Lisa Dawn's Blog: The Princess Blog, page 59

Story Saturday: A Virus in Corona (Tangled Fanfic)

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there during this tough time. I don't usually write fanfiction, but I've heard so many people making Tangled references about the coronavirus that I thought I'd have a little fun with it. This story takes place after the ending of Tangled: The Series and the "Tangled Ever After" short. Enjoy!

A Virus in CoronaOne sunny day in the kingdom of Corona, Shorty went out exploring and found something he had never seen before. A purple mushroom with green polka dots had sprouted near the area where the Sun Drop and black rocks had appeared. Many people would have been afraid to come near a mysterious new formation in such an ominous spot, but not Shorty. In fact, as soon as he laid eyes on it, he wondered what such a rare and exotic mushroom might taste like. He was disappointed to find that it didn't taste very different from any other mushroom and decided to go to his favorite pub, the Snuggly Duckling, to find a drink and wash it down.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel was thrilled to receive a message from her friend, Cassandra, who had recently left Corona to find her own path. Owl flew through the princess's window with a letter explaining that she was training to join the Saporian army. Rapunzel could not have been happier for her friend. Cassandra was a terrific warrior and had already earned rapport with the kingdom of Saporia in the past. She sat at her desk with a blank sheet of parchment trying to decide what to write back. There were so many things she wanted to tell Cass about, like her wedding to Eugene and how she had convinced everyone to take off their shoes and dance barefoot at the party afterward. There was also the big event at Uncle Monty and Attila's Sweet Shop and Bakery where they revealed a delicious new ice cream flavor called The Lost Princess. She knew she would never be able to fit everything she wanted to say on a single page, so she sat and stared at the parchment trying to decide what to leave out. Her thoughts were interrupted when her husband, Eugene, barged into the room. He took his new position as Captain of the Guard very seriously.
"Rapunzel!" he huffed, completely out of breath. "There's--you should--Just come with me!"
He grabbed Rapunzel's hand and led her outside, where she saw the citizens of Corona in a panic. Several people's skin had turned purple with green polka dots across their faces. They were coughing and sneezing everywhere, while the healthier people ran as far away as they could. It was mass panic.
"The world is coming to an end!" shouted Shorty between sneezes.
Rapunzel took a deep breath and did her best to remain calm. She had read a book about viruses in the tower and remembered that they were spread by close contact, so she knew it would best for everyone to stay inside where it was safe.
"Okay, nobody panic," she said.
It didn't seem to work. Everyone was panicking. Old Lady Crowley turned purple right before her eyes. 
"This is really bad, right?" asked Eugene.
"Tell the guards to get everyone inside. All business in Corona will be shut down until we find a cure."
Eugene nodded.
"You heard her!" he told Stan and Pete. "Everyone inside!"
The guards acted swiftly on Eugene's orders, but there was one problem. Shorty didn't have a home. Even though the rest of the Corona citizens cleared out in an orderly fashion, Shorty stood by as the royal carriage arrived with King Frederic and Queen Arianna, who were returning from their recent trip to their summer castle. As they emerged from the carriage Shorty raced over to greet them.
"Wait!" cried Rapunzel, but it was too late.
"Good morning, Your Maj--a--ACHOO!" Shorty sneezed right on the king and queen.
"Rapunzel?" asked King Frederic.
"What's going on?" asked Queen Arianna.
"Don't worry. We've got everything under control," Rapunzel said in her most reassuring voice.
She turned to Eugene "Get them inside to the castle doctor right away! And give Shorty a nice secluded room at the inn."
Rapunzel and Eugene raced to the castle alchemist to determine how to find a cure for the virus.
"It's definitely the Corona Virus," said Varian, as he exampled the mushroom spores under a microscope.
"There's a virus named after Corona?" asked Rapunzel.
"It used to be an epidemic caused by the mushrooms that grew here centuries ago," he explained, "But once the Sun Drop grew in its place, it cured all traces of the mushroom. Now that the Sun Drop has been gone for while, it looks like it's grown back."
"Is there a cure?" she asked.
"Yes. I can make enough of the antidote to give to all the infected people, but I would need the Herb of the Wildebeast, which is guarded by a deadly monster."
"How do we get it?" asked Eugene in his bravest voice.
"The monster isn't the only obstacle," Varian explained sadly. "The virus could be fatal in two weeks' time, but the Cave of the Wildebeast is several days north of Saporia."
"But Saporia is over a week's ride away," said Rapunzel. "If we leave now, it would be too late by the time we return."
"Exactly," said Varian. "I'm sorry, Princess. I know how it feels to lose your parents."
"I know what to do," she said in a determined tone, brushing her fingers through her short brown hair.
"Care to fill me in?" asked her husband.
"I've finally figured out what I'm going to write in my letter to Cass."
Rapunzel found Owl right where she had left him by the blank piece of parchment in her room. She explained everything in her letter to Cassandra, making it clear how important it was to Corona that she brought the herb in time. She knew that if anyone could defeat a Wildebeast and travel from Saporia to Corona within two weeks, it was Cass.
***
"That's a lot of paintings," said Eugene a few days later.
Rapunzel looked up from her canvas revealing a smudge of yellow paint on her cheek. She presented a painting of a beautiful sunset and threw it on top of a pile.
"That's the last one!" she announced.
She took each painting and placed it inside one of dozens of baskets she scattered around her floor containing cookies, books, quill pens, and parchment. Each one was secured with a big purple ribbon tied in a bow.
"I need the guards to distribute these care packages to the front door of everyone in Corona. Make sure no one waits for them to come out. The virus spreads through direct contact, remember?"
"You really didn't have to do all this," Eugene said in amazement at his kind and considerate wife.
"I know what it's like to be cooped up inside all the time. They'll go crazy with nothing to keep them occupied."
"You really are the best princess Corona could have asked for," he said as he took her in his arms and kissed her gently.
***
Two weeks passed before they knew it. The castle doctor convinced Rapunzel not to make contact with her parents before, but this time, she insisted.
"I know Cass is going to come through to me, but I still want to see them just in case anything goes wrong. I've had so little time with them already," she explained. "Besides, I've never gotten sick in my life. Varian thinks the Sun Drop made me immune to everything."
"Do you really want to test that theory now?" he asked.
"Please. They're my parents. Besides, Cass is going to be here with the cure any day now."
"Very well."
Rapunzel raced to her parents' side as they lied in the bed. She had never seen them like this before. They were pale and weak.
"Rapunzel," said King Frederic, "If we don't make it through this, you're going to be in charge. We need you to stay strong for Corona."
Rapunzel took his hand in hers. "No," she breathed. "I'll be queen someday, but not any time soon. You're both going to recover. I know it."
"We're so proud of you," Ariana croaked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Would you mind if I sing the healing incantation? I know I don't have the magic of the Sun Drop anymore, but hearing always made me feel better," said Rapunzel.
Her parents smiled at her.
"Flower gleam and glow," Rapunzel sang. "Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine."
As soon as she finished the first verse, there was a knock at the door.
"Raps! Open up!" called a familiar voice.
Rapunzel raced to the door and threw her arms around Cassandra. Varian stood next to her with a vial containing a green liquid.
"It's all ready. We wanted to give it to the queen and king first," he said.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down!" said Rapunzel. "Thank you so much."
Cassandra grinned humbly as Owl purred on her shoulder.
***
A few days later, everyone in Corona was cured, and a huge festival was held to celebrate. Cassandra was presented a medal by the king and queen and named the Hero of Corona. Rapunzel didn't spend much time participating in the festivities because she was so busy filling in Cassandra on every last detail of her wedding.
"Raps," Cassandra said when Rapunzel finished her story, "You know I can't stay, right?"
"I know," said Rapunzel, "But you've proven yourself to be a true ally to Corona today, and I'm sure you will do the same for Saporia. You're a hero, Cass."

