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.
Tropes Found In These Films Include:
- 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 Andrew 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:
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Clarisse: You look so... young. |
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Mia: You broke my glasses. |
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- 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
- 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.