead of the normal listing price, you can get the complete Kindle edition of the trilogy for just $0.99. Today is the last day this promotion will be available, so you'll have to act quickly if you don't want to miss it! In honor of four years of princess love, here are the four Magical Girls from the anime Go! Princess Precure to cheer you on

World Princess Week Wraps Up with Disney Princess Remix Special!

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If you haven't heard the news, Disney is celebrating its princesses all year long with the Ultimate Princess Celebration . They took things a step further this week with the first ever World Princess Week, a week-long celebration dripping with princess merchandise, videos, specials, and music. Disney is a master of grand finales, so the festivities conclude today with a 30-minute special called Disney Princess Remixed: An Ultimate Princess Celebration airing on Disney Channel at 7:30PM PT/ET. The special is available to watch right now on both the Disney Now and Disney Plus apps. It consists of four remixed Disney Princess songs performed by teen Disney Channel stars and ends with the premiere of the official music video for the newest Disney Princess anthem, "Starting Now." Even if you're not a fan modernized Disney remakes , there were still plenty of fun princess things released this week to brighten our day. My favorite aspect of the Ultimate Princess Celebrat

Review: Time Princess - White Snake Visual Novel

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There was a heightened level of anticipation for the latest visual novel in the Time Princess phone game. This was the longest the app has gone without a new story in quite some time, and I was informed by some fellow social media players that the Chinese Legend of the White Snake  is incredibly popular in Asia. Although I was not familiar with it before reading this visual novel, the popular myth has had several recent film and television adaptations . Upon first glance, I was worried that this story would just be a copy of Tang Dynasty Hunter , another recent visual novel from this app, but after playing both, I realized that the similarities were purely superficial. While both stories take place in China and follow their mythology of demons as objects or animals that can transform into humans, Tang Dynasty Hunter follows a human who hunts demons, and White Snake features a demon in disguise as a human. White Snake tells the story of Suzhen, a white snake demon who spends her time

Latest Announcements from the Ultimate Princess Celebration!

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Earlier this year, Disney launched the Ultimate Princess Celebration , a year-long event to honor all things princess. In August, the event culminated with World Princess Week , during which they premiered the music video for  "Starting Now,"  the newest Disney Princess anthem. However, the festivities did not end there. To continue the celebration, Disney just released the first doll from their new set of designer princess dolls , the Ultimate Glamorous Collection . Instagram has also been abuzz with upcoming Disney Princess goodies including a sneak peek at Disney Princess: The Concert  and the 30th anniversary of the classic animated Disney version of "Beauty and the Beast."  Let's dive in to explore the latest announcements from the Ultimate Princess Celebration! Princess Jasmine takes the spotlight this month with the first release from the Ultimate Glamorous Collection, the newest set of Disney Princess designer dolls. I was hoping that Disney would relea

Review: Time Princess - Dancing On Ice

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Dancing On Ice is the latest visual novel in my favorite smartphone app, Time Princess . Unlike most of the other visual novels in this game, it has no fantasy elements  or historical setting , which made it a hard sell for me. Still, I can understand why the developers chose to incorporate figure skating into a dress-up game. When I was younger, it was the only Olympic event that I cared to watch, and it was more because of the sparkly costumes than the athletic techniques. Figure skating incorporates some of the most beautiful and unique fashions that you will never see anywhere else with short flowing skirts, sparkly leotards, and rhinestones galore. Unfortunately, this story only included one outfit that reminded me of the ones that I enjoyed watching as a child. The rest are pretty modern and boring. I also thought it was the most depressing story in Time Princess so far. Dancing On Ice is about a fictitious Russian figure skater named Alina, who probably drew inspiration from ma

Tiana's Series and Other Announcements from Disney+ Day

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Today marks the two-year anniversary of Disney+ , Disney's premiere streaming service. To celebrate this joyous occasion, today has been coined Disney+ Day . This celebration includes a number of new releases and announcements about newly released and upcoming content. I wasn't particularly interested in this event at first because there didn't seem to be a lot of upcoming princess content on Disney's radar, but I am glad to have been proven wrong. Alongside the addition of Enchanted , a movie that many are surprised was not already on Disney+, Disney revealed a new title card for its sequel, Disenchanted , which is set for release in the Fall of 2022. However, the biggest reveal for me is this stunning piece of concept art from their upcoming animated series, Tiana. The image features a slightly older version of the beloved heroine from The Princess and the Frog  running across the top deck of a riverboat in historically fashionable business attire carrying an impo

Review: Time Princess - Have You Seen Claudia?

