The Princess Diaries (film)

The Princess Diaries
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Garry Marshall
Screenplay by	Gina Wendkos
Based on	The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Produced by	Whitney Houston Debra Martin Chase Mario Iscovich
Starring	Anne Hathaway Héctor Elizondo Heather Matarazzo Mandy Moore Caroline Goodall Robert Schwartzman Julie Andrews
Cinematography	Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited by	Bruce Green
Music by	John Debney
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures BrownHouse Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release dates	July 29, 2001 (2001-07-29) (El Capitan Theatre) August 3, 2001 (2001-08-03) (United States)
Running time	115 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$26 million
Box office	$165.3 million[2]

The Princess Diaries is a 2001 American coming-of-age comedy film^[3][4][5] produced by Walt Disney Pictures, directed by Garry Marshall, and written by Gina Wendkos. Based on Meg Cabot's 2000 young adult novel of the same name, it stars Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, with a supporting cast consisting of Héctor Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore, Caroline Goodall, and Robert Schwartzman. The plot follows Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway), an American teenager who discovers she is heir to throne of a European kingdom. Under the tutelage of her estranged grandmother (Andrews), the kingdom's reigning queen, Mia must choose whether to claim or renounce the title she has inherited.

Feeling confident about the novel's film potential, Cabot's agent pursued producer Debra Martin Chase about adapting The Princess Diaries into a feature-length film, an idea she pitched to Disney upon reading the book. After obtaining the film rights, Disney originally greenlit the project under the title The Princess of Tribeca, reverting it once its setting was changed from New York to San Francisco, where the majority of the film was shot between September and December 2000. Marshall agreed to direct because he found the story ideal for family entertainment. Despite having little involvement in the film's development, Cabot was consulted about various changes to its story and characters. Hathaway won the lead role over several established young actresses in her motion picture debut, while The Princess Diaries commemorated the end of Andrews's semi-retirement from acting and return to Disney films, her first since Mary Poppins (1964).

The Princess Diaries premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on July 29, 2001, and was released in the United States on August 3. The film was an unexpected commercial success, grossing over $165 million worldwide. Despite receiving mixed reviews for its plot and themes, Hathaway's performance was widely praised by film critics. Ranking among the most profitable films of 2001, The Princess Diaries defied industry expectations as pundits had expected the film to underperform due to its G rating and subject matter. The film's success is credited with establishing Hathaway as a bankable actress and reviving Andrews's film career. A sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, was released in 2004, and a third installment has been in development since 2022.