Can Andrew Lloyd Webber Modernize Cinderella?

This post was inspired by a reader of my blog who informed me of an upcoming new Cinderella musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Modernizing the story of "Cinderella" is more complicated than rebooting a franchise like The Princess Diaries because Cinderella has already been reinvented countless times. Some of these reimaginings are better than others. The most obvious problem with creating a stage musical of "Cinderella" is that the Rodgers and Hammerstein version has evolved into a timeless classic since it was first performed by Julie Andrews on live TV in 1957. The most recent revival of the production added a modern twist by making Cinderella a revolutionary who takes advantage of her close relationship with the prince to help the peasants overcome a housing crisis in their kingdom. Was this element a necessary addition to the story? Not really. Yet, it offered something new to take away from a tale we've already heard hundreds of times. If Andrew Lloyd Webber can bring something new to the story, his version could potentially stand triumphantly alongside the Cinderellas from the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic and Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. However, it's a slippery slope, and not just because of the glass slippers.


Like many fans of Broadway and musical theater, I grew up with Andrew Lloyd Webber's most famous shows such as Cats and Phantom of the Opera, so I was curious to see how he would handle such a classic fairy tale that often gets butchered from overexposure. The video interview between Andrew Lloyd Webber, writer

The other misguided statement from the short video interview is that no one questions the fact that Cinderella decided to marry the prince even though she barely knew him. Excuse me? This has been questioned constantly! It started in 1986 with Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods and its philandering princes and followed up by Disney in 2007 with Enchanted  and then 2013 with a little thing called Frozen . This common theory also doesn't take into account the fact that Cinderella was a victim who needed to be with the prince in order to escape a life of abuse. I hope that the interview was a poorly worded attempt to explain the new musical because it sounds as though it's about Cinderella trying to resist an opportunity to be with someone who loves her so that she is able to continue her miserable life of servitude. If that is an accurate depiction, it does not sound like an adaptation that misses the point of the story entirely. Even the brief musical clip that Webber shared on his YouTube channel further insinuates these flawed ideas that he construes as "modern."

"Call me bad Cinderella. I will not say good-bye. I've been leaving (living?) since I met you. I'll forget you."

Carrie Hope Fletcher sings a melody that is strongly reminiscent of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "In My Own Little Corner" in a beautiful vibrato voice. These lyrics sound like the sort of quick fix that Disney used to modernize characters like Princess Jasmine with her newest song "Speechless." Modern women must be so strong that they don't need a man or anyone else to help them get stuff done. Have we reached a point where this applies even to "Cinderella," arguably one of the most romantic fairy tales of all time? If we are living in a world where not even Cinderella can find true love at the ball, I'm not sure it's the type of world that I want to be part of. Then again, the meaning of these lyrics is vastly different based on who they are sung to. If she is singing to the prince about not wanting to say good-bye to her old life and continue to be a slave, that is a sign of Stockholm syndrome that demonstrates she has been brainwashed by her stepmother to the extent that she doesn't even think she can leave, which is a dangerous message to convey. The healthiest interpretation of these lyrics is that she is singing to her stepfamily about forgetting them and not wanting to say good-bye to the prince, As much as I'd like to remain optimistic, the context of the interview leads me to believe that is not the case.

When it comes to "Cinderella," it can be possible to have too much of a good thing. The classic rags to riches story of a girl who just wants to be loved has been reinvented so many times that it is barely even recognizable through a modern lens. The new Andrew Lloyd Webber production is slated to premiere at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in England this October. Those of us living in the United States may not even have an opportunity to see it live unless it does well and comes to Broadway or goes on an international tour. As appealing as it sounds to see an adaptation of "Cinderella" by the same man who created the beloved Phantom of the Opera, this play sounds like it's trying way too hard to modernize a story that never needed to be modernized in the first place. I hope the interview was misleading and that it turns out to be fantastic, but in the meantime, we will always have the breathtakingly beautiful Rodgers and Hammerstein version on with its unforgettable soundtrack.

Review: Dragon's Maid

Dragon's Maid  was another one of the book deals I took advantage of for National Fairytale Day. It's the 9th book in a series called Love's Enchanted Tales by Kimberly A. Rogers. In't that the most princessy name for a book series ever? I was able to jump right into the story without feeling like I missed eight books worth of content, so it definitely works as a standalone. It's a romance between a human girl and a shapeshifting dragon who takes on the form of a human man. Judging by the descriptions of the other books on Kimberly's website, most of the ones from this series are about human girls falling in love with shapeshifting dragons, so I'm not sure how much variety it has aside from each book drawing inspiration from a different fairy tale. That said, if Dragon's Maid is any indication of what the other Love's Enchanted Tales books are like, I would strongly recommend anything from this series.