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The latest visual novel in the Time Princess app  revolved around a real-life murderer and sparked so much controversy that the developers had to edit some of the story's features the very next day after it was launched! Have You Seen Claudia? takes place in Chicago during the year 1893 and is about a young woman who gets wrapped up in a scandal involving the famous serial killer  H.H. Holmes . It plays out a murder mystery that will keep you guessing right until the very end. Though it in no way condones Holmes' monstrous criminal acts, many players were offended that he was listed as a companion in the game's Lantern section. In a hot update the following day, the developers removed him and one other character from that section. They also changed the clothing names and descriptions so they no longer reflected other famous killers and victims. This story beats Dancing On Ice  by leaps and bounds as the darkest one in the game, but the mystery element makes it that much mor

Review: Time Princess - Whispers of the Rain

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From the game that brought interactive historical fiction about royal figures like  Marie Antoinette and Princess Sissi  and creative gender-swapped retellings of Swan Lake , Aladdin , and Romeo and Juliet  comes a story about a woman who finds an abandoned baby in the middle of the street. This latest visual novel from Time Princess  feels a little out of left field considering how much history, mythology, and fantasy the game has tackled in the past. Whispers of the Rain takes place in 1980s Japan, but the story is so universal that it could take place anywhere. It also contains some of my least favorite costumes in this series to date. Everything looks so plain and boring compared to the extravagant ensembles from other visual novels in this game. With two more new stories coming out just around the bend, it seems like they're phoning it in to release as much content as they can as quickly as possible. Whispers of the Rain follows Time Princess's recent trend of gritty crim

Review: Time Princess - Cleopatra Visual Novel

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Cleopatra is a visual novel that a lot of people were hoping for from the Time Princess  app. It's the third story about historical royalty following Queen Marie and Princess Sissi , but the fashions are unlike anything in the game so far. This latest Time Princess adventure transports us to the indulgent world of ancient Egypt, where pharaohs bathe themselves in gold and jewels that dangle shamelessly from their embroidered robes. The story itself is not a friendly one. Like all royal struggles, Cleopatra's history is fraught with warfare, betrayal, and murder. I knew who she was but had very little knowledge about her history before reading this story. Not only did I learn a lot, but I was also able to indulge in some gorgeous exotic fashions. Cleopatra's tale begins with a massive betrayal from her brother, Ptolemy. In a surprisingly gender-equal monarchy, Cleopatra was supposed to rule peacefully at Ptolemy's side as co-rulers. However, Ptolemy was greedy and wante

Review: Time Princess - The Sacred Beast

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The Sacred Beast was the third and final story released in the massive update from Time Princess a little over a month ago. Set in Persia, this is the second middle eastern visual novel in the game since Magic Lamp . It focuses on the mythology of the manticore, the legendary beast with the body of a lion and a scorpion tail. I found this story charming and different from the other visual novels in this game so far. Instead of focusing on romance or history, it follows the formula of movies like Lassie , emphasizing the love between a human and her loyal pet. The cultural fashions in this book were stunning. I found that I liked them much better than the craftable items in Magic Lamp. There were also many different directions that the player could take, resulting in a variety of endings, unlike Cleopatra , which was deceptively linear. The Sacred Beast is about a young lady named Asha, who works hard to care for her sick brother. When she learns of a valuable mushroom that could treat

Review: Time Princess - Ancient Dreams

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Right after last month's triple whammy , Time Princess released another visual novel called Ancient Dreams. This is the third story to take place in China following Tang Dynasty Hunter and White Snake . The plot of Ancient Dreams is similar to Tang Dynasty Hunter. Both stories are about young ladies who can see spirits that reside within inanimate objects and must help the spirits resolve issues from their pasts through the reincarnations of their previous owners, but I enjoyed Ancient Dreams more. Its three chapters allotted plenty of wiggle room for additional character development and depth. The story takes place in a different era than Tang Dynasty Hunter, which allows for lots of fun new outfits. I didn't notice if the year was stated in the book, but the fashion and technology are reminiscent of the early 20th century, the same era that Taishō Adventures and Gotham Memoirs take place. The protagonist in Ancient Dreams is Gu Yunting, the granddaughter of a renowned res

