MovieChat Forums > The Princess Diaries (2001) Discussion > The Book VS. The Movie

The Book VS. The Movie

posted 12 years ago by bzyriting
5 replies | jump to latest

I read the book. And I've seen the movie a lot of times. I loved the movie so much more. I get that Meg Cabot (author) had to make Mia very teenager-y, but she just sounded so WHINY to me. Terribly whiny. And I love the character to character relationships in the movie so much more. In the book, her mother was irresponsible, her father was kind of detached, and her grandmother, the queen, was HORRIBLE. I could not have handled that in the movie.

Any other opinions? :)

[–] PhilChic09 12 years ago

I completely agree. I came on here to see what people thought of the movie compared to the book. While I did enjoy the book, I definitely prefer the movie which I found surprising since the books are almost always better than movie adaptations. But I like the dynamic between Mia and her grandmother and how their relationship grew. And I just completely prefer the grandmother in the movie. Also, I like Mia's relationship with Lilly in the movie better. So, yeah,the character relationships and character portrayals. I feel like, for the movie, they took a really great concept, improved on it and made it more palatable for the general audience. I did see the movie first, so maybe if I read the book first I would have a different perspective.

[–] DarcyBrandon 11 years ago

Well the book is part of a series. Mia had a lot of growing up to do and I think she is younger when the book starts as well.

[–] MarblesLove 11 years ago

While I did enjoy the books a great deal, I found it pretty irritating how whiny she was and how totally obvious the solutions to all her problems were, yet she had no clue what the heck she needed to do.

The movies didn't have the same problem.

This is my signature.

[–] TMC-4 (20491) 6 months ago

The Princess Diaries, Lost in Adaptation ~ The Dom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA0RwZ586kA

Yes, Disney's 2001 smash hit The Princess Diaries WAS based on a book, written just a year before it's adaptation. Did they have anything in common? The Dom looks to find out.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (15110) 6 months ago

I hated the book. Mia was not only a whiner, she was a total, ungrateful brat that wanted to have larger boobs and get rid of her "yield sign" hair. The queen grandma was a bitch, insisting Mia speak French because she didn't like hearing anyone speak English, calling it a barbaric language. The book was way less romantic and glamorous, and did not deliver on what one would want out of the story, such as her properly being introduced as a princess, or even going overseas to the tiny country daddy with the testicular cancer came from.

Disney (at the time) did a far better job making the story better, the characters more likeable, and Anne Hathaway nailed it as the funny, sweet, awkward teenager. The sequel delivered on what fans wanted to see, where we actually get to see Genovia, and even provided the bonus of Mia becoming Queen.