Jeremy Dick of MovieWeb makes mention of Disney looking for new ideas to ‘pad’ the Disney+ service, which at this point doesn’t appear to be entirely necessary since the subscriptions have been rolling in and the site has been gaining more and more popularity with each week, but it’s also still telling that this would be mentioned since Disney+ is still coming into its own when describing its streaming status and is gearing up in a big way to become one of the serious contenders to the streaming crown at this point. Enter a spin-off to the Princess Diaries which might bring back both Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, who were so pivotal main characters in the past two movies as Hathaway’s character, Mia, was made aware of her strong connection to a small European country known as Genovia, and her obligations to the crown as an eventual successor. The third movie sounds as though it would bring in a bi-racial sister that Mia didn’t know about that realizes her connection to the royal family, in part the same story but with a slight twist that will once again prove to everyone how ‘woke’ and inclusive Disney is by bringing forth another narrative that society can use to prove that the corporation is in fact attempting to bring in as many different individuals as they can.
Being fair, people did care a great deal about the Princess Diaries and it was a favored movie for some time. There are those that still watch the movies for the sake of nostalgia and because they were a great deal of fun. The story of a loner, someone people consider a loser, is usually a good story that people want to consider since it inspires and it gives people hope that their lives can and will change if they want it badly enough. Of course Mia’s life changes for different reasons, but the fact that she has to adapt and evolve to become the type of ruler that her grandmother wants her to be is evidence that there is some sort of struggle as a clash of lifestyles is at times a very difficult struggle to undergo, albeit one that makes it difficult for many to relate since in reality many of us will never know what it’s like to go from being a regular, everyday citizen to royalty. Disney did their absolute best to show this as a serious difficulty for Mia, and many might think that they did a great job in the effort, but again, she’s not a character that many can relate to after she becomes a princess, though many can relate to the instances before that moment.
The spin-off movie could be coming to Disney+ but as of right now there are no concrete details to be shared since it’s still an idea for the most part and one that is being seriously considered so long as everything works out the way that it needs to. It could work, and in truth it could be an interesting story using a bi-racial character if only because it jogs the story in a different direction than Mia took it since it would imply that someone from Genovian royalty might have married or found someone of a different race that they fell in love with and thereby took a chance with. Like it or not, many royal families don’t have a long history of interracial marriage. Dalliances might be more common and could be considered a dirty secret of many royals, but the unfortunate truth is, that while this has happened in history for many reasons, either because of convenience, an alliance, or some other reason, sometimes actual love and shared emotions, the idea of marrying outside race when it comes to royalty is not the norm. For this move this could be a means of showing unity in a manner that will continue to push the narrative that things need to keep changing and that acceptance is far more important than some stodgy old set of rules that have existed for far too long. The reason for cynicism however has to do with Disney bowing to the whims of those that make continual demands upon movies, TV shows, and anything else they can when it comes to being inclusive. Like it or not, Hollywood has been more inclusive for longer than people think, so harping on it now is kind of pointless and serves only to push for something other than equality.
In reality though if the story takes a direction that might challenge the status quo once again it’d be nice since it could widen the fan base a bit and even go on to change the story just enough so that it becomes something that could be seen as a positive step forward, another example for the world to look in the agreement that it’s time to simply accept people for who they are.
Follow Us
