How did this all begin?
It all started one day back in 2015 when Youtube happened to recommend to me Golden Films’ Beauty and the Beast. Once I got my taste of poorly animated, poorly plotted Princess movie schlock, I had to see more. Eventually I realized I couldn’t keep all these bad princess movies to myself, I had to force all my friends to watch them too. It morphed into a semi-regular movie night, where I provide a curated selection of princess movies and my friends all vie for the opportunity to select what movies we watch.
What makes a movie a ‘Bad Princess Movie’?
My criteria for what constitutes a ‘Bad Princess Movie’ is this simple rule:
The main character of the film must either be a princess, or become a princess through the events of the film.
I tend to bend this rule a bit when a movie feels close enough (e.g., Bella Sara: Emma’s Wings, where the character becomes a Valkyrie instead of a Princess), or when the movie is amusing enough that I give it a free pass (The Fairy Princess: Secret of the Crystal, which has no actual princess, but who doesn’t want to see what Michael Caulfield’s been up to since Grease 2?).
Wait a minute, ____ movie isn’t bad! I love that one!
Don’t worry! ‘Bad Princess Movie” is kind of a catch all. While majority of the movies I have on this blog range from bad to hilariously bad, there are some movies listed that are objectively good movies.
The main thing I look for in a ‘Bad Princess Movie’ is that it’s entertaining in some form or another. Sometimes that means it’s a good movie that just has some weird design or story choices (e.g., Donkey Skin).
There’s also movies listed on this blog that are personal favourites of mine. I am absolutely charmed by Rolf Kauka’s Once Upon a Time (To the point where I embarked on a year-long quest to obtain a copy of the out of print DVD), and I will always cop to my fondness for Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper.
Again, the main thing I look for is that a movie is entertaining in someway for my guests. Sometimes there are misfires due to me finding things interesting about these films that they don’t, but for the most part there’s something worth watching for in every film catalogued on this blog.
This blog is chock-full of my opinions about movies, so please keep in mind when you read these posts that this blog is just my odd passion project, so take things with a grain of salt. That said, if one of these bad films is a favourite of yours, please feel free to share your thoughts! I am genuinely interested in hearing from viewers some of the positives of these films that I may be overlooking
Have you seen ______?
I am constantly on the hunt for new Princess movies, so please feel free to comment and provide recommendations! I can’t guarantee the film you suggest will end up on the blog, but I will always check it out and assess whether it’s worth an appearance at one of my movie nights.
How do your movie nights usually go?
My preferred format for a Bad Princess Movie Night is this. Prior to the movie night, I prepare a selection of 8 films that I feel are entertaining enough to make my friends suffer through them. I usually preview each film beforehand so that I can gauge if it’s interesting enough, and if it is it gets added to the roster and I prepare a small blurb about the movie to read out to everyone. This blurb usually includes the release date, some information about the reception of the film, and any other notable information (e.g., voice actors or movie trivia).
When everyone has gathered together to watch the movie, we randomly figure out whom among us will have the honour of selecting what film we’ll be watching first. My current method of doing this is to have my guests blindly pull rings from a bag. If they pull out the diamond ring, they get to select the first movie, and perhaps more importantly, they get to wear the matching crown.
After the first movie is finished, the crown and diamond ring are relinquished, and the selection process begins again (With the viewer who selected the first movie now out of the running). We usually manage to get through about three movies a night, depending on how long each film is.
That’s all there is to it! Maybe get yourself some delicious Princess themed treats, and prepare your body and minds for some Bad Princess Movies!
Bad Princess Movies 