NOTES

This teen comedy from Disney is based on a popular novel by Meg Cabot and directed by Garry Marshall ('Pretty Woman', 'Runaway Bride') . Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a teenage klutz who's openly mocked by the popular Lana Thomas (pop singer Mandy Moore). In fact, Mia's only friend at her exclusive prep school is the socially outcast Lilly (Heather Matarazzo). Mia's life takes a dramatic turn, however, when her mom announces that her late biological father was in actuality the crown prince of a small European nation, Genovia. Now Mia is the sole heir to the throne, and her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews) wants to tutor the awkward teen in royal behavior. It's a daunting task given Mia's lax table manners, poise, and hair care, but the girl perseveres with some makeover help from her grandmother's security chief (Hector Elizondo) and a style expert (Larry Miller). In the meantime, Mia's romantic affections are torn between the handsome, popular Josh (Erik Von Detten) and the more appropriate Michael (Robert Schwartzman), who also happens to be Lilly's brother. The Princess Diaries is the second film from Whitney Houston's production shingle after the television version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997). — Karl Williams

PRODUCTION TEAM

Debra Martin Chase - Producer
Whitney Houston - Producer
Mario Iscovich - Producer
Garry Marshall - Producer / Director
Gina Wendkos - Screenwriter
Karl Walter Lindenlaub - Cinematographer
John Debney - Composer (Music Score)
Bruce Green - Editor
Mayne Berke - Production Designer
Caty Maxey - Art Director
Dawn Soler - Musical Direction/Supervision
Casey Hallenbeck - Set Designer
Gary Jones - Costume Designer
Scott Grossman - Choreography
Ellen H. Schwartz - First Assistant Director / Co-producer
Keith A. Wester - Sound/Sound Designer
Gail Goldberg - Casting
Donna Morong - Casting
Marcia Ross - Casting
Todd Toon - Supervising Sound Editor

CAST

Anne Hathaway ..... Mia Thermopolis
Julie Andrews ..... Clarisse
Hector Elizondo ..... Joseph
Heather Matarazzo ..... Lilly
Mandy Moore ..... Lana
Caroline Goodall ..... Helen
Robert Schwartzman ..... Michael Moscovitz
Erik Von Detten ..... Josh
Sean O'Bryan ..... Mr. O'Connell
Sandra Oh ..... Vice Principal Gupta
Kathleen Marshall ..... Charlotte Kutaway

ADDITIONAL INFO

"The Princess Diaries" was released as a DVD on December 18, 2001. It was the sixth best-selling video of 2002 according to the January 11, 2003 edition of Billboard Magazine.