To start off I have to say that I enjoyed watching these movies when they first came out in watching these again brings back great memories. These Blu-rays are wonderful and provide a great quality experience for the viewer and on top of this they also have put together a great list of bonus features that my kids really enjoy. Both of these movies are definitely family-friendly and ones that I would highly recommend anyone to watch. The movies are light, fun and offer a great time for all.
According the the generous audio commentaries on both discs (recorded several years ago on previous DVD issues), The Princess Diaries book was purchased by Houston's company and brought to Disney. The wisdom of casting Julie Andrews as the Queen (her first Disney film since Mary Poppins) and Garry Marshall (he of the modern-day Pretty Woman fairytale rom-com) cannot be underestimated.
Marshall has a talent for talent -casting Anne Hathaway while she was still in her late teens and a movie unknown. His movies have a stock company that stretches back as far as his days with The Dick Van Dyke Show, not to mention Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. His commentary on the first film, likely supplemented by copious notes, is a wall-to-wall comic monologue of moviemaking technique.
Julie Andrews, ironically, takes the Henry Higgins role in transforming awkward Mia into a princess. To me, she's really training Hathaway to be Julie Andrews, since Dame Julie has made a fine art of presenting herself as the gracious magical movie icon that she is. The first film was also shot at what is now the Julie Andrews stage -Stage 2 on the Disney lot, the same one where Mary Poppins soared.
Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway share a high tea in their previously-released commentary on the first film. It's especially interesting to hear Hathaway's ambivalence to film acting and her reluctance to wear a swimsuit -little did she know what stardom (and love scenes) were ahead for her.
The second film is perhaps not as cohesive as the first, but how can it be -how do you follow up a Cinderella story? With a courtship and wedding, in this case, with another "newcomer," Chris Pine, as the garden-variety rom-com guy.
Julie Andrews returns with Garry Marshall for the commentary on the second film, also from an earlier issue. Marshall is less meticulous in his spoken details about this film, but no less enthusiastic. Princess Diaries 2 is more of a children's film, even including a song sung by Dame Julie!
Marshall's directing skills and his ability to surround himself with some of the best production people in Hollywood is evident as you savor the fine photography and staging made more clear on Blu-ray. While both films are frothy confections, they're also beautifully rendered and a joy to experience again.This is a good movie, but it is not similar to the book series. For those of us who read the novels, then watched the movies, most of us were disappointed. It is a good movie and they did a good job, just I'm upset because they changed everything from the book including they eliminated characters and events. They should remake this series.In 2000, the first volume of Meg Cabot's epistolary novel series, "The Princess Diaries", was released. A year later, "The Princess Diaries" was released as a film and achieving commercial success as it grossed over $165 million in the box office.
The film was produced by singer Whitney Houston and directed by Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman", "Beaches", "Runaway Bride") and the success of the first film would ensure a sequel in 2004 titled "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", the sequel would feature a screenplay by Shonda Rhimes (best known for creating and producing "Grey's Anatomy", "Private Practice" and "Scandal").
The two films would star Julie Andrews ("The Sound of Music", "Mary Poppins", "10″), Anne Hathaway ("The Devil Wears Prada", "Alice in Wonderland", "Get Smart") and Hector Elizondo ("Pretty Woman", "Runaway Bride", "Chicago Hope"). "The Princess Diaries" would be the first feature film debut of Anne Hathaway.
And now, both films will be released in a 10th Anniversary Blu-ray+DVD combo pack, courtesy of Disney.
VIDEO:
"The Princess Diaries" and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" are presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1). The video quality on both films is much better than the original DVD release and while the first film does show its age during the title credits and stock footage of San Francisco, the actual film is looks very good on Blu-ray with the additional clarity and more emphasis on colors. Especially detail on closeups of the characters faces. Skin tones natural on both films, black levels are good and there are no video issues that I spotted during my viewing of the film.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
As for audio, "The Princess Diaries" and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. While both films are dialogue-driven, there is also quite a bit of music featured in the films and also scenes that utilize the ambiance of various moments. Such as the first film which features Mia in a rainstorm or the sounds of crowds, but for teh most part, both films are front and center-channel driven as expected. Not exactly immersive but for both films, the lossless soundtrack is appropriate.
Subtitles are provided in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES
"The Princess Diaries" and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" is quite interesting when it comes to special features as Disney has elected to not include the special features on the Blu-ray release (only the "Royal Bloopers"), while most of the special features can be found on the accompanying two DVD's.
The Princess Diaries
Royal Bloopers (4:20) Outtakes from "The Princess Diaries" (featured on Blu-ray and DVD).
