The Princes Diary

[Tancredo Dori]

The Princess Diaries is a 2001 American coming-of-age comedy film[3][4][5] produced by Walt Disney Pictures, directed by Garry Marshall, and written by Gina Wendkos. Based on Meg Cabot's 2000 young adult novel of the same name, it stars Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, with a supporting cast consisting of Hctor Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore, Caroline Goodall, and Robert Schwartzman. The story follows Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway), an American teenager who learns she is heir to the throne of a European kingdom. Under the tutelage of her estranged grandmother (Andrews), the kingdom's reigning queen, Mia must choose to either claim the throne she has inherited or renounce her title permanently.

Feeling confident about the novel's film potential, Cabot's agent pursued producer Debra Martin Chase about adapting The Princess Diaries into a feature-length film, an idea she pitched to Disney upon reading the book. After obtaining the film rights, Disney originally greenlit the project under the title The Princess of Tribeca, reverting it once its setting was changed from New York to San Francisco, where the majority of the film was shot between September and December 2000. Marshall agreed to direct because he found the story ideal for family entertainment. Despite having little involvement in the film's development, Cabot was consulted about various changes to its story and characters. Hathaway won the lead role over several established young actresses in her motion picture debut, while The Princess Diaries commemorated the end of Andrews's semi-retirement from acting and return to Disney films, her first since Mary Poppins (1964).

The Princess Diaries premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on July 29, 2001, and was released in the United States on August 3. The film was an unexpected commercial success, grossing over $165 million worldwide. Despite receiving mixed reviews for its plot and themes, Hathaway's performance was widely praised by film critics. Ranking among the most profitable films of 2001, The Princess Diaries defied industry expectations as pundits had expected the film to underperform due to its G rating and subject matter. The film's success is credited with establishing Hathaway as a bankable actress and reviving Andrews's film career. A sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, was released in 2004, and a third installment has been in development since 2022.

Mia Thermopolis is a student at Grove High School residing with her single mother, Helen, in a refurbished firehouse in San Francisco. Unpopular among her peers, Mia suffers from a fear of public speaking while harboring a crush on Josh Bryant, and is often teased by his popular girlfriend, Lana Thomas. Mia's only friends are social outcast Lilly Moscovitz and her older brother, Michael, who secretly harbors feelings for Mia.

Mia learns from her estranged paternal grandmother, Clarisse, that she is the sole heir to the small European kingdom of Genovia, having inherited the throne from her recently deceased father, Philippe. Clarisse is determined to make Mia into a refined princess so that she may one day rule the kingdom over which Clarisse currently presides. Overwhelmed by the discovery, Mia initially refuses until her mother convinces her to attend her grandmother's "princess lessons" on the condition that she need not make her final decision until the Genovian Independence Day Ball in three weeks' time.

Mia receives a glamorous makeover and a limousine chauffeured by Joe, the queen's head of security and confidant, who becomes a father figure to her. Mia's transformation causes her schoolmates to treat her differently, while her increasingly hectic schedule strains her relationship with Lilly. To appease her best friend, Mia tells Lilly the truth and swears her to secrecy. However, the public soon learns that Mia is a princess after the secret is sold to the press by Paolo, the hairdresser responsible for Mia's makeover, and paparazzi begin to pursue her relentlessly. Although Mia embarrasses herself at her first state dinner, Clarisse admits that she found her clumsiness endearing and suggests that they spend quality time together, canceling their lessons for the following afternoon. While bonding, Clarisse explains that although Mia's parents loved each other, they divorced amicably in order to pursue their own passions, Philippe remaining in Genovia to eventually become king, and Helen returning to America with Mia to offer her a "normal" childhood.

As Mia's popularity grows, Josh invites her to attend a beach party with him. Mia accepts, causing her to neglect Lilly and forgo her plans with Michael. The paparazzi ambush Mia at the beach party. Josh kisses Mia in front of the paparazzi to get his "15 minutes of fame", while Lana helps the paparazzi photograph Mia wearing only a towel; both photographs are printed in the newspaper the following day. Finding the photos inappropriate for a princess, Clarisse admonishes Mia for her behavior, after which a humiliated Mia promises to renounce her title. Joe reminds Clarisse that Mia is still both a teenager and her granddaughter, suggesting that the queen reacted too harshly.

After making amends with Lilly, Mia finally stands up to Lana for bullying a schoolmate. Mia invites both Lilly and Michael to the ball but Michael declines, still heartbroken over Mia's initial dismissal. After Clarisse apologizes to Mia for scolding her, she states that Mia must publicly renounce the throne at the ball. Terrified by the prospect, Mia plans to run away until she discovers a touching letter from her late father and relents. Mia's car malfunctions while driving to the ball, stranding her in a downpour until she is retrieved by Joe.