Review: Time Princess - Ghost Manor

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It might be a little late for Halloween, but that didn't stop Time Princess from adding a new visual novel about a haunted house. Ghost Manor draws some inspiration from the new TV series Ghosts , as both stories are about a young woman who inherited an old mansion from a dead relative that finds out there are a bunch of ghosts living there. The visual novel is a little heavier than the show since much of the plot revolves around the protagonist trying expand her business to pay off a ridiculous inheritance tax. Ghost Manor is probably the most challenging visual novel in Time Princess to date. There are many possible endings and other events that don't show up on the story's flowchart, which makes it nearly impossible to complete at 100% without asking for help. As much as I love the gorgeous new song with English lyrics that plays on the story map for Ghost Manor, I started to get sick of it after replaying the same levels 20 or so times hoping I would unlock something n

Review: Time Princess - Kingdom of Beasts

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A few weeks ago, I was looking forward to playing Time Princess's rendition of Catherine the Great , but then it got postponed, possibly for political reasons, though that has not been confirmed officially. There wasn't much time to mourn its loss before something completely different dropped to make us forget how much we were looking forward to it. Kingdom of Beasts, the new story, is unique in several ways. It is the first full-length visual novel in Time Princess that celebrates its LGBT love interest  in an open way instead of being discreet about it like previous books in this game . It also addresses hard-hitting issues like racism and slavery but does so in a visually stunning fantasy setting that doesn't get overly dark or depressing. Kingdom of Beasts tells the story of Dahlia, an inquisitive young woman who runs an underground network of spies. Dahlia must set off on an unexpected journey when her parents force her into an arranged marriage to restore their famil

Review: Time Princess - House of Horrors

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The latest visual novel in Time Princess is called House of Horrors, which sounds more like a horror movie than the fairy tales and historical novels that first attracted me to the game. In fact, it has been nearly four months since Time Princess released a story about actual royalty with Cleopatra , and the teaser for their next one is set in modern times. While House of Horrors may not have been what I was hoping for, I didn't find it as scary as the title would imply. The story is very linear and unveils an intriguing mystery piece by piece with beautiful Victorian-inspired gothic clothing. I think it came out a little too soon after Ghost Manor  to feel fresh and new, but the mystery aspect made it worth a quick playthrough. House of Horrors is one of few recent visual novels in Time Princess that acknowledges the enchanted storybook the protagonist enters to receive the memories of each character she inhabits. It is relevant here because when she wakes up, she finds that s

Review: Time Princess - Spring Sonata

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Time Princess  released its latest visual novel so quickly after  the last one  that I barely had time to breathe. Compared to the other visual novels in this game, Spring Sonata is most similar to  Whispers of the Rain  since it takes place in a more realistic contemporary setting and Si-woo's Sight  because the protagonist is an aspiring musician in Korea. It certainly isn't the next historical fantasy novel I was hoping for, but it was quick and entertaining enough for a short weekend. The story is very straightforward and only has one true ending, so there is little reason to replay most of the levels. Spring Sonata is about a young cellist named Jeong Si-eun who attends a prestigious music school in Korea. I found this character difficult to relate to at first because she is quite pretentious about her musical knowledge and skills. Because of this, she has trouble making friends at her new school and doesn't understand how to play with emotion. Over the course of the g

Review: Super Princess Peach

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Some of you might be wondering why I'm reviewing a DS game that came out 17 years ago. I had some recommendations to play Super Princess Peach on my old video game post , and I've always been a little curious about it. After all, there hasn't been a good handheld princess game since the Disney Princess Game Boy Advance game that came out almost 20 years ago. Disney makes great movies, but they don't make very good games outside of the Kingdom Hearts series , which has also been questionable of late . On the other hand, Nintendo is built entirely on its history of great games, and the Super Mario series is one of the most popular. Though Super Princess Peach does little to develop Peach's personality or backstory, it is a fun game that reverses that standard story structure where Mario must rescue Peach from Bowser. This time, Peach is the one who has to save Mario. If I had to describe Super Princess Peach in one word, it would be "cute." Like most inca

