Princess Protection Program - Mission Rosalinda

Adults be warned: if you don't have kids, or if you don't enjoy yourself when they do, then you need not watch this movie. If you want to feel young again, go watch Star Trek or something.

This is Disney in its lightest form, without pain, just some bullying at most. This goes for the school environment as well as for the international political environment. Sure, Mr. Evil himself is about as scary as the lion Alex in Madagascar. He did a good job though, learning from cartoon characters, which I'm sure is a Disney trademark.

Also, don't focus on the international part. I speak both French and Spanish, and it hurts me to see them massacred so much. On the other hand, it makes me think I'd make excellent royalty. Apart from the caring part, that is.

The acting is not as bad as described by others. Actually, everybody seems to be having a good time, hoping it wears off to the audience. It works, sometimes. I liked the camera-work, the attention paid to dressing details, the displays of dignity and style. Also, when I said that it was a light movie, I also meant that there's no scenes at night. Vampires abstain.

Nah, it's not like this movie is advisory entertainment, but when they throw all these kid musicals on your plate, it's nice to have something else for dinner. But, again, be in the right mood, or with the right (very young) people.

This is a pretty good formulaic movie from the Disney people as a princess gets placed in a witness relocation program and relocated to a teen's family in Louisiana. She has to try and fit into high school life with fairly funny results. Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato make a good team in the lead roles. My favorite scenes are the hamburger scene and the yogurt store scene. You might like this if you are a Disney fan.

** 1/2 out of ****

I must confess that I didn't cared for watching this film after seeing the previews for it, my thought was "just another way for Disney to milk out their stars". However, recently I saw this movie randomly - and got pleasantly surprised. «Princess Protection Program» is undoubtedly the best DC movie I've seen, surpassing all their recent films like «Camp Rock», the «High School Musical» flicks, «Hatching Pete» and «Dadnapped».

A thing that most DC movies have in common that they're pretty soulless; They seem like they're all the same, with mediocre acting, predictable story lines and squeaky clean love subplots. Their films has rarely soul and emotion (even though one shouldn't take for granted that the theatrical released films has heart and emotion, cause that isn't always the case either). But «Princess Protection Program» was quite cute and enjoyable.

The story is a little cheesy, but still works pretty well and the high school clichés during this film doesn't feel worn out. The cinematography by David A. Makin is quite lovely, making the locations look beautiful and the score by John Van Tongeren is also good. And most of the songs are catchy.

Disney has casted two of their up-and-coming stars to the main roles (the replacements of Miley Cyrus, if you will); Selena Gomez as Carter and Demi Lovato as Princess Rosalinda. Their interaction and friendship on the screen is credible, without being overdone. They both pull of their roles pretty well. Of course since this is a DC movie you can't expect a profound acting, but none of the performances feels overacted. Demi Lovato has improved since «Camp Rock» and has never looked more beautiful than in this film, with her rose-red lips and stunning dresses. She struggles a bit with timing on her emotional moments, but still carries her Princess role with grace and dignity. While Selena, which is wonderful as Alex in «Wizards of Waverly Place», fits the role of a tomboy surprisingly well (I had never pictured her as a tomboy). Of the adult cast, Tom Verica has good charisma as Carter's father.

The film was enjoyable, but the only thing that disappointed me, just like another reviewer on this site pointed out, was the ending, which could been more suspenseful, cause it was leading to an thrilling climax. Otherwise, I highly recommend «Princess Protection Program». The film may not be innovative or Oscar-worthy, but has the mayor ingredient that most DC films lack: heart and soul. Please make more movies like this, Disney.

With all the hype that the Magic Kingdom has been giving this film over the past several months, I expected something a lot better from the Princess Protection Program. I think most kids even those who look at stars Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez as role models and they're not bad ones either, would find this film just too much.

Selena is the daughter of widower Tom Verica who is the owner of a bait shop in the bayous of Louisiana and also works for the CIA. He just finished a mission where he rescued a princess from a small Caribbean island nation which just had a military coup. Now he's deposited Princess Demi Lovato with his daughter and drawn her into his other life.

Selena's mission and she's got no choice but to accept it is to make Lovato blend in like a normal teen, at least a normal teen in the Disney view. From the politics of Lovato's nation to the politics of Gomez's high school, the two girls get off to a rocky start, but in the end become great pals.

In the pattern of what they do at Disney Studios when they have successful stars from successful shows they always try to mix and match and team these stars in film projects. This was one case where the film idea was so preposterous no matter how appealing these two young women are, they simply couldn't put it over. They're both far better at their Disney shows than in this film.

I mean really, CIA dad gets daughter to help out on one of his missions? I don't think Princess Protection Program would have ever been made if Disney himself was around, though perhaps for different reasons than I didn't like it.

Carter Mason (Selena Gomez) only has her father Joe (Tom Verica). He goes away to protect princess Rosalinda Montoya (Demi Lovato). General Magnus Kane (Johnny Ray) takes over her country. She escapes with colonel Mason under the International Princess Protection Program. She is relocated to live with Joe in Louisiana under the new identity of Rosie Gonzalez. Now she must adjust to high school life in America while being harassed by mean girl Chelsea (Jamie Chung).

The premise is silly. It's nothing unexpected from Disney. One must accept the stupidity and go on with the movie. This is about the performances of the two girls and their chemistry. They are good actresses and they have good screen presence. They are compatible together. They're really the only saving grace in an otherwise weak high shool movie.