November Is Basically Princess Month Now
Last November, I posted about all of the festivities that took place for various princess movie anniversaries. Did you know that an overwhelming majority of Disney Princess movies were released in November of their corresponding year? That makes it a huge month for celebrating many of our favorite theatrical releases. Sometimes people ask why that is, and I think it's mainly about accessibility. Disney likes to release their biggest blockbusters right before holiday vacations so that parents and kids will be available to go out and see them, guaranteeing a successful run. You might be wondering why these movies don't open in December so they're closer to the bigger holidays, but most blockbusters stay in theaters for at least two months, which means that opening in November will bring in both the Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation crowds. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which came out last week, and even though it was somewhat disappointing, Disney's most anticipated princess blockbuster this year is still yet to come. Ralph Breaks the Internet will be released nationwide the day before Thanksgiving. Just look at all of these talented princess actresses who attended the premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood a few days ago!
Even though there were a few missing faces compared to the actresses who attended the D23 Expo panel last year, namely Anika Noni Rose, who voices Tiana, and Kelly MacDonald, who voices Merida, the ones who were at premiere look stunning in their red carpet-ready looks. Some of my favorite ensembles include Auli'i Cravalho's black and white floral ballgown with a flattering sweetheart neckline, Paige O'Hara's bold hot pink one-shoulder number, and Sarah Silverman's blue brocaded evening gown. There were also a few new princesses who weren't featured at the D23 Expo who rarely attend events because they usually work behind the scenes on sequels and TV shows in tribute to princess actresses have sadly passed on or can no longer reprise their roles. They include Pamela Ribon as Snow White, Kate Higgins as Aurora, and the incredibly talented Jennifer Hale as Cinderella, who also voiced the character my favorite Disney sequel, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. The event took place at the El Capitan Theatre, where Disney hosts most of their premieres. Once their movies open to the public, they offer exclusive live pre-shows and photo ops with costumes and props directly from the set that you can't see anywhere else.
Disney isn't the only studio getting in on the princess action this November. Netflix has two upcoming princess releases next week as well. The first is one you've probably already heard about. The Dreamworks TV reboot of She-Ra called She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has pushed up its release date by three days! Instead of November 16th, which now belongs to another Netflix princess release, She-Ra is dropping on November 13th. They have been releasing more previews of the series everyday on social media. Little by little, we've been getting official character bios of the princesses and their abilities, including She-Ra, Perfuma, Frosta, Entrapta, Mermista, Glimmer, Netossa, Spinerella, Bow, and even some members of the Horde. There are also some wonderful extended clips that give us a glimpse at the pacing of the show including one about She-Ra's rocky relationship with Catra, who she abandoned from the Horde to join the Princess of Power and another that came out today, humorously revealing the origins of She-Ra's flying unicorn, Swift Wind.
A less anticipated Netflix movie that was recently announced for this month is The Princess Switch, starring former Disney Channel actress Vanessa Hudgens. Netflix dropped a trailer for it out of the blue yesterday, making everyone realize that low-budget TV movies are now moving to streaming services, making cable practically obsolete. The movie has the same overall feel as last year's campy cult classic, A Christmas Prince, which despite its poor storytelling and acting, was one of the only movies to feature a disabled princess as a major character. Judging by the trailer, The Princess Switch appears to contain nothing even remotely groundbreaking. It's the exact same plot as Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, in which a commoner finds out she looks identical to a princess and switches places with her, only without the fun animation and songs. It looks about as forgettable as The Lizzie McGuire Movie and The Princess Protection Program from Disney Channel, which both had similar plots, even though the latter did not use the same actress to play both characters. People don't watch these movies to be surprised, and it's still nice that Netflix is incorporating princesses into their holiday season. After A Christmas Prince last year and The Princess Switch this year, perhaps princesses will become just as much of a November holiday tradition for them as they are for Disney.