When they finally arrive, Mia, still wet and untidy from the rain, accepts her role as Princess of Genovia with Clarisse, while Helen and Lilly look on proudly. After changing into a gown, Mia accompanies Clarisse into the ballroom where Michael, who has accepted Mia's apology, invites her to dance before proceeding to the courtyard, where they confess their feelings for each other and share their first kiss. In the final scene, Mia is shown traveling to Genovia in a private plane with her pet cat Fat Louie, and writes in her diary that she plans to relocate to Genovia with her mother.

The Princess Diaries is based on the 2000 young adult novel of the same name by author Meg Cabot.[9][10] Cabot's agent believed the first Princess Diaries book showed promising film potential,[11] and pursued Debra Martin Chase, who had recently produced the television film Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997), about adapting the novel into a film due to the story's shared "rags-to-riches" and "Cinderella-type" themes.[12] Having enjoyed the book herself, Chase convinced Disney to adapt it into a feature-length project.[12] Disney chairman Peter Schneider optioned the project in an "effort to re-establish the Disney brand for live-action family films".[13] Disney paid Cabot $4,000 for the film rights,[11] although some media outlets reported that Cabot had been offered "mid- to low-six figures".[11][14][15] Cabot recalled that Disney's decision to adapt The Princess Diaries resulted in a promotion at her own job, prior to which publishers had been unwilling to publish her novel due to concerns that some of its content was inappropriate for young readers.[16] HarperCollins showed interest in Cabot's manuscript in 1999, followed by Disney shortly afterward.[17]

By August 1999, the film was greenlit by Disney who agreed to produce it with singer Whitney Houston's BrownHouse Productions,[15] and Cabot's manuscript was forwarded to potential screenwriters.[14] Chase developed the script with screenwriter Gina Wendkos.[18] Although Cabot did not write the screenplay herself, she discussed changes deemed necessary for translating the story from page to screen with Chase,[17] maintaining that "The essence of the story, or the message, of staying true to yourself ... still comes through".[19] Garry Marshall was enlisted as director, with Houston and Chase producing alongside Mario Iscovich.[18] Marshall had already been pitching ideas to Disney executive Nina Jacobson before he was hired.[18] He found The Princess Diaries ideal family entertainment, and was particularly drawn to the idea of "a young girl turning into a woman and realizing that she can have a positive effect on the world",[18] hoping it would appeal to girls, boys, and adults.[20] Furthermore, the director admitted to being fond of "female wish-fulfillment and empowerment movies".[21] However, Marshall nearly turned down the film due to a typo in its original treatment that read "The Princess Dairies",[22] prompting him to mistake it for a movie about cows.[18][21] The Princess Diaries was Houston's first feature film production venture,[23] and her studio's second film after Cinderella.[24] Houston and Chase hoped that The Princess Diaries would be BrownHouse Productions' first in a series of female-led wish-fulfillment films,[25] originally planning to remake the musical film Sparkle (1976) as a follow-up.[26] Chase recalled that, at the time, Hollywood believed that while girls would willingly see a film intended for boys, it was difficult to convince boys to see a female-oriented film, but were encouraged by the success of Disney's The Parent Trap (1998).[27]

Chase decided that the main cast's ethnicity would remain faithful to the novel because Mia and Clarisse rule a European country, and the producer preferred to "make good movies" as opposed to only African-American films.[25] Anne Hathaway was cast in the lead role of Mia Thermopolis after Juliette Lewis turned it down.[29] Aged eighteen at the time, The Princess Diaries was Hathaway's first major film role, for which she auditioned during a 26-hour layover in Los Angeles, California while traveling to New Zealand to film The Other Side of Heaven (2001).[28] Her only prior acting credit had been in the short-lived television series Get Real.[35] Hathaway she fell out of her chair, and her inherent clumsiness is credited with impressing Marshall.[28][36] Several established young actresses had been considered for the role, including Reese Witherspoon, Kirsten Dunst,[37] Alicia Silverstone, Jessica Biel, Claire Danes,[29] Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz,[38] Drew Barrymore,[31] Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brittany Murphy, Katie Holmes, Christina Applegate, Kate Beckinsale and Eva Mendes,[39] while Liv Tyler was deemed a front-runner.[40] Christy Carlson Romano was unable to audition due to scheduling conflicts while filming the Disney Channel series Even Stevens.[41][42] Marshall's granddaughters ultimately convinced the director to cast Hathaway over Tyler because they felt that she possessed the more "princess-like hair".[30] The actress was cast based solely on her audition, without performing a screen test.[29] Although Marshall believed several other candidates seemed capable of embodying Mia's comedic side, he felt only Hathaway possessed "the grace and authority" required to deliver the character's climatic speech.[43] Hathaway identified with her character's personality and struggles with self-confidence, drawing similarities between Mia's shyness and her own awkwardness in high school.[44][45] For Marshall, Hathaway's appearance and performance were reminiscent of Julia Roberts, whom he had directed to great success in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990).[36] He described her as a fusion of Roberts, comedian Harpo Marx, and his own sister, actress-director Penny Marshall.[18] Hathaway gained weight for the role to closer resemble "a regular teen".[37]

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