The Princess Blog

To Rival a Reflection  by Selina De Luca was one of this month's gifts from the fabulous Fairy Tale Advent Calendar . It is the fourth book I've read from the Shattered Tales series that reimagines the story of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."  Opinions may vary on this one. I am not generally fond of fractured fairy tales , but some people love them. I prefer books that are closer to the original stories . Still, this book was a beautifully written new and creative take on "Snow White" with some elements of "The Snow Queen" thrown in for good measure. At the end of the day, it just didn't have the same magic and impact that the original fairy tale did for me. This version of Snow White is obsessed with her reflection and takes on many of the traits of the wicked stepmother from the original story. Armed with a magic mirror and an enchantress's prophecy that she would one day become queen as long as she remains the fairest one of all,...

Disney's live-action remakes have become a problem over the past decade that have cheapened the classic status of their animated princess movies. The recent announcement of adding Tangled to the roster further solidifies their status as a has-been company trying to bank off its former glory. If you prefer live-action movies over animation, there is nothing wrong with that. However, wouldn't you want to watch a live-action movie that does something new and original rather than a lifeless carbon copy of a previously animated story? If so, this is the post for you. Here are ten suggestions for alternative movies that are comparable to the live-action remakes current and upcoming Disney Princess movies that are more original and visually engaging than their copycat counterparts. Alternative to Once Upon a Time: The 10th Kingdom Once Upon a Time started out as an intriguing concept that introduced original fairy tale characters who were trapped in the real world, but it devolved...

In case you haven't heard the terrific news, there is a fairy tale advent calendar  you can access all month for free books from some of the best fairy tale authors! With so many books to choose from, it's no wonder princess stories have migrated back to the page . Among the books offered that I hadn't read, Beauty in the Tower  by Sara Farnsworth  stood out because it combines "Rapunzel" and "Sleeping Beauty."  This seemed like such an interesting and fun combination that I've never seen before. I read a book that combines "Beauty and the Beast" with "Sleeping Beauty," but not "Rapunzel." Beauty in the Tower , the first book in the Realms of Caelia series, exceeded my expectations with its unique combination of romance, magic, and suspense. I also appreciate that the author put a trigger warning at the beginning of the book for anyone who might be uncomfortable by its darker elements, but thankfully, it did not go int...

When I think of witches, I think of Bewitched , Sabrina the Teenage Witch , and most recently, Wicked . So when Time Princess announced a new visual novel called Vengeance of the Witch, I expected something along those lines, especially after their latest collaboration with Wicked . Instead, the robust dress-up game app pulled the old bait and switch, releasing yet another bland Chinese story about demons . This app contains several other visual novels inspired by Chinese mythology that are way more interesting than this one, including White Snake  and Ancient Dreams . If you are looking for a compelling story that incorporates Chinese myths, I recommend playing one of those. The Apothecary  is much closer to what I expected from Vengeance of the Witch, as that story actually focuses on magic and sorcery with some compelling plot twists. Vengeance of the Witch tells the story of Qingqing, who is part of a demonic cult that we're apparently supposed to root for. To be fair, it...

With the holiday season beginning, it is a good time to celebrate true love  in all its forms, including the unexpected. Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers  by Georgina Warren  is a book that celebrates the love that stepmothers have for their families by deconstructing the "wicked stepmother" tropes . The book contains a foreword and afterword from the author explaining why she wrote it and how passionate she feels about children learning to accept their stepmothers as part of their family, something that she struggled with as a child. Her passion for this comes through on every page of this fairy tale anthology, which is written in the same style as the classic tales . Although this format might not appeal to the shorter attention spans of today's TikTok generation, the book contains twelve bedtime stories about loving stepmothers that incorporate many classic elements and can be appreciated by fairy tale lovers of any age. I received a review copy of this book from the aut...

At D23 Expo Brazil , a new trailer premiered for Disney's upcoming Snow White remake . Unlike most of their trailers, which release to the public immediately after their first screening, this one remained under wraps for three weeks. Today, Disney has quietly made the new trailer public. Along with new footage that wasn't in the original teaser , the trailer included our first listen to "Waiting on a Wish," a new song to be performed by Rachel Zegler specifically for this adaptation. This song is obviously meant to replace "I'm Wishing" from the original film, which places too much focus on Snow White's desire for romance, something that Disney has been shying away from with their recent movies . You can check out the new trailer below. The trailer opens with a first look at Snow White's father, who was not included in the original movie, following the tradition of live-action remakes to reveal characters that we didn't get to see in the...