Review: Time Princess - Trendy Times

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The latest visual novel in Time Princess  is a little more historical than the last few , though it has nothing to do with actual princesses or royalty. Trendy Times takes place right before the Great Depression when women started wearing pants in public for the first time. It is about a fashion designer who is determined to put pants for ladies on the market even though it is a foreign concept at the time. Due to the fashion designer angle, the story has some unique outfits that stand out from other dress-up items in the game as well as beautiful illustrations that are done in an art deco style. Like Spring Sonata, the visual novel aspects are very clear-cut with theirs decisions. Most choices either trigger a bad ending or move the story forward, so there's no need to replay levels multiple times to see all of the endings. Marguerite Gautier is an orphan whose only dream is to put her design ideas for women's pants on the market even though the concept of a woman wearing pant

Review: Time Princess - Gourmet's Journey

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The latest visual novel in Time Princess  is an interesting concept. However, it has little new to offer compared to the other stories in the app. Gourmet's Journey is a cooking-related story that takes place in ancient China. This is the fourth Chinese story in the game, and all of them are about spirits befriending the protagonist . I realize must be a common element of Chinese mythology and storytelling, but after seeing it so many times in a game with such a large variety of other stories and cultures, it is beginning to feel trite. The cooking aspect adds something new with tantalizing descriptions of delicious delicacies and spices that I wouldn't recommend reading about if you're hungry. The clothing was pretty, but not too different from what we've seen in the other Chinese stories so far. Players enter this book as Lai Wanzhou, a young chef who studied food preparation, cooking, and presentation under her father. One day, her father went to work at the palace

Review: Time Princess - Miss Kitty's Antiques

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At this point, I think the game should change its name from Time Princess to Time Demon because it has a significantly higher number of stories about demons ( but not the evil kind ) than princesses, the latest one being no exception. Miss Kitty's Antiques begins as a murder mystery  and evolves into a story about ancient Japanese mythology. I was surprised by many of the twists and turns it took and pleased with the touching romance. The main character is a cat yokai, which  means she is a cat spirit who can transform into a human, and she has some kawaii over-the-top cat-inspired outfits to match. Lady Mangetsu is a cat spirit posing as a human who runs an antique shop as a cover for her quest to find the Origin Pearl to save her dear friend, Yuta, a ninetails fox yokai. Her life is already pretty interesting before she gets framed for murder when she discovers a dead body. The first half of the book is set up like a typical murder mystery, but the plot takes a drastic turn in

Review: Time Princess - Hela's Compass

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Hela's Compass is the shorter of the two visual novels that were released this month in Time Princess . In a surprising change of pace, this was not another story about demons . Instead, it opens up a new cross genre that combines science fiction and Norse mythology. The book is only one chapter long, which is a shame because there could have been a lot to unpack within these two genres. The shorter format made it felt rushed and difficult to follow at times. I loved the whimsical world and costumes as well as the fact that it was the first story in a while in this game to incorporate royalty, this time in relation to gods and goddesses like they did with  Helen of Sparta . This story could have been even more enjoyable than it already is if more time and effort had been put into it. Hela's Compass is about a navigator named Kelly who works on a futuristic ship called the Iron Wyvern that shares the unfortunate fate of the Titanic. Kelly embarks on a quest with her crewmates,

Tiana's Bayou Adventure Is Coming!

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Two years after Disney announced that they would be revamping their Splash Mountain attraction  to feature The Princess and the Frog ,we finally have an update about it. The newly refurbished ride will be called Tiana's Bayou Adventure  and will be unveiled at both American Disney theme parks in late 2024. The title is reminiscent of another princess ride that opened a little over a decade ago, Ariel's Undersea Adventure . I guess they felt the parks were lacking in rides named after a princess with the word "adventure" in them after Snow White's Scary Adventures  got replaced by Snow White's Enchanted Wish  in Disneyland and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Walt Disney World as well as WDW's renaming of Ariel's Undersea Adventure to Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid . I think it's important to remember that despite the way Disney is marketing this, it is not a new ride. In a press release last Friday , Disney revealed some new details

