The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement DVD Review:

Five years after finding out that she was the heiress to the throne of Genovia, Princess Mia (Hathaway) returns after graduating from university ready to rule her country. Now that she has turned 21, her grandmother Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Andrews) is ready to hand the throne over to Mia but Viscount Mabrey (Rhys-Davis) has other ideas. He claims that his nephew Nicholas Devereaux (Pine) is the rightful heir and the only way Mia can be Queen is if she marries within thirty days.

The fairytale story of Mia Thermopolis’s discovery that she is a princess and future queen of Genovia continues but does this story have the magic to enchant its target audience, teenage girls?

Well, they should rejoice as Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement covers all the based that will keep them entertained for the whole of the 115 minutes. We have a dastardly villain, a beautiful Princess, a dashing future prince, a love rival and a predicament that will keep you enthralled until the end. This is all coated in a downpour of sugary, sweet goodness that will have the girls skipping around on a cloud of fairytale magic for days afterward.

The reason these movies work is the extremely likeable cast. In Anne Hathaway the silver screen has major star in the making. Besides from been incredibly beautiful and extremely charming, she has a girl-next-door quality that instantly endears you to her. She plays the clumsy, fish out of water Mia with ease, making the character immediately likeable and easy to care about. This is a real gift the actress has and her talent for this is not in question but it would be good for her career to try a few more varied roles as she leaves her teenage years behind. Julie Andrews brings her usual class to the proceedings. She oozes a certain regality that makes her perfect to play the Queen of Genovia. The chemistry between her and Gerry Marshall’s stalwart Hector Elizondo is very old school cinema. It is an impossible romance that needs someone to make a great sacrifice before their love can bloom. Elizondo is his usual deadpan self as the head of security for Genovia. This is a role that he plays effortlessly and he makes Joe a very likable character.

The supporting cast is also good. Chris Pine and Callum Blue, as the two suitors that Mia is torn between both make acceptable romantic leads with Pine taking the lead as the devilishly charming Nicholas Devereaux. John Rhys-Davis is a very boo-worthy villain as the dastardly Viscount Mabrey and Heather Matarazzo returns as Mia’s best friend Lilly.

Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement does everything it needs to do to appeal to its target audience. For everyone else, you have to bear in mind that this is a very audience targeted film and unless you enjoyed the first film, you wouldn’t be clambering at the bit to see the second. Teenage girls will rejoice however at the continuing adventures of Princess Mia and bathe in the sugary-sweet goodness of the story.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is a good transfer. The picturesque country of Genovia is vividly brought to life with all its regal splendour via a sharp picture. The sound quality is also good, with clear dialogue and a soundtrack that fills the speakers.

BONUS FEATURES

Deleted Scenes (17.29 mins)

Introduced by director Garry Marshall, these eight deleted scenes entitled ‘The Queen & Maurice’, ‘Pear Picking’, ‘Welcome to Parliament’, ‘Nicolas Cooks’, ‘Puppet TV’, ‘Parade Prep’, ‘King Rupert Ramp’, and ‘The Queen’s nerves’ highlight the talents of Anne Hathaway even more in scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor.

Royal Bloopers (3.55 mins)

Behind the scenes footage exposes a collection of gags and goofs by the cast and crew. It also shows that Anne Hathaway is just as accident prone in real life.

Games & Activities

Find your inner Princess

An interactive quiz that will determine what kind of Princess you are destined to be.

Backstage Disney

Making a Return Engagement (15.38 mins)

Music star and actor Raven introduces a behind the scenes featurette on ‘The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement’. Featuring interviews with director Garry Marshall and stars Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Larry Miller, Hector Elizondo, Callum Blue and Chris Pine as they talk about continuing the adventures of Princess Mia. We also get to see behind the scenes of the making of the soundtrack with interviews and performances from Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney and Lindsay Lohan, as well as a performance by Raven herself.

The PD2 Makeover (11.07 mins)

Anna Curtis, Anne Hathaway’s stand-in for the movie, has a day of pampering and extravagance, as she becomes ‘Princess Mia’ for real. After having her hair and makeup done the same, she gets the chance to try one some of the costumes that Anne Hathaway wore during the movie.

‘Breakaway’ music video by Kelly Clarkson (4.02 mins)

Watch the promotional video by ‘American Idol’ winner Kelly Clarkson that accompanied the release of the film.

A Julie and Garry Commentary

Director Garry Marshall and screen legend Julie Andrews come together to tell you all the gossip from the filming of ‘The Princess Diaries 2’. This chatty and fun commentary comes from two stars of the business, who are obviously very good friends in real life. This makes some great conversation and insight into the movie, the story and the cast. Garry Marshall commentaries are always fun but when you add in Julie Andrews, it makes it a joy to listen to.

Trailers

Previews of ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’, ‘Sacred Planet’ and ‘The Young Black Stallion’

OVERALL

Disney has done an excellent job of aiming this DVD directly at its target audience, teenage girls. There is a lot for them to enjoy here as the featurettes and interactive games really cater for fans of Princess Mia. For the rest of us, the deleted scenes and commentary track are a bonus, but the release is all about the fans, as it should be.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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