The Princess Diaries (film)

Based on the book series of the same name, this pair of films stars Anne Hathaway in her Star-Making Role and Julie Andrews in her first Disney film since Mary Poppins.

Although very little resembles the plot of the books -- the second film, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is in fact an entirely new creation -- these movies did give the world Anne Hathaway, and they are popular sleepover fare with preteen girls to this day.


 * Foot Popping

"Clarisse: You look so... young. Mia: Uh, thank you. And you look so... [long pause] ...clean."
 * Acquired Situational Narcissism
 * Adaptational Villainy: Inverted. Clarisse is much kinder to her granddaughter than in the novels.
 * Adaptation Dye Job: Mia in the books is a dirty blonde, and has it cut short. Movie Mia is brunette with shoulder-length hair.
 * Artifact Title: The movies lose the diary format the books are written in. Mia has a diary of low plot importance, making the title technically applicable, but not really.
 * Better as Friends: Mia and decide they are this in the second film.
 * Black Best Friend: Arguably, Asana from the second movie.
 * Cucumber Facial: "Can I tell you a secret? The cucumber does nothing."
 * Damned By Faint Praise:

"Mia: You broke my glasses. Paolo: You broke my brush."
 * The Glasses Gotta Go


 * Hands-On Approach: Nicholas teaching Mia to shoot an arrow in the second movie.
 * Homage: In the second movie, Mia dances with a succession of royal suitors with humorous personalities and/or odd dance styles, much as Audrey Hepburn (also playing a somewhat unorthodox princess) does in Roman Holiday.
 * The Makeover: Played straight in the movies.
 * Makeover Montage
 * Micro Monarchy: Genovia, described as "a small country between France and Spain".
 * Modesty Shorts: Seen when Mia comes down the spiral steps at the beginning.
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: Mia. She even provides the picture for the trope page.