Review: Time Princess - Golden Age

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Golden Age, the newest visual novel in Time Princess  is a celebration of the game's massive collaboration with the Louvre Museum in Paris. It is the second story since Queen Marie to take place in France and covers three different time periods. Even though it involves time travel in Paris, it doesn't have much in common with other time travel stories like Find Me in Paris  because the main character spends half the book as one person in one time period and the other half as a different person in another time period, so she doesn't jump around forming contradictions in the timeline. The story has a lot in common with Time Princess itself in that it involves a girl who lives in different people's bodies during a significant turning point in their life. Art is the main focus of this novel, which is why the modern incarnation of the protagonist is an art curator, similar to the main character in Whispers of the Rain . Golden Age begins with an art curator named Anais try

Review: Time Princess - The Perfect Storm

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Time Princess has really done it this time. What have they done? They've created a pirate story that I actually enjoyed. In fact, but it just might be one of the best visual novels in the entire game! The Perfect Storm is similar in plot to Hela's Compass  as both are about a young woman who journeys to sea to find a supernatural artifact that is tied to a deceased relative, but The Perfect Storm blew it out of the water literally and figuratively with its worldbuilding, story, characters, and music. Pirates are often presented as the male-oriented alternative to princesses, and while both are  occasionally paired together , the genres are rarely combined. One exception is ab obscure Broadway musical called The Pirate Queen  that tells the story of a real-life female pirate named Grace O'Malley , but I liked this one better. The Perfect Storm is a pure fantasy that is unapologetically female and removes the less desirable aspects of pirating like the drinking, womanizing,

The Princess Blog's Five-Year Blogiversary Extravaganza!

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Can you believe I've been writing articles about princesses for five years? I still remember posting a list of  100 princesses for my 100th post , and now I have over 600 posts and counting! That's a lot of princesses! For most blogiversaries, I've shared free or deeply discounted Kindle copies of my books , but unfortunately, I haven't written anything new this year. Instead, I've been busy getting settled in my new castle , so I filmed this mini-music video in some of my favorite rooms as a video tour. I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to pause it to get a closer look at some of my new furnishings and old memorabilia. Let me know how many princess easter eggs you can spot in the background! As for what's next, I'm very excited to announce that I've applied to be a big sister through the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America  in the hopes of sharing my experiences with a special little girl, attending more princess events, and getting a better grasp on

Review: Time Princess - Code: Whalefall

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When Time Princess released Hela's Compass , I expressed my desire for them to do a more complete science fiction story. That wish was granted with the newest visual novel release, Code: Whalefall. This story takes place in a cyberpunk-like world with lots of fun robots and cyborgs and the usual sci-fi theme of speculating what the future of humanity might be. There is a bit of controversy involving arguments between religion and technology, but I don't think it gets expanded upon enough to offend any zealots. The story also has an insane amount of sci-fi-themed clothing that draws inspiration from so many different sources that it's difficult to pinpoint them all. As a result, trying to unlock all the clothing in this story requires an insane amount of resources that will cut through your supply of gold and clothing materials like a chainsaw. The story begins with our protagonist, Maya, waking up on a strange planet and trying to figure out why she's there and how to

The Cinderella 1997 Reunion Wasn't What I Expected

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When I learned that 20/20 was having a reunion of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella  from 1997 to celebrate World Princess Week , I was expecting a journalist like Barbara Walters  to show up in a big room with the cast and lead a discussion about their memories of shooting together and what they've been up to since then. What I got instead was a mash-up of individual interviews from various people involved with the film from the past and present day talking for an hour about what a great movie it was. Don't get me wrong; it was  great, but that isn't what comes to mind when I hear "reunion." Not only was there never more than one person on camera at a time, but there was also no host to introduce and close out the special. If someone tuned in without knowing anything about it, they would have no idea what they were watching. The biggest highlight for me wasn't even part of the special. It was a clip of Brandy giving a live performance of  "Start