After reading some of the initial reviews , I was skeptical about Moana 2 . However, now that I've seen it, I can say with confidence that it is an underrated classic like Wish . While it may be an infamous Disney sequel  that was converted from a failed concept for an animated series , we've come a long way from the days when Disney would slap three barely finished episodes together and call it a sequel . This is a polished, complete, and cohesive story with theatrical-quality animation and music. I am grateful that Disney finally released something original instead of another  live-action remake . Considering the destructive path they've been on lately , this movie is a step in the right direction. It is a return to what Disney does best--beautiful animation, songs, and a thrilling adventure story with a spirited princess-like heroine that is on par with the original film . A few years have passed since Moana's big adventure of returning the heart to Te Fiti so her ...

Although it was overshadowed by some more "popular" moviegoing experiences this weekend, Spellbound  is one of this year's most anticipated releases amongst old-school  Disney Princess fans. Promising to bring back the feel of classic animated films, the movie was released by the relatively new Skydance Animation Studio  and distributed by Netflix . The Disney tie-in comes from its creative team, using the renowned Alan Menken and Glenn Slater for its music and lyrics and featuring many well-known actors for its voice talent, including Rachel Zegler , Disney's upcoming Snow White , in the lead role of Princess Ellian. The movie takes place in a Latin American-inspired medieval kingdom reminiscent of  Elena of Avalor . Does it live up to the hype? Let's explore. The premise of the movie, which is shoved in our face from the expository opening song, is that Princess Ellian's parents, the king and queen of Lumbria, have mysteriously turned into monsters, forc...

While not technically a princess movie, Wicked  is quite possibly the most high-profile release of the year with a princess-like character, G(a)linda. I have been a huge fan of the Broadway show  for almost 20 years and know it by heart, so this release was a pretty big deal to me as it was to many other die-hard fans. Many were concerned about the fact that the play was split into two films--one for each act. Now that I've seen it, I have to say that I understand this decision. There is so much that happens in the musical that forcing it all into a single movie would feel overloaded. The longer runtime gives the story a chance to breathe while adding more exposition to enhance the phenomenal characters and plot. As an added bonus, there were lots of Easter eggs referencing the original 1939 Wizard of Oz  movie that inspired Wicked  as well as an anticipated cameo from two beloved Broadway performers. Wicked  is the story of Elphaba Thropp, who is better known a...

It's November again, and that means all the princess movie anniversaries are happening. Today marks the 35th anniversary of my favorite movie, The Little Mermaid . November 18th,  the anniversary of The Swan Princess , was officially licensed as National Princess Day . As an officially licensed holiday, this is a great time to do something big to celebrate our love of princesses. Last year, I celebrated this milestone with an event at the library  that brought in a small group of royals who listened to a pop-up book of "Cinderella" and made some printable ornaments from Red Ted . This year, instead of a traditional storytime, I decided to throw a party fit for a princess complete with a photo station, durable crafts to take home, games, music, and treats. I got a little more than I bargained for when so many people showed up that the library was flooded with royals. Talk about a wild princess party! As the party hostess, I made sure to dress the part in an official Gise...

Off the Page is the sequel to the novel Between the Lines , which inspired my current musical obsession . Like Between the Lines , it is written by Jodi Picoult and her daughter, Samantha van Leer . It does not work as a standalone or a direct sequel to the musical. For that reason, if you want to avoid spoilers, I would suggest not reading this review unless you've already read Between the Lines . I would also like to take this time to point out that whoever was in charge of marketing these books did a terrible job. The books are fun and entertaining, but they are both listed as YA with realistic-looking covers that do not represent the whimsical and fantastical stories within them. The original cover for Off the Page was better than the current one because it portrays characters coming out of a book. The new one is just some girl's back, which makes it look like a contemporary drama. These books are great fun, but they are very much juvenile stories. I have no idea why t...

If there was ever a musical that felt like it was written just for me, it's  Between the Lines . Never heard of it? That's not surprising. The show had a limited premiere for a few weeks in 2017 and a quiet off-Broadway run for a few months in 2022 before disappearing from the face of the earth. Its fall to obscurity was a crying shame until a pro-shot was released this year on BroadwayHD , the official streaming service for live theater. Based on a novel by Jodi Picoult  and her then-teenage daughter, Samantha van Leer , the musical tells the story of a high school book nerd named Delilah who falls in love with a prince from a fairy tale that comes to life. This story is incredibly meaningful to me as both a writer and a reader. Not only have I had many intense crushes on fictional characters, but the plot is nearly identical to the first script I ever wrote for my first screenwriting class in college. Between the Linse is a love letter for princess fans around the world th...