But no one knows that Celeste’s mind is sharp and she has found her own way to protect her kingdom. Melanie Cellier’s The Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, features Princess Celeste, cursed to appear witless despite her beauty. The Goose Girl is a lovely tale of courage and self-acceptance.
But rebellion and danger drive her to the fields where she tends geese and tries to figure out how to save her kingdom. Her ability to talk to birds unsettles her kingdom so she is sent to the neighboring kingdom of Bayren to marry the prince.
Shannon Hale has also created a book series based on Princess Anidori of Kilderee. If your young reader wants to read about a crime fighting princess hero, he or she will have a blast in this series written by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Princess Magnolia has an alter ego – The Princess in Black. Starring Elodie Yung, Skylar Astin, and Greg Bryk. As Queen Catherine (Elodie Yung) says to Sam, “The key to mastering your power is mastering yourself.” Royal or not, that’s a message worth remembering. And the story clearly encourages self-discipline, honesty, and honor. As Sam learns to her sorrow, rebellion has its costs, and they aren’t always paid by the rebel. It also shows the benefits of being inclusive, working together, and trying to make change from within. Standing up for what you believe, accepting yourself for who you are, and not judging on appearances are some of the film’s themes. If you can overlook Illyria’s weird politics, there are plenty of positive messages here for young viewers. In conjunction with his goals for political reform, this manages to make his motivations much more sympathetic, despite his murderous methods. (No wonder Sam wants to get rid of the monarchy.) Apparently, Inmate 34 was put in solitary confinement without a trial, which is also disturbing. Then we learn that the country has no parliament and is apparently ruled by royal fiat. On the surface, it looks like a pleasantly multicultural, peaceful little kingdom. Throughout the film, I had trouble wrapping my head around the fictional country of Illyria.
Frankly, minor negative content is less of an issue for me than the movie’s flat acting, terrible music, appalling CGI, and unsettling politics. The only potential issue is some plot driven violence as the teens battle the bad guy.
Thankfully, this princess/superhero movie manages to provide plenty of action without a lot of negative content. It lets its young viewers celebrate princess-y dresses and a girl power message simultaneously. Secret Society of Second Born Royals is geared at kids and tweens, neatly bridging the gap between Barbie princess movies and The Avengers. I must warn adults that this show might cause muscle strain injuries related to constant eye rolling, but, frankly, this film isn’t made for you. But when he finally escapes, his dastardly plan will destroy Sam, Eleanor and every other royal attending the coronation, unless Sam and her fellow trainees can stop him. (No cliché is overlooked in this story.) Locked deep underground is Inmate 34 (Greg Bryk), a nameless prisoner whose powerful telekinetic abilities are suppressed with a high tech metal collar. This discovery comes none too soon because trouble is brewing deep in the castle’s dungeon prison. Now they need to identify their powers, hone their abilities, and save the world. But when Sam winds up at summer school with some other young royal spares, she is shocked to learn that all second born royal children are genetically endowed with superpowers so they can safeguard their kingdoms. As her dutiful older sister, Princess Eleanor (Ashley Liao), prepares for her upcoming coronation, Sam and her best friend, Mike (Noah Lomax), sing protest songs on street corners in hope of democratizing Illyria.
The “spare to the heir” of the throne of Illyria, Europe’s smallest country, is tired of cutting ribbons and smiling graciously. Princess Samantha (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) is frustrated.