To say that Dragon's Maid is a retelling of "Cinderella" as Kimberly A. Rogers does on her website is misleading. The book contains some small elements of the famously overexposed fairy tale, but it's an original story at heart, which is a good thing. Kimberly A. Rogers does an amazing job at building a unique fantasy world around the strained ties between humans and dragons. It starts out with the familiar-sounding tale of an abused girl named Damaris living with a wicked stepmother and less wicked stepsister, but she quickly gets sold off as an indentured servant and becomes a cinder maid not for her own family but for an estate owned by an earl named Tancred. I found Damaris difficult to relate to at the beginning of the book because she was such a passive character, but once she meets Tancred after an unnecessary three-year time jump, I was barely able to put it down. Damaris's humility upon earning the earl's favor when she learned his secret was just as admirable his Tancred's desire to protect her and give her a better life.
The thing that stood out to me the most about Dragon's Maid was the love interest. Paranormal romance often forgoes giving the love interest a personality in favor of expanding upon the supernatural aspect. For me, the most attractive quality in a prince is honor, which Tancred has in droves. The dragons in this world are loyal and honorable creatures who would do anything to protect the ones they care about. When Tancred asks Damaris to be his companion, the first thing she assumes is that he wants her as a concubine, and she refuses with the proper level of outrage. What made Tancred so adorably innocent was that it took him several more chapters before he finally realizes how Damaris had interpreted the request. Even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, he still had trouble comprehending how such an arrangement between an earl and a maid would be perceived by the rest of the staff at the estate and expressed concern about Damaris's reputation like a true gentleman.
Most of the conflict in the story revolves around other people living in Tancred's estate that are jealous of the attention he gives to Damaris and the nature of their relationship, which is beautiful and pure. Unfortunately, the end of the book makes Damaris into an even more passive character, but by that point I cared so much about Tancred that it didn't matter anymore. The best parts were the romantic moments that they shared together as their romance blossomed. There was also a political subplot that I didn't have much interest in, but it never detracted from the main plot enough to be cumbersome. It was touching to see how much Tancred trusted Damaris with his secret and how passionate she was about keeping it due to the rising tensions between humans and dragons. Their devotion to each other in such trying times was heartwarming.
Overall, I enjoyed Dragon's Maid way more than I expected to, and I'm curious about the other books in Love's Enchanted Tales. If you are expecting a traditional "Cinderella" retelling, prepare to be disappointed. However, if you love sweet paranormal romance, this book will not let you down. Damaris is a humble and honorable protagonist with a mind of her own, and Tancred is adorably naive and honorable. Many of the other books in the series sound similar to this one, so I doubt there's a wrong book to start with if a different one piques your personal tastes more than this one does.

I Beat the Most Enchanted Escape Room Ever!

Escape rooms have become a huge trend within the last five years or so. In a culture that's becoming increasingly more dependent on technology, it's getting harder to find recreational activities that don't involve staring at a screen. That's probably why escape rooms have gotten so popular. They give people an opportunity to go out with their friends and exercise their critical thinking skills in a more physically active environment than watching a movie or playing a video game. When the escape room craze began, it was usually horror-themed and required the players to escape a zombie or a serial killer or a bomb or something along those lines. While that may be some people's cup of tea, it isn't that much fun for a princess fan like myself. Fortunately, the craze has gotten so popular that it expanded to many other themes that aren't always about avoiding a gruesome demise anymore. After doing a little research, I discovered Maze Rooms, a company with several locations in Los Angeles and Austin that does a variety of fantasy and adventure-themed puzzle rooms. Among the wide list of options, the one called Magic Kingdom immediately piqued my interest.


Not to be confused with the more famous Magic Kingdom, this fantasy-themed escape room gives you an opportunity to star in your own fairy tale adventure story. The ancient tree that powers the realm is dying, and you have 60 minutes to restore the enchanted water to the well and save the tree before all is lost. Without the threat of something trying to kill me like other escape rooms, the experience was transformed into something far more fun and engaging. Before entering the room, my husband and I were offered Harry Potter robes to wear on our quest, but I turned them down because I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, and they looked like they had been worn a hundred times and never got washed. Things got more interesting from there when our game master led us to the wooden door that opened into the magical forest and told us the story of the Magic Kingdom. Next to it was a door to a space shuttle for the Space Odyssey mission. I thought it was a nice touch how well each door was themed to what awaits inside. They reminded me of the different worlds in Kingdom Hearts. After we acknowledged our mission, we entered our portal, and she locked us inside and left us to solve the puzzles that awaited.

We were gifted with two magical items in case we got stuck on our quest. One was an enchanted communication device that would allow us to contact the outside world in case of an emergency, and the other was a bag of tiny cheese balls that to bribe a talking mouse to give us hints. We had no need to communicate with the outside world, and I found the talking mouse far more interesting. She was a greedy little rodent that always asked for more cheese if I really wanted a hint, but that was okay because I had plenty to spare. The mouse also served as a timekeeper and let us know how much time we had left to save the tree in exchange for each piece of cheese. The room looked small at first, but as we continued to discover its secrets, we unlocked more passageways with surprises hidden in each one. I was amazed by the technology behind each test. The magic wands were hidden in treasure chests that appeared to require a key, but further observation revealed secret ways to open them that made it feel like we had actually traveled to another realm. The magic inside the wands only worked on the well after we solved additional puzzles to activate them. Waving the wand over a charger would cause it to light up and show us that it was ready to feed the well. Each time we waved a charged wand over the magic well, it would change the atmosphere in the room by creating beautiful projections of the sun, moon, and stars on the ceiling and walls.

As we made our way further into the kingdom, we discovered other creatures that were kind enough to help us on our quest. There was a talking deer head, a giant, and even a hidden faery! The puzzles were incredibly fun to figure out. Each time we solved one, the whole room would light up with music and images to let us know that we got it right. It was amazing how certain compartments containing key items would unlock on their own after completing the correct task without a key or lever. I have no idea how they did it! It was as though the room was actually enchanted. My husband and I saved the tree within 36 minutes and were treated to a lovely ending as it woke up with fiber-optic lights and revitalized magic. As soon as our tasks were complete, the game master opened the door to congratulate us and offered to take our picture. She also asked us if we would like to try another room while we were there. They had roughly ten rooms at that location. It's amazing to think that portals to such enchanting realms exist in such an unassuming shopping center above a KFC.

