Published on Sep 2, 2004
There are times in this job where it does not pay to be a
thirty-something male.
Despite the fact I just bought my 8-year-old daughter the
special-edition DVD of
The Princess Diaries, I’ve never seen the movie, nor do I
have any burning desire to. I also haven’t seen
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, despite my
daughter’s constant reminding that she hasn’t seen it, either.
Let’s just say that these two movies have certain demographics
they’re aiming for, and I most definitely don’t fit them.
Needless to say, the soundtrack to the latest outing from Anne
Hathaway and Julie Andrews also isn’t aimed for my aging,
wax-and-Aerosmith-clogged ears. Any young girl who has spent any
amount of time watching The Disney Channel will know most of the
artists on this disc, and will probably find themselves singing
along with every note. To them, I say: if it makes you happy, God
bless.
To the adult, this collection is somewhat lightweight, although
not unpleasant, but does end up lacking some substance. The
re-emergence of Andrews as a singer following throat surgery (one
Andrews says was botched) some years ago should be a matter of
celebration, but even for someone who dislikes Andrews, this
re-emergence pales to her glory days.
Featuring a lineup so heavily reliant on Disney talent one
almost expects to see Piglet and Eeyore get writing credits, the
bulk of the material features names which will be familiar to the
younger generation. Artists like Lindsay Lohan (
Freaky Friday), Raven (
That’s So Raven) and Christy Carlson Romano (
Kim Possible) all get their turns in front of the
microphone. Some of them turn out to be respectable, such as Raven;
others, like Lohan, sound like Avril Lavigne imitations. (Lavigne
herself makes an appearance with “I Always Get What I Want” — now
there’s a helluva lesson for kids to learn, especially with
Christmas just around the corner.)
In the end, adults will end up scratching their heads wondering
what the youth of today see in performers like Jesse McCartney,
Rachel Stevens (whose song isn’t even featured in the film) and
Renee Olstead, while the kids might wonder why artists such as
Wilson Phillips and Norah Jones are included in this mix.
That brings us to “Your Crowning Glory,” the duet between Raven
and Andrews. Anyone who knows Andrews’s film career remembers her
golden pipes in such films as
Mary Poppins and
The Sound Of Music. I know that just her being able to sing
at all after the surgery is remarkable — but having her octave
range cut in half and being reduced to nearly a croak is just
disappointing. No offense is meant towards Andrews; I just call ’em
like I hear ’em.
If you have young girls anywhere from ages 8 to 13, chances are
good you’ll be hearing a lot of
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement blaring from their
boomboxes. I guess there are worse things they could be listening
to.