The Princess Blog

As promised in my review of the Disney Magic  cruise ship, I am taking the time to write a full review of Twice Charmed , the long-running "Cinderella" musical that is exclusive to the Disney Magic and serves as the inspiration for the 2007 direct-to-DVD sequel, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time . Though many people are familiar with Cinderella III  since the DVD was more accessible to the public, Twice Charmed predates it by two years and contains many key differences from the film, including original songs and an original character, Franco, the wicked Fairy Godfather to Lady Tremaine. While the plot of Lady Tremaine using magic to turn back time so Prince Charming will choose one of her daughters resembles the animated sequel, the stage show is an entirely different experience that takes full advantage of its live medium. The show begins with the same projection technology that Disney has been using for all their live shows for the past decade or so. An image of a storybook...

There are times when we can all use a little magic in our lives. For me, that was midway through 2025, when I booked a Very Merrytime cruise on the Disney Magic , which set sail earlier this week. This was my second Disney cruise after having the most amazing time on the Wish  a couple of years ago. Unlike the Wish, which was the newest ship at the time (though it isn't anymore), the Magic is the first and oldest ship in Disney's fleet. Still, there were many similarities between the two, which made me feel like an experienced Disney cruiser. Since it was my second time sailing with Disney, I was automatically inducted into their Castaway Club, which provided advance booking perks and a free tote bag and set of room key lanyards. When I first booked this cruise, I didn't know much about what to expect except aside from the magical experience I had on the Wish, and that was enough for me. Imagine my joy upon learning that, like the Wish, this ship features two princess stage...

I was pleased to receive a recent ARC for The Seamstress and the Pea  by Megan Rose Walker . This was the first book I read by this author, and I was impressed by her worldbuilding and romance. "The Princess and the Pea"  is a fun story to adapt because every version of it is unique. This one opens with the infamous pea scene and takes the story in an entirely new direction that is reminiscent of a "rags to riches" romcom with some fun and familiar tropes that are presented creatively. Although this story is not set in a magical world, it works well as a historical romance with themes of family and class. Eleanor thought she had been brought to the castle with a simple task of helping to make a dress for the queen. She did not sign up to be chosen as the fake fiancée of Prince James, who wishes to deter the advances of the calculating Princess Celestine. Though reluctant at first due to her nobility-hating father, Eleanor warms up to the idea of pretending to be in ...

Silenced Beauty  is the first book I've read by Ashley Mendoza , as well as the first in a multi-author series of fairy tale retellings called Cursed Brides . It has made me eager to read more of both. This book really nails it as a retelling of "The Wild Swans" with action, romance, and intrigue. "The Wild Swans" doesn't get as many adaptations  due to being somewhat lesser known, and I think this is my favorite adaptation that I've read of it thus far. The addition of a bridal competition  and psychic visions help to spice up the plot, and the Christian theming is tastefully incorporated into the story. This book does an outstanding job as an introduction to both this author and the Cursed Brides series as a whole. When Alianna has a dangerous vision of an evil sorcerer's betrayal to the crown, her entire family is cursed to prevent her from speaking out about it. Her eleven brothers are transformed into swans and delivered to the king as a gift, ...

It's been a year-long wait, but the second half of the  movie adaptation of Wicked  has finally arrived in theaters. I have been a fan of the Broadway musical for twenty years, so I was excited to see it brought ot he big screen. This film covered the second act of the play, and more than doubled its length from the stage version. Though the additional footage was more noticeable in this movie than it was in the first one, I did not think it detracted from the plot in any way. The second act of the musical is quiet, emotional, and mature, which was accurately reflected by this adaptation. In terms of authenticity, it helped that Winnie Holzman , the writer of the book for the Broadway musical, also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation, and that Gregory Maguire , the author of the thematically divergent novel that inspired it, was not involved. Since both Wicked  movies were shot simultaneously, this movie contains many of the same breathtaking practical imagery ...

In an age of endless  reboots  and  anti-princess culture ,  Hazbin Hotel  is one of the few original animated princess shows still running in Western media. It gets a pass for its irreverent humor and mature storytelling, in which Princess Charlie Morningstar's innocent nature provides a stark contrast to the demons and vengeful angels surrounding her. The second season of the show came to a close today, and I enjoyed it more than the first one, thanks to a more cohesive plot structure that analyzed the nuances between Heaven and Hell and the gray areas between good and evil. The backstories revealed for characters like Sir Pentious and Alastor are built into the main plot instead of feeling like the isolated vignettes from the first season. One element that particularly stood out to me for Season 2 is how Charlie's good deeds are twisted by Vox, who represents the corporate media. A large portion of the first few episodes is devoted to Charlie's desire to shar...