If you are in the Los Angeles area and want to go on an amazing adventure with a small group of friends that isn't too scary, I highly recommend Maze Rooms. The Magic Kingdom felt as though it was custom-made just for me, but many of their other rooms look like a lot of fun as well. They have a Greek Mythology one that I would be interested in trying next as well as an illusion one, a wizard one, a pirate one, an ancient Egyptian one, and more. Even though I had done other escape rooms before this, I can honestly say that Magic Kingdom was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It felt like I was actually inside of a video game. The sheer level of delight I felt when we won made it all worthwhile. It was the closest I've ever been to feeling like a real fairy tale princess.

Rapunzel Reveals There Is More in You in the Tangled Finale

"I'm not one to walk away from a fight when my friends are in danger, no matter what the odds. Just something I picked up from Rapunzel."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned is a theme that was heavily encoded into the storytelling DNA of Plus Est en Vous , the series finale of Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. The show formerly known as Tangled: The Series reached its ultimate conclusion today, neatly tying up loose ends to make way for the "Tangled Ever After" short, where we see Rapunzel and Eugene tie the knot at last. All in all, Plus Est en Vous was a mediocre finale for such a strong series, but that was primarily due to how the third season was dragged out. In general, I find that shows tend to lose their traction after the second season, which is why many of my favorite shows, such as Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, ran for two seasons or less. Destinies Collide , the season two finale of Tangled, was the pinnacle of suspense and emotional storytelling within the series. It ended on such a powerful cliffhanger that nothing else even stood a chance at living up to the figurative punch in the gut that Cassandra's betrayal impacted on fans everywhere.


Plus Est en Vous was named after the inscription inside the cover of the journal that Rapunzel's mother gave her in the series pilot, Tangled: Before Ever After . The phrase is French for "There is more in you." Plus Est en Vous strived to prove that all of the women within the Tangled universe have more to give, which we were reminded of at the end of every episode with Natasha Bedingfield's closing theme, "More of Me." It was very important that Rapunzel's mother was the one to give her the journal in order to establish Corona as a matriarchy and demonstrate Rapunzel's lack of need for a man despite being in a happy relationship by choice. The series ended with a clash between three incredibly powerful female forces--Rapunzel, who wielded the magic of the Sun Drop flower that was established in the original movie, Cassandra, Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting who used the Sun Drop's opposing force, the Moonstone, and Zhan Tiri, the ultimate evil who was foreshadowed throughout the course of the series to be the final boss. Each of these three women had her own reason to fight. Yet, Rapunzel's motivation to restore her kingdom and relationship with her best friend was easier to understand than Zhan Tiri's vague qualm with the ancient wizard Demanitus or Cassandra's jealousy that Rapunzel was raised by her own abusive mother years before they even met. These vague and outdated motivations were the root of the finale's shortcomings.


The three songs in Plus Est en Vous were all sung by Rapunzel, which I feel was another mistake.
One of my favorite things about the Tangled series were the many throwbacks to the original 2010 film. There was a visual or audio reference to the classic feature in almost every episode, and the finale was no exception. This is something that other Disney animated series rarely attempted. The Little Mermaid series had a cameo of Prince Eric in a few episodes, but it never recreated animation or dialogue directly from the movie itself. The Tangled series was an homage to the original film that also improved upon its shortcomings. Back in 2010, the title of the movie was changed from Rapunzel to Tangled for blatantly sexist reasons. After the mediocre box office revenue from The Princess and the Frog  in 2009, Disney thought that if they tried to market the movie toward boys by changing the title and commercials to make it look like Flynn Rider was the protagonist instead of the deuteragonist, they could double their profits. Times have changed a lot since Tangled was released, and now Hollywood is devoted to promoting strong and independent women, sometimes to a fault.



In a post- Frozen  world where relationships between women trump heteronormative romantic relationships, the concept of being "tangled" needed to be reinvented for the series while still honoring the original. That was where Cassandra came in. The original Tangled portrayed the sweet and naive Rapunzel crossing paths with the morally questionable Flynn Rider, who believed he could never be anything more than a lonely rogue. By the time Tangled: The Series began, Rapunzel had already reformed Flynn Rider into Eugene Fitzherbert, a person with a real home and real relationships. That's why they needed Cassandra to become the new Flynn Rider. She crossed paths with Rapunzel when she was selected as her lady-in-waiting in the tie-in novel Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon but lost her way at the end of the second season, Destinies Collide. Cassandra spent most of the third season floundering around to determine what she was meant to do with her life until her entanglement with Rapunzel ultimately had the same effect on her as it did with Eugene. Like the movie, the series also went through a name change, except that this time, it was to put Rapunzel's name back into the title, solidifying its themes of female empowerment.

Plus Est en Vous brings everything from Tangled, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, and the "Tangled Ever After" short full circle, and in the end, that was really all it needed to do. We already had plenty of emotional torment between Varian and Cassandra's various betrayals and their fantastic "Nothing Left to Lose" duet from Cassandra's Revenge that explored the duality between the two original characters from the series. Even though I had my issues with the third season, I am incredibly grateful that this show exists. It was ground-breaking in terms of the way it explored the complex relationships between women and how their ambitions sometimes clash with their inherent desire to be compassionate toward others. I sincerely hope that little girls will see this show and learn to be careful who they trust as that is a lesson that I was in dire need of when I was younger and didn't have a Tangled series to teach me. It also brought us a Disney character who struggles between the light and darkness, something that until now had only been explored in the Kingdom Hearts series. Cassandra gave many princess fans who felt they don't meet the Disney cookie-cutter standards of morality someone to connect with and showed us all that we have more to give, regardless of what happened in our past.

Review: Princess of Midnight

Did you know that this past Wednesday was National Tell a Fairy Tale Day? That means this is a big week for sales on princess books! I celebrated the joyous occasion by attending another Facebook party with many talented authors. Among those authors, Lucy Tempest released her latest book in the Fairy Tales of Folkshore series promptly time for the holiday. As the newest and shiniest release, Princess of Midnight  was the first book I read in honor of National Fairy Tale Day. I had mixed feelings about Lucy Tempest's Thief of Cahraman trilogy and Beast / Beauty of Rosemead  duology, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this reimagining of "Cinderella" and the "The Snow Queen." To my delight, I found that it was not only more concise than the other Folkshore novels, but also one of the best adaptations of "Cinderella" that I have ever read.


