The Princess Diaries (2001)
- The original script for The Princess Diaries was written over a decade before production finally began in 2001.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
- Before Anne Hathaway was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
The Princess Diaries is a 2001 American comedy directed by Garry Marshall, based on Meg Cabot's 2000 novel. Anne Hathaway, in her film debut, stars as Mia Thermopolis, an awkward, invisible San Francisco teenager who discovers she is the heir to the throne of the fictional European country of Genovia. Her estranged grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi played by Julie Andrews, arrives to prepare Mia for her royal duties through a series of princess lessons in etiquette, deportment, and public speaking.
Anne Hathaway's transformation from frizzy-haired, clumsy nobody to poised (but still endearingly klutzy) princess was a fairy tale perfectly calibrated for its target audience, and her natural charm made the transformation feel organic rather than superficial. Julie Andrews brought genuine warmth and regal authority to a role that could have been one-dimensional. The Princess Diaries earned $165 million worldwide on a $26 million budget.