Happy National Princess Day ! Is anyone doing anything fun to celebrate this year? Let me know in the comments. I wanted to take this time to discuss the new teaser Disney released yesterday for their upcoming Moana  remake , which now has a release date of July 10, 2026. This remake was announced in 2023, but many of us were hoping it would fall under the radar in favor of more original works. Last year's Moana 2  was a step in the right direction. Though still a sequel, it at least told an original story and introduced some new characters to the franchise. This live-action remake  appears nearly identical to the original film, with nothing new to offer. Polynesian actress Catherine Laga'aia  takes on the mantle of the ambitious young voyager and is a dead ringer for the animated heroine right down to her curly hair, which was made straighter for the remake to many fans' dismay. She is such a great match for the character that many shots from the teaser appear to ha...

I consider Gina Marinello-Sweeney  a good friend, so I was over the moon for her when her fairy tale novel, Prince of Chandeliers  launched earlier this month. She graciously offered me a review copy, which I immediately devoured. This book is not a fairy tale retelling in the traditional sense, but as she describes it in her author's notes, it is a love letter to fairy tales. There are many elements from classic tales peppered throughout the story, along with some original fantasy archetypes, lore, and characters. Overall, the book's primary focus is on beautiful, whimsical imagery and poetic language more than any specific tale. *Potential spoilers for the first half of the book below: Linetta is a lost princess , but not in the sense that she was estranged from her royal heritage. Instead, she is physically lost and lacks memories from the last four years of her life. She finds herself in a mystical, dream-like forest that leads her to a glowing castle constructed entirely ...

Many rumors have emerged from the Mouse House of late. Some  have vanished  as quickly as they sprouted, sometimes despite a great deal of press coverage . Therefore, it's best to take these announcements with a grain of salt, especially if they don't come from an official source. The latest rumor  comes from an alleged "Disney insider," DanielRPK , with no other confirmation of its existence, which could mean it's nothing more than a push to create buzz. However, rumors are still fun to speculate about, so let's discuss the possibility of a Mexican "Sleeping Beauty" retelling called Aurora. The initial reaction to this rumor was mixed, as many are confused about why Disney would do a live-action remake  of a fairy tale they already covered with Maleficent , which is considered one of the introductory remakes to their current era of films . Fans frequently make compilation graphics of Disney's live-action princesses, including  Elle Fanning  as...

I recently received an ARC of The Thirteenth Princess  by Nina Clare , a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," one of my favorite fairy tales . Most adaptations of this story present the magical underground world and magnificent nightly balls as a curse  that needs to be broken, a trend that began with Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball . Although this is one viable interpretation of the fairy tale, I prefer to think of the enchanting balls as a form of escapism that the princesses use to escape their stressful lives, as in  the Barbie interpretation . This version takes a middle ground. Although there is a curse involved, the princesses are happy for the opportunity to enter the enchanted realm and dance with their beloved princes until they can be together without the confines of a curse. As the title suggests, this book is told from the perspective of the unknown thirteenth princess, who shares the other princesses' experiences in the fairy...

There are nearly as many "Cinderella" retellings as there are stars in the sky , but only a select few explore the hardships this abused peasant girl would have inevitably faced after her rags were turned to riches overnight. Disney attempted to do this with Cinderella II: Dreams Come True  and failed miserably. Just Ella  by Margaret Peterson Haddix portrays a much more engaging depiction of Ella's difficult adjustment to palace life, which spawned two excellent sequels . More recently, Lissa Sloan  took on this harrowing task with Glass and Feathers , a dark take on what happened after "happily ever after" that is heavily rooted in the Brothers Grimm adaptation of the tale. Glass and Feathers  is a darker take on "Cinderella" that isn't suitable for all readers. Although the book contains no spice, there is some body horror reminiscent of the ending of the Brothers Grimm adaptation , in which the stepsisters cut off pieces of their feet to fit...

In the eight years that I've had this blog , I've written about all sorts of magical fairy tale princesses from various types of media , but I rarely focus on real people . That's because the combination of kindness , beauty , and popularity , while still remaining genuine enough to avoid spreading  toxic positivity , is nearly impossible to embody in a real-life role model. That is, however, unless your name is Taylor Alison Swift , a woman who makes her money being pretty and witty. I have been a Swifty since the first time I heard "Teardrops on My Guitar" on the radio around 2008, and I am so proud of everything she has accomplished, particularly with her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl , which I think is one of her best yet. I cannot begin to tell you the number of ways this woman has inspired me in my creative endeavors, relationships, and difficult periods of my life, but that doesn't make me special. She's done the same for millions of people ...