Princess of Midnight tells the story of Ornella, a minor character from the other books in the Folkshore stories. Though Ornella endured in a life of abuse from her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, this is far from your typical "Cinderella" retelling. Lucy Tempest brilliantly combined various elements of mythology and fairy tales in a creative and engaging way, right down to the often overlooked tree of Cinderella's mother from the Brothers Grimm adaptation. At first, I wasn't sure how "The Snow Queen" could blend with "Cinderella" as the heroines from these tales have very different goals, but when I realized that the cursed ice queen had been gender-swapped with a king who was throwing a ball to find a suitor, it all fell into place like a magical transformation. One of the most common complaints about the story of "Cinderella" is that the prince lacks any defining characteristics or personality. Placing him under an icy curse that makes it difficult for him to warm up to those around him was the perfect way to remedy this. The romance between Ornella and King Yulian based on their similar upbringings was much stronger and more engaging than the previous two love stories from Lucy Tempest's Fairy Tales of Folkshore series.

The book also placed a new spin on Cinderella's abuse. She wasn't exactly forced to obey her stepmother like Ella Enchanted , nor did she do it out of the goodness of her own heart. Ornella was held against her will as a sort of pet for Dolora and her two daughters due to the unusual magical properties that even she was not aware that she had. Her stepfamily of trolls absorbed her powers to make themselves appear more beautiful to the public in an attempt to raise their status in society. Ornella was bound to them by a magic anklet that burned and tortured her if she ever attempted to escape. Of course, that still didn't stop her from trying. She had nearly escaped in the previous book, Beauty of Rosemead, until her stepmother found her and captured her again, this time in the enchanted realm, where she was finally able to uncover the mysterious details of her magical origins. Another thing that made this Cinderella unique was that she had no interest in attending the ball and was instead propositioned by a faery to protect King Yulian from an assassin, which makes this Ella a more proactive character than the one we're more accustomed to seeing.

My biggest caveat with the previous books from the Fairy Tales of Folkshore series was that they spent far too much time on exposition about the protagonists' parents, which forced in unnecessary sequels that revolved around these overly complicated backstories. Princess of Midnight is the strongest book in the series so far because it was written as a standalone novel, culling the exposition of Orenella and Yulian's family histories down to a few tasteful and relevant pages with no arbitrary flashbacks. Unlike Ada and Cyaxares' love story from the Thief of Cahraman trilogy or Bonnie and Leander from the Beast of Rosemead duology, Ella and Yulian were not destined to meet and fall in love based on events that happened to their parents before them, a welcome change from the all-too-convenient trope of theirs predecessors. That's the biggest reason that Ella and Yulian's love story felt so much more genuine. They bonded over shared interests and experiences, not some arbitrary event that took place before they were born.

Lucy Tempest finally got it right with Princess of Midnight. The sixth installment of the Fairy Tales of Folkshore series cleaned up all the issues with the previous books and improved upon the story of "Cinderella," an impressive feat for a tale that has been been retold so many times. Though Ornella's story mirrored Bonnie's in some ways, such as learning that she was a magical being and not the ordinary human girl she grew up as, it also built upon this revelation by making her an outcast who had never experienced love. I recommend Princess of Midnight to anyone who loves princesses, romance, and magic. It was the perfect way to celebration National Fairy Tale Day. The festivities continue today with the Cover Reveal Party on the Facebook page for Kingdom of Fairytales, which I will be participating in today at 6PM PST/7PM MST/8PM CST/9PM EST! Please join me if you can!

Princess Adventures in Epcot

I went to Epcot at Walt Disney World this weekend for the first time in about seven years. The Future World side of the park is going through a rough patch right now while they work on their huge 2020 expansion that will include a new Moana-themed fountain, interactive city, and more. That meant that most of Future World was walled up for construction, but that wasn't too much of an inconvenience because as every Disney Princess fan knows, the World Showcase is the true princess side of the park. I made lunch reservations at Akershus, went on the new Frozen ride, and attended the new Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along. Shortly before my arrival, I learned that I would be just in time for the tail end of Epcot's Festival of the Arts, a new seasonal event at the park that started three years ago. Similar to the Food and Wine Festival, this event set up stations throughout the world showcase selling sample portions of delicious and unique food items from all around the world. It also had these wonderful backdrops set up at various locations for Instagram-ready photo ops that make it look as though you've stepped right inside of a famous painting, such as the Birth of Venus.



 Even the Disney Princesses were celebrating the Festival of the Arts! Nearly every princess's greeting spot was accompanied by a painting of her that was signed by a character from her movie. Snow White's painting was next to her wishing well and signed by Doc. Aurora had a painting of her dress changing colors that was signed in pink by Flora and then crossed out with a blue pen and signed again by Merryweather. Belle had an ink sketch by Maurice surrounded by some clockwork gears. Anna and Elsa's meet'n'greet spot in Norway was not part of the festival, but it was a work of art in its own right. Their queue line takes you through a cozy section of their castle complete with a fireplace and wooden statues of the two sisters as children. Ever since Frozen 2  was released, Anna and Elsa have been greeting guests in their new costumes from the end of the movie. Beware that these lovely gowns are spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it yet! Anna was excited to gush over chocolate with me and got even more excited when I told her about some of the chocolate goodies that Epcot was offering for the festival. Elsa was happy to show off her new dress and acknowledged that it was a change for her.




In addition to the new costumes, I also grabbed an opportunity to hop on the new Frozen Ever After ride that was converted from the original boat ride in the Norway pavilion called Maelstrom. The new ride uses the same track as Maelstrom, but when you get to the part that originally had the big drop, an animatronic of Elsa shoots an ice beam at you and sends you backward, allowing this dark ride to remain nice and smooth. It used similar technology to Ariel's Undersea Adventure, such as smaller animatronic puppets with animated screens on their faces to allow more expression and projections of movie scenes on the walls in between the animatronics. The ride incorporated scenes and characters from both the original Frozen and the "Frozen Fever" short. Of course, there was nothing referencing Frozen 2 since it got produced before the recent sequel, but it's never too late for them to add something.


Another new attraction I witnessed during my trip was the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along at the France pavilion. The first thing I noticed there was the theater lobby. There were six gorgeous glass displays containing some of the most beautiful theater costumes I've ever seen. In front of each set of costumes was an open storybook with a brief summary of the movie or show that the costumes came from. Two of the displays held costumes from live-action Disney Princess movies. The one on the left held Cinderella's pink and blue work dress, and the one on the right had Belle's pink winter wear that Emma Watson wore during "Something There." The Sing-Along itself was a 15-minute presentation of the animated Beauty and the Beast movie narrated by Mrs. Potts and featured some brand new animations of Le Fou. I was impressed by how well the new animation blended in with the style of the movie, but the show's attempt at humor by pretending Le Fou was the main character fell a bit flat. I was also disappointed that of all the songs they used, "Belle" was cut particularly short, and her reprise was missing entirely. We had a full house during our show, but the audience was a little inconsistent about when they sang along. I was the only person singing for most of "Something There," but there was a lot of participation during "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast."