A New Princess (24:19) A featurette hosted by Anne Hathaway with interviews with director Garry Marshall and the cast of "The Princess Diaries".
Audio Commentary Featuring an informative audio commentary by director Garry Marshall.
Audio Commentary A second audio commentary featuring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway.
Deleted Scenes Featuring an introduction by director Garry Marshall and eight deleted scenes.
Livin' Like a Princess (3:27) Featuring animation on a princess' life.
Music Video "Miracles Happen" (4:18) Featuring "Miracles Happy" by Myra
Music Video "Supergirl" (3:54) Featuring "Supergirl" by Krystal Harris
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Royal Bloopers (3:56) Outtakes from "The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement" (featured on Blu-ray and DVD).
Deleted Scenes (4:21) Featuring an introduction by director Garry Marshall and eight deleted scenes.
Games & Activities: Find Your Inner Princess A game/quiz for those to find their "inner princess".
Making a Return Engagement (15:37) Director Garry Marshall and cast talk about working on this second film.
The PD2 Makeover (11:07) Featuring Anna Curtis, Anne Hathaway's stand-in for the film.
Music Video (4:02) Featuring "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson
Audio Commentary Featuring audio commentary by Julie Andrews and director Garry Marshall.
EXTRAS:
"The Princess Diaries: 10th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray comes with a separate DVD for each film.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"The Princess Diaries" and its sequel "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" are two-lighthearted, fun and delightful films that would appeal to young ladies but also with director Garry Marshall, the film also appeals to people of all ages, especially with the older crowd as the film also pays a little homage to his 1991 film "Pretty Woman".
First, lets discuss the storyline. While the first film is much more enjoyable than the sequel, part of the enjoyment of the first film was seeing new and older faces. When "The Princess Diaries" first came out, I actually saw star potential within actress Anne Hathaway and as Lindsay Lohan at the time, was the up-and-coming star in films such as "Mean Girls" and "Freaky Friday" and would later incorporate this bad girl image, Anne Hathaway is an actress who came out of nowhere but yet had this pure image in which she fit into the heels of Princess Mia quite perfectly.
While Hathaway was a teen actress known for her role on "Get Real" (which she starred alongside Jesse Eisenberg back in 1999-2002), there was no doubt that this role propelled her career and would blossom into roles in "Nicholas Nickleby", "Ella Enchanted", at the time, she captivated audience with her quirkiness and felt that she fit the role perfectly as Mia.
And part of my enjoyment of seeing this film was watching Julie Andrews, who was still as charming onscreen since her classic films of "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music", and also carried the grace that she is known for, as grandmother to Mia in both films.
Going back to the Garry Marshall reference to "Pretty Woman", Marshall brings back his "Pretty Woman" actors such as Hector Elizondo and Larry Miller, but also brings back Allan Kent to repeat the same line "It Happens All the Time" in "The Princess Diaries" as he did in "Pretty Woman". In fact, the song "Sempre libera degg'io" from "La Traviata" featured in "Pretty Woman" is used once again in "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement". So, there are "Pretty Woman" references in this film, which I found quite interesting.
So, for the first film alone, I enjoyed the "unpopular girl finds out that she is a princess" storyline, but the sequel seemed a bit out of the place as the goal was now "princess to become queen and must find a husband". While the storyline did work, I suppose that the rush into seeing the character of Mia needing to find a husband in order to become queen, just wasn't exciting enough. And as much as I enjoy Shonda Rhimes as a writer, this is one film that tried to capitalize on the success of the first film and to tell you the truth, I didn't think it was needed. Especially since the sequel has nothing to do with Meg Cabot's original novels (as the novels began to focus on Mia's teenage life and life in college).
As for the Blu-ray release, the Blu-ray definitely is a worthy upgrade for fans who own it on DVD. The video and audio quality is much better but for those who already own the DVD's, its important to note that Disney didn't even bother put the special features (except the gag reel) on the Blu-ray release, they are on the accompanying DVD's. So, unless you have never seen the films or enjoy the films and want in HD, if you own the older DVD releases, there is nothing new, in terms of special features, added in the Blu-ray release of "The Princess Diaries: 10th Anniversary Edition".
Overall, I still feel that "The Princess Diaries" is a fun and delightful film, the second was OK...for the value of both films on Blu-ray, it still makes this release worth owning (if you don't own the previous two DVD's).
For parents looking for a fun family film for their daughters (both films are "Rated G") or may you be fans Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews or simply love Garry Marshall films, for the upgraded visuals and audio in HD, "The Princess Diaries: 10th Anniversary Edition" is worth owning and upgrading to Blu!
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