Proud Princess Parent Guide

Once upon a time, in the years before dating apps, unmarried royals sent portraits of themselves to other kingdoms in hopes of attracting an eligible partner. When the portrait of Princess Carolina arrives in the Sun Kingdom, King Benjamin is dazzled by her golden beauty. In response, he sends his portrait to the Midnight Kingdom where it is less enthusiastically received. Princess Carolina declares that the young king is not worthy to tie her shoelaces and sweeps out of the throne room, nose in the air.

Undeterred by Carolina’s response, the infatuated Benjamin rides for her kingdom hoping to change her mind. He quickly becomes aware of the kingdom’s challenges and winds up working incognito in the palace gardens. There he learns about the elderly king’s evil advisers and their selfish plans for Carolina’s future. Luckily, Benjamin has a green thumb and a quick mind: with the help of a retired nurse, a magical flower, and a soothing melody, he just might be able to create a happily ever after.

Based on a Czech fairytale, Proud Princess reminds me of the animated Barbie films from the early 2000s. The clunky animation is of similar quality – Proud Princess gives people the same herky-jerky movements but is to be credited with better backgrounds and a more sophisticated use of light. While cheap-looking animation was forgivable twenty years ago, there’s simply no excuse for it in a world where a low-budget Latvian animated movie can win an Academy Award using open source software. In contrast, this film looks like it was made on a home computer with an AI video generator.

Kids are famously unfussy media consumers, so they are unlikely to object to the plasticky animation or the predictable plot. This fairytale manages to deliver some positive messages about courage, kindness, and humility, but it also leans heavily into the “love at first sight” trope, which parents may not want to reinforce with their youngsters. Adults might go a little crazy with some of the plot issues – Why does Carolina’s father listen to his obviously devious advisers? Why was music banned in the Moonlight Kingdom? What’s the story behind the magical flower? – but kids will happily sit back and watch the story unfold.

As for negative content, this movie is about the same as most animated children’s fare. Swearing is non-existent and sexual content is limited to quick kisses. There are a few scenes of intoxicated villains drinking from goblets and the usual amount of violence – some physical combat, sword fights, falls from heights, and chase scenes. Most kids should be fine, but sensitive littles might be creeped out in a dungeon scene when the jawbone falls off a manacled skeleton.

Overall, Proud Princess didn’t give me a happily-ever-after but I’m in no rush to condemn the film. The plot is no worse than most of the princess movies that have been beloved by generations of children (myself included) and the subpar animation won’t upset the target audience. It’s an innocuous way to spend 84 minutes – and if you fall asleep on the couch, you don’t need to worry about missing anything important.

About author

Kirsten Hawkes

Kirsten Hawkes has a BA in Political Science and English and has worked in international development and medical education and marketing. Kirsten enjoys reading, watching movies, and debating politics with her husband and sometimes unwilling children.