 

One thing that surprised me the most was the fact that the Aladdin meet'n'greet in Morrocco is now a Princess Jasmine meet'n'greet. Not only was he not there for the meet'n'greet, but he is also no longer featured as a meetable character in the park. It's true that little girls go to Disney World with the goal in mind of collecting every princess's signature and that Jasmine stole the show with the new song in last year's remake of Aladdin, but to cut Aladdin out of his own spot entirely seems kind of harsh. They might as well have changed the title of the new movie to Jasmine. This was my first time meeting Princess Jasmine in her new costume. I initially had a problem with how different it looked at first, but I found that it was very pretty and sparkly in person. It seems more appropriate now that the live-action movie is out because they altered her crop top to look more modest in that version and gave her a similar sheer skirt to flow around her harem pants as well, which makes the new park version to feel like a happy medium between the animated and live-action interpretations of her classic turquoise look. I found that Jasmine was more talkative animated without Aladdin to overshadow her. She complimented me on my necklace and told me about how the vendor at the marketplace tried to sell her a pretty necklace as well. When I asked her where Aladdin was, she said he needed to take Abu to monkey school because he was being bad and kept trying to cut class!


My latest experience in Epcot will probably be vastly different from my next one because the park is undergoing so many changes, even as we speak. Yet, as they say in Frozen 2, some things never change. I found that Akershus was virtually identical to the way I remembered it ten years ago. In fact, the song they played when the princesses walked around with the little girls sounded so cheesy and outdated that I even felt a little embarrassed! Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, and Mulan were there. I told Mulan I was disappointed that Mushu won't be in her new movie, and she said she hasn't told him yet and asked me if I wanted to tell him for her! It seemed like she was at the restaurant as a replacement for Snow White because when I went to look for her later at the Germany pavilion, they said she had an emergency and was no longer meeting people for the day. It was great catching up with some of my favorite princesses, and I can't wait to do it again sometime.

Hey Disney, Are You Okay?

I know I rant about Disney a lot here, and while that isn't meant to be the purpose of my blog, the massive conglomerate of fantasy and dreams seems to be on a downward spiral with an exponentially increasing velocity. There were several new announcements over the past week which provided further confirmation things are not likely to improve any time soon. Last week, I posted about their forced revival of The Princess Diaries franchise. Even though it's unnecessary, at least it's not another remake, right? Plus, with all the remakes released so far, there has only been one sequel produced. I've found it in my heart to forgive Maleficent 2 due to the fact that it takes place in an alternate universe from the original Sleeping Beauty and never could have existed in the animated universe anyway. That is not the case for the new Aladdin, which was a pretty good remake but a fairly literal translation of an animated franchise that already has two sequels and a series. At least they're only focusing on franchises that are older than 20 years to let the new ones stay fresh and exciting, right? Wrong. What's this I'm hearing about a live-action "Rapunzel" movie? The animated series hasn't even ended yet!


Disney, are you guys okay? I know you have some of the most creative talents in the world, so what gives? Is there something in the water? Considering how hard it is to get a job there and how much harder it is to keep it, you would think that whoever remains should be the most hard-working and imaginative people alive. Why, then, do you insist on making the same movies over and over and over again? Are there truly no original ideas left in the world, or is it that the people who do have them will not be backed by a major studio with a large enough budget to make them a reality? Walt Disney once collaborated with Salvador Dali, a risky and creative move on a project that very few people are even familiar with. Now his company is meticulously copying the very movies that made them famous as a creative studio in the first place. There are so many other obscure fairy tales they could cover. What about "All-Fur"/"Donkey-Skin" from the Brothers Grimm? Or "The Fairies"/"Diamonds and Toads" by Charles Perrault? Even Disney's animated "Jack and the Beanstalk" project was canceled.

Disney, I am asking you as a friend because I am genuinely worried about you. We were once so close. You used to bring me joy and make me want to sing through my day, but all you seem to be able to do right now is make my eyes roll. Why, oh why would you remake Tangled , a movie that is barely even ten years old? I know what you're going to tell me. This isn't a remake of Tangled, right? This is an original Disney adaptation of the "Rapunzel" fairy tale. If that's truly the case, are you going to include Rapunzel's pregnancy that indicated to Gothel that a man visited her in the tower while she was away? No? Are you going to show the prince's eyes get violently gauged out by thorns? No? Then it's still a remake of Tangled, even if it's not exactly the same as your other version. I know you're also going to tell me that the live-action Aladdin sequel won't really be a remake of Return of Jafar , one of Disney's most embarrassing direct-to-video releases, but let's face it. If the movie takes place immediately after the story of "Aladdin" and features the same protagonists and antagonists, it's still a reimagining of Return of Jafar with new story elements in the same way that next year's remake of The Little Mermaid will have some new elements of its own.

I'm concerned for the future of creative people like myself. There are so many new ideas out there to explore, and you won't give any of them a chance. You used to be the most innovative company in the world. What happened? Is there no longer an outlet for original ideas pertaining to fairy tales and fantasy? Where can we go to find new princess stories to inspire us that we haven't already heard a thousand times? I am begging you to get your act together because you own the entertainment world, and without you, no one's voice can be heard by a wide audience. I know it sounds harsh, but I have had enough of this and am putting my foot down. Please give us some new heroes and heroines before it's too late, and for the love of all things princess, stop copying your own ideas! I was so excited for The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, but it turned out to be a disaster with a cookie-cutter script that reproduced elements from every other Disney movie from that decade and nothing from the original fairy tale. It's time to start honoring other people's creative talents. It's what Walt would have wanted.

I realize this wasn't my most original post and far from my most positive, but it needed to be said. Disney is no longer the creative outlet it once was. That alone wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that they've grown so powerful that no other studio can compete with them. This is bad for those of us who want to tell new stories because our voices are being silenced. Every new announcement of an upcoming remake or sequel makes me a little adder to be living in a world where the biggest proprietor of fairy tales refuses to dig a little deeper into the vault. All we can hope is that they see the error of their ways before it's too late.