The Best Tabletop Games for Princess Fans

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Too much screen time can lead to eye strain and cause headaches, so I've been researching some fun  princess board game options to save my eyes. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many of the games I played as a child are still around. If you're throwing a  princess party and need some fun activities to do with your friends, here are a few of my favorites. Unfortunately, not all of these games are available right now, so I'll start this list with the ones that are. Pretty Pretty Princess This game was a staple of my childhood. I was amazed to see that they still make it as I perused the game aisles of a book store. It looks a little different from the mint green box I remember as a kid, but it's still very much the same game. Each player must collect every piece of jewelry available in her preferred color and top it off with the bedazzled crown to win. Not only is the  classic game  still available with some minor updates to the crown, but there is also a Disney P

Review: Time Princess - Moving Mountains

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I wasn't sure what to expect from the latest visual novel in Time Princess  called Moving Mountains. This game releases new stories so often that there isn't always enough time to read up about them to get excited, which was the case here. This story is pretty typical of a visual novel from this game. It focuses on a particular historical period and features a heroine with the ability to make decisions that have the potential to change history. Moving Mountains is the most generic story I've played in this game so far. It didn't introduce me to a new culture since there have already been several stories set in China , most of which were more interesting than this one. Unlike many of my favorites from this game, the story was not rooted in mythology or legend . Instead, it was your average tale about a woman who was ahead of her time and wanted to avoid an arranged marriage and find independence. There was nothing particularly wrong with Moving Mountains story per se, b

Review: Time Princess - Sisters of the Sea

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Everything's coming up mermaids!  I just finished the final book in the amazing  Vazula Chronicles  the same week that Time Princess finally released the mermaid visual novel I had been waiting for. "Sisters of the Sea" draws heavy inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid,"  but it is not the same story. Since the majority of it takes place on land, the game failed to provide any mermaid clothing or even mermaid-inspired outfits, opting instead for a more historically authentic Danish look from the period that the story takes place. The mermaids were a big draw for me, but I wouldn't consider this the most well-written story in the game , nor was it  one of the worst . "Sisters of the Sea" puts the player character in the role of Ondine, the little mermaid's sister, who turns human with some help from the Sea Wizard and travels to land in the hopes of restoring the soul of her sister, Marin. In this version, the merma

Review: Time Princess - The Apothecary

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This latest visual novel in Time Princess  is the biggest drain on resources in the game yet. With four chapters requiring players to boost their companions to level eight, and an average of 60 of each required clothing item for crafting, it seems like the developers have caught on to hoarders like me who have saved up loads of in-game currency over the years. Fortunately, the story, characters, and fashions in The Apothecary make it well worth the effort. While a bit late for Halloween, this story has a pleasant witchy vibe to it with a protagonist who collects mystical ingredients and brews up magic potions in a crucible. The visual novel contains the perfect amount of romance, magic, and suspense in a fully fleshed-out fantasy world. The leading lady in The Apothecary is Emelia Farrow, a humble apothecary who is desperate to maintain her place in the guild so she doesn't lose her shop. She struggles to stay in the good graces of her trainer, Greta, while facing off against the w

Review: Time Princess - Lunar Legend

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Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate! Though Time Princess  released a limited holiday visual novel, there was a full-length story that came out last week as well, and that is what I will be reviewing today. Lunar Legend reimagines the story of  "Beauty and the Beast"  with a steampunk aesthetic. It's a rare treat for this game to tackle another fairy tale so soon after Sisters of the Sea , but this adaptation lacked the heart of the original as a result of throwing in so many other subplots that it convoluted the main story. I found that I cared very little about the main couple getting together as there was far more at stake for the rest of the kingdom than a beast's humanity. Lunar Legend is about a girl named Hannah who is searching for her lost memories while caring for her father, Harry. When Harry is struck by the same deadly illness that had afflicted her entire village, Hannah enters a creepy forest made of iron to find a cure. There, she encounters

Disney Releases More Diverse Princess Products!

