50 Fun Facts About The Princess Diaries

In which year was The Princess Diaries released?

Disney released it. Its sequel followed three years later.

Who directed the 2001 film?

He had created Happy Days and directed Pretty Woman. His sister Penny Marshall directed Big.

Whose feature film debut was this 2001 Disney comedy?

She was eighteen when it was shot. It made her a star overnight.

What is the name of the fictional country Mia inherits?

It is a small European principality that exists only in the books and films. Pear farming is its main industry on screen.

In which city does Mia live at the start of the film?

She and her mother share a converted firehouse there. In the novels the setting is Greenwich Village instead.

What kind of building do Mia and her mother live in?

The building is one of the most memorable sets in the film. Her mother paints there.

The film is based on a novel by which author?

The first book appeared in 2000, one year before the film. The series eventually ran to eleven main novels.

Which role did Julie Andrews play?

It was her first Disney film in nearly four decades. She plays Mia's grandmother.

How long had it been since Julie Andrews's previous Disney film?

Mary Poppins came out in 1964. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for it.

Roughly how much did the first film gross worldwide?

That was on a modest budget for a Disney comedy. The sequel took slightly less.

Which actor plays Joe, the head of security and limousine driver?

He appeared in every film Garry Marshall directed. His character has a quiet romance with the queen.

Which pop singer made her first credited film appearance as the mean girl Lana Thomas?

She had already had hit records by then. The role is small but memorable.

Which actress plays Mia's best friend Lilly Moscovitz?

She had made her name in Welcome to the Dollhouse. A casting director introduced her to the film's director.

Which scene from the film is described as its most famous?

It involves a hairbrush, a great deal of frizz and a sceptical stylist. Every teen film of the decade copied it.

When was the sequel, Royal Engagement, released?

Garry Marshall returned to direct it. Whitney Houston was among its producers.

What must Mia do within a month in the sequel in order to inherit the throne?

She becomes engaged to Andrew Jacoby, Duke of Kenilworth. It does not go to plan.

Which future Star Trek captain made his feature film debut in the sequel?

He played Lord Nicholas Devereaux. Five years later he was commanding the Enterprise.

What made Julie Andrews's performance of 'Your Crowning Glory' in the sequel notable?

The duet was with Raven-Symoné. The surgery had permanently damaged her voice seven years earlier.

Which singer performed the duet with Julie Andrews in the sequel?

They sang 'Your Crowning Glory' together. It marked Andrews's return to singing on screen.

Roughly how much did the sequel take worldwide?

About $95 million of that came from North America. It did slightly less business than the original.

Which singer joined Debra Martin Chase as a producer on the sequel?

She had produced Disney projects before. Garry Marshall returned to direct.

In which New York borough was the film's young star born?

She was born in November 1982. She was still a teenager when the first film was made.

Where was the film's young star when she auditioned for the role of Mia?

The director cast her partly because his granddaughters liked her hair. She was on her way to New Zealand.

Why did the director say he chose his lead, according to his granddaughters?

He often tested casting decisions on children. The advice worked out for everyone concerned.

For which 2012 musical did the film's young star win an Academy Award?

She won Best Supporting Actress for playing Fantine. She also took the Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA awards.

What was the star's position in the casting order for The Devil Wears Prada?

The film grossed over $326.5 million worldwide. It became her most widely seen work up to that point.

In which year was Meg Cabot's first novel published?

The film followed a year later. The series ran to eleven main novels, ending with Royal Wedding in 2015.

How does Mia's father differ between the film and Meg Cabot's original series?

Her mother is a semi-famous painter there. The film moved everything to California.

What is the biggest difference between page and screen when it comes to Mia's father?

The film kills him off before the story starts. In print he is very much present and reigning.

How old is Mia in the film version?

She drives a 1965 Mustang and lives in California. The novels place her a little differently.

What car does Mia drive in the film?

It is repainted and restored during the story. In the books she does not drive at all.

What was Julie Andrews born as?

She was born in England in October 1935. The stage surname came from her stepfather.

For which film did Julie Andrews win the Academy Award for Best Actress?

It was her film debut, in 1964. She won a Golden Globe for the following year's musical instead.

Which character did Julie Andrews play in The Sound of Music?

The film came out in 1965, a year after her debut. She won a Golden Globe for it.

What ended Julie Andrews's singing career in 1997?

She had developed hoarseness during a Broadway run of Victor/Victoria. The damage to her voice was permanent.

Which Broadway production did Julie Andrews have to leave in 1997?

Hoarseness forced her out near the end of the run. Surgery followed, with permanent consequences.

In which list was Julie Andrews made a Dame?

Queen Elizabeth II conferred the honour. She had been a star for four decades by then.

Which 1970s sitcom did the film's director create?

He also developed Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. His film career included Pretty Woman.

Which 1990 romantic comedy did the same director make?

It was one of the highest-grossing films of its year. He directed the princess films a decade later.

Which numbered Walt Disney Studios soundstage hosted the shoot, as it had Mary Poppins?

The Burbank stage gave Julie Andrews a neat full-circle moment 37 years after her first Disney film.

When the film was still set in New York like the novel, what was its working title?

Garry Marshall moved the story to San Francisco because he and his granddaughters lived there, and he dedicated the film to them.

Which actress turned down the role of Mia before Anne Hathaway was cast?

Liv Tyler was considered the front-runner, but Marshall's granddaughters talked him into the unknown eighteen-year-old instead.

What is the name of Mia's pet cat?

Four different cats played the part, each with a speciality such as being carried or doing jumps; the one in the final scene belonged to Hathaway herself.

Clarisse's secretary Charlotte has what surname, a joke only revealed in the credits?

She is played by Marshall's daughter Kathleen. The name nods to how often the film cuts away to her reaction whenever something goes wrong.

Which Connie Francis song did Mandy Moore cover for the soundtrack?

Whitney Houston's production company helped curate the album, which also featured BBMak, Aaron Carter, Backstreet Boys and Hanson.

Which real San Francisco mayor plays himself arriving at the Genovian Independence Day Ball?

Marshall also cameos at the ball with his sister Penny, and his wife appears as a guest.

Which future Grey's Anatomy creator wrote the sequel, Royal Engagement?

She treasured working with Julie Andrews and later cast her as the voice of Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton.

Who was announced in October 2024 as director of The Princess Diaries 3?

Anne Hathaway is set to return and produce. Garry Marshall had planned a third film himself before he died in 2016.

Where is Mia a student at the start of the film?

Her rain-soaked walk along the school bleachers includes a real trip and fall that Hathaway played through, and Marshall kept it in.

On its opening weekend the film placed third behind Rush Hour 2 and which other movie?

Analysts had predicted $13-15 million; it took $23.2 million, the second-best opening ever for a live-action G-rated film at the time.