Story Saturday: Denise's Decision

This is a short prequel to The Stolen Jewel that delves a little deeper into the backstory of Lady Denise, a disabled character from the kingdom of Klingland. I was inspired to do this because I am currently working on the screenplay version of The Stolen Queen, a sequel to The Stolen Jewel about Lily, Charlotte's best friend. I discussed this project along with several others I've worked on in a recent interview with author A.G. Marshall. My ultimate goal is to create a trilogy that reveals what became of Charlotte, Lily, and Krystal respectively. Denise, who is Charlotte's aunt and Krystal's mother, had such a rich backstory that I wanted to pay her some homage as well. For more updates about the release of The Stolen Queen, you may sign up for my mailing list.

***The Stolen Jewel: Denise's Decision"I'm afraid I've done everything I can," said Margaret, a healing mage. Her green rune glowed eerily in the dim light of the small infirmary. "Your legs have been paralyzed by a combination of magical and physical properties to the likes of which I have never seen before. Under normal circumstances, my rune would have fixed them, but all I can do now is dull the pain."
"Are you saying I'll never be able to walk again?"
She gave me a solemn look. "I'm afraid not."
I was reckless. I ran after my sister and brother-in-law when they were hit by the cataclysmic blast that emitted from King Mercer's staff when it was unable to contain the magic he tried to steal from our land. I thought the worst of it was over. I didn't realize there would be an aftershock that knocked me right off my feet. This was how I would pay for my mistake. I needed to avoid being reckless again. Between my sister and my husband, I had already lost far more than I could afford.
"What now?" I asked.
"You hold a position of great importance, so I will have my craftsmen build you the most state-of-the-art wheelchair money can buy."
"You must be mistaken. I'm no one of importance. I'm a lady of nobility, yes, but my husband was a knight who died serving his kingdom in the Magic War. All I have left are my two precious children."
"You haven't figured it out? No one's told you?"
I gave Margaret a puzzled look. What could someone like me have to offer to such a powerful kingdom as Klingland?
"The king's only sister was married off years ago to a Marnian prince," she said. "The next in line for the throne is Princess Charlotte, who is barely old enough to know how to sign her own name."
"What are you saying?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"My lady, you are the sister of the late queen, which makes you the only eligible person to take control of the kingdom until Princess Charlotte comes of age."
If my legs had still been functional, I would have needed to sit down
"No," I said. "That can't be true. There must be someone else. What about Grand Chancellor Oscar?"
"He's far too preoccupied with his own duties to bear the burden of being a public figure as well. You shouldn't look so terrified. Most people would be ecstatic at the prospect of becoming a monarch."
"But I know nothing about ruling a kingdom!"
"Leave all of that to Oscar. All you need to do is attend some fancy parties and smile and wave at public events. I'm sure you can handle that."
"What about Henry and Krystal, my children?"
"Don't you realize how many servants work in the palace? They will be more pampered than they ever would have been if you remained at your estate."
"I need a moment, please."
Margaret nodded. She went into a storage room and came out with an extravagant chair containing two large gilded wheels on either side. It took me a moment to take in the fact that this chair would soon become an enormous part of my life. Actually, it would become an enormous part of Klingland's reputation as well if what Margaret said was to be believed. For the next ten years, the kingdom would have a paraplegic widowed regent who didn't even know how to negotiate a trade agreement. I knew what needed to be done. Princess Charlotte was the future. My niece would never miss out on a single lesson. There would be no games with her ladies-in-waiting and no days off. It was too late for me to become a great queen, but Charlotte was still young. She had time. I needed to give her the best chance she could get.
"Thank you, Margaret. I'm ready now."
Margaret placed her hands under my armpits.
"I'm going to lift you on the count of three," she said. "One. Two. Three."

I plopped down into my new vehicle, which was softer than I initially anticipated. Though it was freeing to be able to wheel myself about without being trapped on the infirmary bed, I knew deep down that nothing would ever be the same again. At least one advantage of living in the palace was that I would never be without help. As I wheeled myself outside, an older gentleman named Matthias who I recognized as one of my sister's servants raced over with a horrified look on his face.
"You mustn't strain yourself, my lady regent," he said.
He pushed me up a ramp that led to a fancy horse-drawn palace carriage.
"So it's true," I sighed.
"You didn't know?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