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There have been a lot of new merchandise and announcements popping up about the Disney Princesses as of late. The company has added plenty of diversity  through their past films, and now they are going at full force in their merchandise with the upcoming  new  Little Mermaid  movie , cosplayer dolls , and more Tiana-themed park attractions . I am eager to see more Disney Princess products and entertainment and hope that the original animated classics that started the brand don't get lost in the shuffle. It's nice to see that Disney is releasing new princess merchandise even though their push for diversity is overpowering a lot of the storytelling that made the brand so enticing in the first place. The first announcement is a series of Disneybound/ cosplay  dolls designed by veteran artist Steve Thompson . Referred to as "ily" dolls, which I believe stands for "I love you," this new fashion line depicts a diverse group of Disney Princess fans who dress in ca

Review: Time Princess - The Moravia Express

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The latest Time Princess visual novel is a good old British murder mystery around the turn of the 20th century that takes place aboard a train. It incorporates plenty of popular tropes while also adding some new twists the genre. It is most similar in tone to the previous release from this game called  Have You Seen Claudia?  right down to the "gotcha" twist ending. The character and plot development are some of the best this game has released in recent months, which shows appear that their writers all have different strengths. I would have loved to see this level of worldbuilding in one of their fantasy stories. The visual novel was well-written and would have been very enjoyable if it hadn't been for the secret ending. You play as Bianca Finch, a businesswoman and aspiring actress who purchases a VIP ticket for the wrong train at the wrong time. She soon finds herself wrapped up in a conspiracy revolving around the murder of another actress named Chloe Swann that had t

Review: Time Princess - Dominic's Disappearance

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Dominic's Disappearance is the latest visual novel in the Time Princess app . I beat this story a week ago and  got held up  by  my cruise , so this is not going to be one of my better reviews. I may get some details wrong, and for that, I apologize in advance. This is not one of my favorite stories in Time Princess. As implied by the game's title, I usually hope for new stories from this game based on fairy tales or history . I don't know why they keep releasing these dark murder mysteries  that don't seem to have the same appeal to the game's target audience. This latest entry is pretty depressing but not quite as much as the last one. It tells the story of a girl who is searching for her missing brother. When it becomes clear that no one is going to solve the mystery of Dominic's disappearance for her, Sandra decides to take the matter of finding her brother into her own hands and infiltrates the last place he was seen--an all-boys academy. Donning a disguis

It's a Good Time To Be a Cinderella Fan!

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It's been a while since I've shared anything new from PattyCake Productions . Using state-of-the-art costume designs, visual effects, and professional actors, this group excels at recreating characters and scenes from classic Disney movies and putting their own spin on them. Their latest series showcases the evolution of various Disney characters through remakes , TV specials , and numerous other sources beginning Cinderella in a video that released on YouTube today called "If the Shoe Fits: The Evolution of Cinderella."  The video features all five of Disney's Cinderella properties including the original 1950 animation , the 2015 remake , the 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptation featuring Brandy , the 2014 Disney adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods , and the version of Cinderella that was portrayed in ABC's Once Upon a Time . PattyCake has done it again! This music video was absolutely magical and exceeded all of my expectations. It takes

Review: Time Princess - Heartwood Mysteries

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Time Princess  has definitely lost points for originality. Heartwood Mysteries, this month's new visual novel, is yet another murder mystery that takes place in early 20th-century England . This story is lighter than some of the recent grimdark stories it has released since it contains more romance and a potential ending where no one has to die. It has been six months since the game has done a true fairy tale retelling  unless you count Lunar Legend  from last December, which was loosely based on "Beauty and the Beast."  They have been shying farther away from their royalty-inspired roots with each passing year. I still want to know what happened to their story about  Catherine the Great . Regardless, I can appreciate this new release for what it was, especially for its cute gender-bent outfits inspired by Sherlock Holmes . Heartwood Mysteries tells the story of Evelyn Heartwood, a private detective who dresses similarly to Sherlock Holmes but acts very differently. Unlik

It's a Big Day for Little Mermaid Fans!

