'' is a
Novel by
Meg Cabot that was made into a film in
2001 . The main story in both revolve around how a teenage girl named Mia Thermopolis discovers she is the
Princess of a
Fictional Country called
Genovia .
The film is directed by
Garry Marshall , produced by
Debra Martin Chase , and stars
Julie Andrews as
Clarisse Renaldo and
Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis. The movie was also the film debut for
Singer Mandy Moore as the stereotypical
Cheerleader Lana Thomas, who makes ruining Mia's life her personal mandate.
Heather Matarazzo also stars as Mia's best friend Lilly Moscovitz, whose brother Michael, played by
Robert Schwartzman , has a
Crush on Mia. Mia herself has a crush on Josh, portrayed by
Erik Von Detten , which culminates in a disaster date.
Hector Elizondo also appears in the film as Joseph "Joe" the head of Genovian
Security and
Larry Miller as Paolo, whose character gives Mia a
Makeover . Mia's
Mother , an
Artist named Helen Thermopolis, is played by
Caroline Goodall , and she falls in love with Mia's debate teacher, Patrick O'Connell, played by
Sean O'Bryan . Garry Marshall's daughter,
Kathleen Marshall , plays Clarisse's
Secretary Charlotte Kutaway. Charlotte's
Surname is mentioned only in the credits and Gary Marshall says it's a reference to how Charlotte is often used in
Cutaway shots.
Sandra Oh plays the humorous, yet quirky, role of vice principal Gupta.
Though the book was set in
New York , the film was set in
San Francisco . The reason for the change was because Garry Marshall's grandchildren live in San Francisco.
Alcatraz Island and the
Golden Gate Bridge have numerous cameos in the film, as does then-
Mayor Willie Brown . West coast radio personalities
Mark & Brian also appear as themselves (although they are actually based in
Los Angeles ).
Among the film's producers was singer
Whitney Houston .
A '', was released in 2004. Sequels to the original books include ''Princess in the Spotlight'', ''Princess in Love'', ''Project Princess'', ''Princess in Waiting'', Princess Present, ''Princess in Training'', ''Princess Lessons: A Princess Diaries Book'', and ''Party Princess'', soon to be followed by ''Princess on the Brink'', the eighth book, in December 2006.
In the UK editions of the books, the titles differ from the US release. Instead of referring to the plot line, they are puns on the book number. They are: ''The Princess Diaries'', ''''
The books are also about a teenage girl named Mia Thermopolis, although they are very different from the movies. One of the major differences is that the book takes place in New York City, while the movie is set in San Francisco.
The Princess Diaries books are not simple makeover stories as the movie is. Mia is portrayed as a very awkward adolescent, even (or especially) after her makeover. Her grandmother is not the Queen of Genovia but merely The Dowager Princess. Mia's father, Phillipe Renaldo, is not dead. However, he is a survivor of
Testicular Cancer and is therefore physically unable to produce another heir, forcing Mia to take the Genovian throne.
Mia's grandmother, Clarisse Renaldo, is not as kind and grandmotherly as she is portrayed in the movies. In fact, she is very harsh towards Mia most of the time, smokes often, and is somewhat clueless about the lives of non-royal people. However, she does have some heartfelt moments, such as "adopting" an orphan named Johanna for Mia to sponsor.
The books are also noted for containing many pop culture references, which include singers, movies, and fads in modern culture. Many critics have taken unkindly to this form of storytelling. In response, Cabot wrote an English teacher into the book "Princess In Training" who criticizes Mia's writing, telling her that it relies too much on "slick pop culture references."