In the aftermath of the Magic War, I guess the palace officials forgot to inform me of my new role.
"I do now," I said. "Please take me to my children. I wish to see them immediately."
"Of course, Your Excellency."
It was surreal being pulled through the remains of the village after Mercer's attack in such an elaborate coach. He had surrendered as soon as he saw the unintended damage he had done, but the destruction remained. Margaret's infirmary was one of the only structures that still stood on the post-apocalyptic street. The horses galloped over rubble and broken wares from vendors that once sold their goods in this bustling village. There was an endless line of people at every healer's hut in the area. How could magic be so coveted when it could do so much damage?
***
Krystal and Henry were indeed being cared for by Elsie, a kind-hearted nursemaid who helped bring up my niece, Charlotte. The three of them played together energetically, but they seemed to be playing three different games. Henry ran around with a wooden sword, attempting to slay an invisible dragon. Krystal covered herself in so much jewelry that I was surprised she could still stand as she pantomimed dancing with a handsome prince a ball. I gasped when I realized what Charlotte was playing. In her hand was a wooden block with symbols etched onto it that I recognized from the runes that mages wielded.
"Your sword breaks on the dragon's scales, and then I freeze its fire breath with my ice rune!" Charlotte shouted at Henry.
"That's not fair!" cried Henry. "My sword didn't break!"
"Everyone knows that dragon scales are harder than diamonds. Of course it would break," retorted Charlotte.
"Ignore those brutes outside," Kyrstal said to her imaginary prince, "Who would want to slay a dragon instead of attending a royal ball?"
I turned around when I felt a tug on my skirt.
"Excuse me, Miss Denise. Can you please tell them they still need to find me?" said a small voice.
I recognized the little girl as Lily, the daughter of a noble family who lived near my estate. Apparently, she thought they were playing hide and seek.
"Oh no! The dragon has captured Lily and Mother too!" exclaimed Henry. He ran over and banged his toy sword against the wheel of my new chair. "Let them go, you big ugly dragon!"
"That will be quite enough, Henry," I said.
Krystal trudged toward me as well. Her jewelry jingled and clinked with each step she took. She looked at me with concern.
"Mother, why are you in that fancy chair? Did something happen?"
I had just enough upper body strength to scoop up Henry and Krystal and place them on my lap.
"Henry. Krystal. My dear sweet darlings. Things are going to be different from now on. The three of us will be living in the castle with Charlotte."
"Oh boy!" exclaimed Lily from near my foot stand. "Does that mean I can live here too?"
"I suppose Charlotte could use another lady-in-waiting," I said, considering the request.
"Yay!"
"That isn't all. My legs have been permanently damaged in the aftershock of the magic blast. I'm afraid I'm never going to be able to walk again."
Henry shrugged. "You're still our mother. It doesn't matter," he said.
"Why would you need to walk when you have servants? Can't they do everything for you?" asked Krystal.
"Yes, I suppose they can. Still, we're going to have to take some time to get used to all these changes."
Krystal's eyes lit up.
"Does that make me a princess now?"
I laughed at her innocence. She always had such a one-track mind.
"Not officially, but you'll always be my princess."
Krystal gave me a hug. She and Henry went back to their games. Charlotte stood by and listened, but she seemed to instinctively know that her position was different from Henry and Krystal's. She tried so hard to pretend her parents' death hadn't affected her, but I knew better. I had also lost my parents at a young age, though not quite as young as Charlotte.
"Charlotte, come over here please."
Charlotte strode up to me with all the regal elegance of a queen, despite being only eight years old.
"Yes, Aunt Denise?"
"Charlotte," I said, "I'm so sorry about what happened to your parents. It isn't fair to be forced to grow up so fast."
Charlotte closed her eyes as if deep in thought.
"I'm the queen now, aren't I?" she asked.
"You're very smart for such a young girl," I said. "Yes, Charlotte, you will be queen, but right now, your Auntie Denise is going to keep the kingdom safe for you until you turn 18. In the meantime, I need you to stop pretending to be a mage."
I took the toy rune out of her hand.
"Things like this are what caused you to lose your parents and why I can no longer walk. Do you understand?"
"I think so," said Charlotte. She seemed uneasy.
"Good. In order to keep you and the rest of Klingland safe from more accidents, I am going to confiscate all magic runes from the land and lock them away somewhere where they won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."
"No more magic?" Charlotte hesitated. "But I love magic! I want to become a mage someday."
This wasn't going well.
"Listen to me, Charlotte. You can't be a mage because you already have a very important destiny on your shoulders. You are the future queen, and one day, everyone will depend on you for their happiness and safety. You to be strong and do this for your parents. It's what they would have wanted."
"I won't let them down," said Charlotte.
"Good."
I hoped that I had made the right decision.

How Can We Modernize The Princess Diaries?

The past few years brought us a myriad of rumors about another sequel to the beloved 2001 Disney classic  The Princess Diaries . In 2017, Anne Hathaway reported that there was already a script for The Princess Diaries 3 and that most of the talent behind the original including

The new Princess Diaries spin-off and/or sequel is reported to be about a bi-racial teen who learns that she is Mia's half-sister and must claim her place as the newest Princess of Genovia. Wait, isn't that the same movie? In the age of no more original ideas in Hollywood, Disney has found a way to remake The Princess Diaries for a new generation while simultaneously keeping the same talent that everyone loves from the original. It's more or less what they did with The Little Mermaid 2 , in which Ariel had a human daughter who made a deal with "Ursula's crazy sister" to become a mermaid and visit the unknown world of Alantica. While The Little Mermaid 2 was released a little over a decade after The Little Mermaid, it's already been nearly two decades since The Princess Diaries first hit the big screen. Times have changed, and princesses have become more independent. Plus, if you take into account the fact that Mia's father died two months before the events of The Princess Diaries and assume that the spin-off takes place in real-time, the new heroine can't possibly be younger than 19, and that's only if it drops on Disney+ this year. Chances are that the filmmakers will use some kind of movie magic to set the spin-off a few years in the past so they can hit their target age group.

In some ways, The Princess Diaries was ahead of its time, but in others, it was quite dated, which is something that the new movie will most likely address head-on. The makeover trope is very much a product of the late '90s and early 2000s. Today's starlets are all about flaunting their natural beauty, and makeup has become more of a personal choice than a requirement. The new Princess Diaries will probably not feature a scene in which our new Mia is forced to alter her natural hairstyle and buy contact lenses after her makeup artist breaks her glasses without apologizing. She will certainly get a pretty dress and tiara, but any other changes will be subtle and applied behind the scenes. There is also a high probability that she will not have a love interest. The Princess Diaries had a faux romantic comedy feel to it when Mia confides to her mother how she wants her foot to pop when she got her first kiss. The Princess Diaries 2 , which had a lot of contradictory dialogue about how a queen shouldn't be required to marry, was even more of a rom-com with a story that focused almost entirely on Mia choosing a suitor. These days, princess movies like Moana try to avoid the love interest subplot entirely in order to really drive the point home.

I'm sure there are those of you who saw the subject of this post and worried that I would accuse The Princess Diaries of being outdated. That is not my intent. It was a fun movie that I liked a lot better than the book. I am simply trying to predict how Disney might treat this faux remake to be more relevant to today's audience. The bi-racial protagonist does not come as much of a surprise considering that Disney has not been subtle at all about their push toward more diversity. The Disney Channel sitcom Sydney to the Max, which features a bi-racial girl raised by a single white father is a good example of this. Though it's certainly believable that Mia's father shacked up with a woman of color before his untimely death, it does feel somewhat forced in terms of Disney's agenda. I'm sure many of us would prefer an entirely original story for the remake with a few subtle throwbacks.

At this time, Secret Society of Second-Born Royals is the most original title that Disney+ has to offer in the coming year. Yet, it continues to push the agenda of the super independent warrior princess who doesn't need a man to protect her. The spin-off of The Princess Diaries will likely be just as much a product of its time that will force Disney to modernize the story of an ordinary girl learning that she is actually a princess in the same way. Whether or not the spin-off and the anticipated Princess Diaries 3 sequel will be one and the same is anyone's guess. I'm sure there will be plenty of similarities between the new movie and the original, but it will also follow modern tropes that showcase how princess changed over the years. What do you hope to get out of a spin-off of The Princess Diaries with a new teen heroine? Let me know in the comments!