Princess Diaries 2

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Movie

It seems like I was just sitting down in a theatre with my two girls
to watch the Princess Diaries sequel and here it is on DVD, just
in time for the holidays. In case you didn’t catch the film in its theatrical
release, Mia, the teenager who discovers she is a princess, has completed
college and is now ready to become queen of the fictional European country
of Genovia (Prague was supposed to be the stand-in for Genovia, but due
to complications, Genovia ended up being a back lot in Burbank). An ancient
Genovian law states that princesses must be married before being crowned,
and Mia has to decide if an arranged marriage is worth the price of becoming
queen. The same thing happened to a cousin of mine recently. Not really.

When I originally reviewed the film I was pretty disappointed in the
quality of the sequel. I felt that the fun, quirky characters from the
first film were given little to do, and that the suitors for Mia’s hand
were pretty lackluster. Julie Andrews is center stage, and I will never
complain about that; however, Mia’s mother (Caroline Goodall) is relegated
to a walk-on role, which I found very odd and annoying. The very person
Mia looked to for advice and comfort in the first film was now walking
in at Mia’s wedding chirping, “What’s happening? Did she get married
yet?”

None of the plot problems have changed on the DVD. However, I’ve noticed
that Princess Diaries 2 is very well suited for the small screen.
I suppose I am more forgiving of DVDs since I can fold laundry or grade
homework while I am watching. This DVD does the trick for keeping company
during housework, and keeping young girls occupied for 113 minutes. My
girls adored the first Princess Diaries film and the sequel is
equally as popular in our house.

The Goodies

The bonus features in this one-disc release are not as plentiful as in
the first Princess Diaries DVD, which was released as a special
edition two-disc set. None of the sequel’s bonues are particularly noteworthy.
They include outtakes and bloopers—which are very standard now for
most DVD releases, a Kelly Clarkson video, and a “Find Your Inner
Princess” quiz.

There were a few special features worth watching, however. In “The
Princess Diaries 2 Makeover,” Anne Hathaway’s stand-in for
the film shows viewers some of the beautiful gowns Princess Mia wore in
the film and talks to the costume designer. A lot of girls (of all ages)
will enjoy getting a close-up look at these costumes and hearing about
how they were made; at times the outfits in each scene were more interesting
than what was going on in the plot itself. Anne’s stand-in also gets some
hair and makeup tips from stylists; this part is much less interesting.
In “Making a Return Engagement,” Raven narrates a backstage
look at the making of Princess Diaries 2 and includes some interviews
with the cast. This feature is interesting until they start promoting
Raven’s song on the Princess Diaries 2 soundtrack; go ahead and
press “disc menu” at this point and head back to the “Deleted
Scenes” feature introduced by Garry Marshall. As usual, Marshall does
an excellent job of explaining why a particular scene was filmed, and
then why it had to be cut.

The best part of the special features is the commentary by Julie Andrews
and Garry Marshall. The pair have a great, comfortable rapport and chat
their way through the film. Andrews talks about what it was like to be
made a dame by Queen Elizabeth, points out her daughter in a ballroom
scene and explains how Garry Marshall talked her into singing with Raven.
They both still think it was a good idea. It is amusing to hear Marshall
grouse about what certain film critics said about the film in its original
release, and explain why he filmed things certain ways. Both are very
entertaining.

Video, Audio and Interface

The Princess Diaries 2 DVD looks great and sounds crisp with the
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound; you can hear every crackle of fire as
Mia shoots her flaming coronation arrow into the hoop at the end of the
film (don’t ask.) The interface is very simple and extremely easy for
younger viewers to navigate, with plenty of princess glitz and hip music
to accompany the various menus.

The Final Evaluation

I still wish Princess Diaries 2 was a better film. If you have
not yet seen the movie, I recommend you rent it first before deciding
on purchasing the DVD to have forever and ever. If your children love
Princess Mia as mine do, you will probably be purchasing this for Christmas.
Go get that basket of laundry and watch it with them.