Movie Monday: The Princess Diaries

Movie Monday is a new feature at Cover2CoverBlog where I talk about Book-Movie Adaptations. If you have any recommendations let me know in the comments. 

This feature may contain SPOILERS to both the books AND the movies so read carefully.

Today's comparison is... 

The Princess Diaries

 

THE BOOK The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot Publisher: Harper Trophy Publication Date:  2000

THE MOVIE Disney's The Princess Diaries Staring: Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway  Release Date: 2001

Another Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD

 

While reading this book, I really wanted to have a quick discussion about the book -movie differences and thus this became Movie Monday... hope you enjoy.

I watched The Princess Diaries movie long before I read the book, actually it was just recently that I picked up the series to read. Much to my surprise the movie was vastly different from the book in huge ways! I really enjoyed the movie adaptation, but now that I have read the book I like that SO much more - so here is why.

Sadly, the reasoning is not just "duh, because it was a book first", while that is completely legit (in my 'reader' opinion) I think that Disney made the movie more family friendly and distorted the story a bit in doing so.

Let's talk about that movie first. Mia is a teen, she learns she is a princess and has to take over the thrown of Genovia. Her grandmother is there to help her take on this craziness and she does it with ease and is semi-supportive of Mia freaking out. Let's also note that Mia learns this from a note from her father that is given to her on her 16th birthday... father is not in the picture.

Now the book is a lot different than the movie - biggest differences being 1. the dad isn't dead in the book and makes for some very interesting conversations and scenarios with Mia and her mother, and 2. grandma is a bit of a b**** in the books (excuse my language). These things made the book have so much more character development. You really hated the grandmother with/ through Mia and the mother - father interactions were priceless and really lend themselves to learning more about how Mia was raised and the young woman she has become. 

The movie is funny and entertaining but there is no real 'villain' and the plot, while very similar to the book, it is almost more simplistic and very Cinderella-story -esq. Whereas in the book there is the grandmother to loathe and there is a lot more push-back by Mia and I think that made her a stronger character - she tries to stay herself while also becoming a princess versus just becoming a princess.

And that is that, I enjoyed the book, the movie was an ok adaptation but a very different one. Have you read these books? Did you enjoy the movie? Let me know in the comments.