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If you're a fan of Disney's  The Little Mermaid , you're in for a treat! Today marks the release of not one, but two exciting new releases related to the beloved Disney classic. First up, we have the highly anticipated soundtrack for the 2023 live-action adaptation of "The Little Mermaid."  The album features new takes on classic songs like "Under the Sea" and "Part of Your World," as well as brand-new tunes by Alan Menken and Lin Manuel Miranda . But that's not all - we also have a brand-new music video from PattyCake Productions called "Fish Out of Water." This fun, upbeat video takes us on a journey through the history of Disney's The Little Mermaid , from the original animated movie  to the newest incarnation coming out next week. Featuring catchy music and delightful animation, this video is a must-watch for anyone who's ever been enchanted by Ariel and her underwater world. "Fish Out of Water" is the

Review: Time Princess - Mysteries of Zentico

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Time Princess  recently released a poll on social media asking whether fans prefer fantasy or urban stories. This provided better language for me to define the discrepancies between the visual novels they've released in the past and the ones that have come out recently . Mysteries of Zentico, the newest story in the game, falls yet again into the urban category. It is the first story that the dress-up app that was released in two separate parts. There are many other great stories  in this game that had open endings and could have benefitted more from a tiered release. Though I can understand the necessity of the extended release time for this particular story due to its length and overly complicated plot, it was not one that I was eager to complete for those same reasons. No matter how many new chapters I unlocked, I still had a limited understanding of what was going on and didn't care much about any of the characters. Mysteries of Zentico takes place on a fictional volcanic

Review: Time Princess - Showdown in Glitter Rise

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The latest visual novel in the Time Princess app is a western, which comes as a surprise since there are few female-oriented stories in that genre aside from a few old musicals like Annie Get Your Gun and Calamity Jane . What also came as a surprise is that Showdown in Glitter Rise is the least violent and most culturally sensitive western story I have seen to date with an extremely relatable protagonist who has a heart of gold, a black female sheriff, and a Native American companion. I've never thought of westerns as being particularly female-friendly, but this one rises to the challenge beautifully and fits right in with the other visual novels in this game that cover various cultures and historical time periods . The costumes are unique to the game's infinitely expanding wardrobe. There had not been any western wear provided as an option in one of its many events and stories up to this point. Showdown in Glitter Rise is about a gentle cowgirl named Bella who works at a sa

Review: Time Princess - Saga of Viera Part 2

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It's been over two years since I shared my review of Saga of Viera , the high fantasy visual novel from Time Princess . At the time, I was excited to see an enchanting fantasy story in the game but disappointed that none of the endings provided a resolution to the protagonist's plight. Since then, the Time Princess app has focused more on urban fantasy  with stories that take place in darker worlds that focus on gruesome topics like murder mysteries in more realistic settings. I was beginning to lose hope that the game would ever return to its elegant historical and fantasy roots when out of the blue, they released the second part of this beloved relic. All long last, all of my gripes with Saga of Viera have been resolved, and I can celebrate it as one of the most engaging and aesthetically pleasing visual novels in the game. In the second chapter of Saga of Viera, our heroine, Zoya, continues her journey right where it left off. She prays desperately for her life as the Sacred

Review: Time Princess - Magpie Tower

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Magpie Tower is the newest visual novel in  the Time Princess app . It came alongside a massive update that made the game even bigger and more comprehensive than it was already. This story is not based on any pre-existing property, so it isn't obvious what it will be about without playing through it. The story takes place in modern-day Korea like a few of Time Princess's previous visual novels  and includes free Korean voices for several of the main characters during key scenes. It is a disability-friendly story  that focuses on the hardships of living with numerous difficulties that are not obvious at first glance. Though it does not contain any royal characters due to its modern realistic setting, the story focuses on one of the most important themes of what it means to be a fairy tale princess: kindness and compassion . Magpie Tower takes place from the perspective of Ha-yeon, who runs a fried chicken restaurant called Yummy Fried Chicken. While this setting seems a bit ran

Review: Time Princess - Infinite Shimmer

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Infinite Shimmer is the latest visual novel in Time Princess . It was released in two parts and was well worth the wait. This is easily my favorite new visual novel this year. A great deal of time and effort went into making this an engaging story for long-time players of the app like myself. Infinite Shimmer is unique, beautiful, and insightful. It turns the science fiction genre, which is typically male-oriented, into something feminine and aesthetically pleasing, something that had never been done before except for the Barbie movie, Starlight Adventure , which was mediocre at best. When most people think of cyberpunk, they picture a bunch of depressed people walking around the remains of destroyed buildings carrying deadly weapons to pull on a dime wearing ripped leather and robotic limbs. Though this story takes place in a similar setting, it features an optimistic daydreamer who lives under the safety of a dome and dresses in glamorous pastel iridescent gowns that shift colors in

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