A combination of fantasy, action and martial arts about a woman willing to face anyone who gets in front of her, is the new version that Disney wants to show in princess movies that do not go out of style, at least if they are like the protagonist of “The Princess”.
“It’s a metaphor for anyone who feels underestimated,” describes actress Joey King of her role in a film that opens this weekend on Hulu and Disney Plus.
The studio responsible for immortalizing stories such as Snow White or Cinderella turned their stories around with a film starring a princess who could well have come from a Tarantino shoot or the “John Wick” saga.
The Princess Story
In “The Princess”, Joey King gives life to a young woman who refuses to marry the cruel and sociopathic man with whom she is engaged, a rebellion for which the King decides to lock her up in the top of the castle in the style ” Rapunzel”.
However, the second plot twist comes when the suitor, spiteful and furious at the princess’s rejection, launches an offensive to seize his father’s throne, something that only the protagonist can prevent. Even if he has to fight the whole court.
“When I read the script I knew it was different from anything I’d ever read,” says King of his character.
And it is that, after years criticizing the static model of a story in which a woman waits for her man to be rescued, Disney moved the chips by offering a film that not only bets on the opposite, but also sweetens it with action shots and a bloodbath that very few will associate with its title.
Interesting things about ‘The Princess’
The curious thing is that in its hour and a half of footage you never get to hear the name of this particular princess, a detail that the actress in charge of bringing her to life says “she doesn’t need”.
“She’s the princess and she’ll let you know,” King jokes.
The director of the film, Le-Van Kiet, explains more about this decision.
“When we finished writing the film we tried to find a name, but we realized that we had invested so much in creating the unique aura that it has that we realized that no name would do it justice,” defends Kiet, known for shooting ” Furie” (2019), the highest grossing film in the history of Vietnam.
The filmmaker insists he was inspired by other recent stories like “Brave” and “Tangled,” which were already changing the foundations of princess stories, but “I wanted to do something completely different.”
That’s why “The Princess” stands out for long takes, choreographed fights, and impossible fights with weapons of all kinds, from hairpins and pearls to vegetables that prove to be more violent than one might think if they fall into the hands of a willing person. thereto.
“There is a point of absurdity and a point of exaggeration, defends the director. It has the necessary humor so that you don’t take it too seriously but at the same time you empathize with the character and have a good time”.