There's no doubt that this month is packed to the brim with princesses. Between Disney and Netflix, princess fans have no shortage of options, whether their preference is high fantasy, animation, film, TV, or Hallmark cheesiness. Aside from all the movies celebrating an anniversary this month, ABC recently aired a 90th Birthday Spectacular for Mickey Mouse, the character that began Walt Disney's corporate empire. The special included lots of Disney songs performed by famous actresses, including a beautiful rendition of "Part of Your Wold" by Sofia Carson, who hovered over the stage on a levitating swing made of thick ropes in a gorgeous sheer seafoam green gown with puffed sleeves reminiscent of Ariel's tea dress and wedding dress. There has never been a better November to be a princess. On that note, I hope you're prepared for Black Friday this year because the Disney Store's website is now packed with even more merchandise of the Disney Princesses in their comfy new looks from Ralph Breaks the Internet!
Even though there were a few missing faces compared to the actresses who attended the D23 Expo panel last year, namely Anika Noni Rose, who voices Tiana, and Kelly MacDonald, who voices Merida, the ones who were at premiere look stunning in their red carpet-ready looks. Some of my favorite ensembles include Auli'i Cravalho's black and white floral ballgown with a flattering sweetheart neckline, Paige O'Hara's bold hot pink one-shoulder number, and Sarah Silverman's blue brocaded evening gown. There were also a few new princesses who weren't featured at the D23 Expo who rarely attend events because they usually work behind the scenes on sequels and TV shows in tribute to princess actresses have sadly passed on or can no longer reprise their roles. They include Pamela Ribon as Snow White, Kate Higgins as Aurora, and the incredibly talented Jennifer Hale as Cinderella, who also voiced the character my favorite Disney sequel, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. The event took place at the El Capitan Theatre, where Disney hosts most of their premieres. Once their movies open to the public, they offer exclusive live pre-shows and photo ops with costumes and props directly from the set that you can't see anywhere else.
Disney isn't the only studio getting in on the princess action this November. Netflix has two upcoming princess releases next week as well. The first is one you've probably already heard about. The Dreamworks TV reboot of She-Ra called She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has pushed up its release date by three days! Instead of November 16th, which now belongs to another Netflix princess release, She-Ra is dropping on November 13th. They have been releasing more previews of the series everyday on social media. Little by little, we've been getting official character bios of the princesses and their abilities, including She-Ra, Perfuma, Frosta, Entrapta, Mermista, Glimmer, Netossa, Spinerella, Bow, and even some members of the Horde. There are also some wonderful extended clips that give us a glimpse at the pacing of the show including one about She-Ra's rocky relationship with Catra, who she abandoned from the Horde to join the Princess of Power and another that came out today, humorously revealing the origins of She-Ra's flying unicorn, Swift Wind.
A less anticipated Netflix movie that was recently announced for this month is The Princess Switch, starring former Disney Channel actress Vanessa Hudgens. Netflix dropped a trailer for it out of the blue yesterday, making everyone realize that low-budget TV movies are now moving to streaming services, making cable practically obsolete. The movie has the same overall feel as last year's campy cult classic, A Christmas Prince, which despite its poor storytelling and acting, was one of the only movies to feature a disabled princess as a major character. Judging by the trailer, The Princess Switch appears to contain nothing even remotely groundbreaking. It's the exact same plot as Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, in which a commoner finds out she looks identical to a princess and switches places with her, only without the fun animation and songs. It looks about as forgettable as The Lizzie McGuire Movie and The Princess Protection Program from Disney Channel, which both had similar plots, even though the latter did not use the same actress to play both characters. People don't watch these movies to be surprised, and it's still nice that Netflix is incorporating princesses into their holiday season. After A Christmas Prince last year and The Princess Switch this year, perhaps princesses will become just as much of a November holiday tradition for them as they are for Disney.
There's no doubt that this month is packed to the brim with princesses. Between Disney and Netflix, princess fans have no shortage of options, whether their preference is high fantasy, animation, film, TV, or Hallmark cheesiness. Aside from all the movies celebrating an anniversary this month, ABC recently aired a 90th Birthday Spectacular for Mickey Mouse, the character that began Walt Disney's corporate empire. The special included lots of Disney songs performed by famous actresses, including a beautiful rendition of "Part of Your Wold" by Sofia Carson, who hovered over the stage on a levitating swing made of thick ropes in a gorgeous sheer seafoam green gown with puffed sleeves reminiscent of Ariel's tea dress and wedding dress. There has never been a better November to be a princess. On that note, I hope you're prepared for Black Friday this year because the Disney Store's website is now packed with even more merchandise of the Disney Princesses in their comfy new looks from Ralph Breaks the Internet!
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