Parents' Guide to

Princess: A Modern Fairy Tale

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Second-rate fairy-tale romance has scary moments.

Movie NR 2008 88 minutes
Princess: A Modern Fairy Tale Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 10+

Based on 13 parent reviews

JennC
JennC Adult
March 2, 2022
age 12+

Preteen not a kid movie

I'm not sure why they suggested for age 9+ but I'd suggest 12+ . It's not really a kid show at all. Fantasy, yes. The guys just talk about women & drink beer, make odd references on gay men. The love story is pretty awkward and the princess is dumbed down. If you can make it through two hours good for you. Boring & strange
1 person found this helpful.
Michelle M.
Michelle M. Parent
July 28, 2017
age 6+

Movie can't decide if adult audience vs kids

Always looking for appropriate movies for son and daughter to view together. They cannot pick up on the subtle jokes about princess and lesbianism and the two friend being guy if they go to party together, or the guys drinking beer every time they are eating. Liberal push to always include obvious inappropriate content to even a Disney family show that doesn't add anything to storyline. Why have the pregnant couple and portray the husband in such a poor vulgar light. It's not necessary. B movie that kids enjoy, but patents have to suffer thru. Could have been sweet movie.

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
See all 13 parent reviews

What's the Story?

William (Kip Pardue) is a lost soul, a trust-fund kid with no direction in life. Then he meets the strangely private, beautiful Princess Ithaca (Nora Zehetner) at her annual charity ball. A miscommunication leads the princess to believe he is a "Searcher" (a mysterious character who has been sent to help her find a mysterious someone). William, thinking she's just a little crazy but really beautiful and sweet, goes along with it. Their search takes the two of them on a quest in which they and a number of mythical creatures (a mermaid, wood nymphs, and some helpless but scary beasts) are in jeopardy. The story unravels slowly, and it isn't until just before the end that the puzzle of the Princess Ithaca is solved.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (7):

It isn't easy to determine who this made-for-TV movie is meant for. It's part fairy tale romance for little girls, part "dragon killer" mystery for young action fans who aren't very selective, and part modern, not-very-funny insult comedy for grown-ups. The combination doesn't work, especially when none of the elements is well-executed. Even fairy tales depend upon plots that have some logic and consistent rules -- this one doesn't. The hapless hero never gets a chance to be heroic; the beautiful princess is perfect from beginning to end and has no place to grow; and the animated mythical "creatures" are so poorly conceived and realized that they provide the only comic relief.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how special effects are done, including computer animation. Which images are live-action, and which are a combination of live-action and animation? How can you tell?

  • What do you think about the film's suggestion that the legends surrounding the mythological creatures in the film may be based on some ancient truth?

  • Why do you think William waited so long to tell Princess Ithaca the truth about his purpose?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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