Princess Emily also had an eventful year. She got top marks, across the board, and she's even been chosen to play the lead role in a school play. She will play Princess Froon, the heroine of the most famous Aldovian Christmas story, a tale of the princess that granted Santa Claus his powers... There is a kissing scene in the play, in which the princess kisses the ogre, and turns him into a knight in shining armor. Emily kinda has a crush on the boy who's playing the ogre... She talks to Amber about it and it's super cute...
Unfortunately, the troubles with Richard's modernization initiative reach the venue where Emily was supposed to perform, the theatre doors are closed and the play is canceled... Amber eventually makes the play happen elsewhere, but Emily's play is hardly the worst of the recession overtaking the country. At one poignant moment, the royal family gathers around the Christmas tree and reads cards from well-wishers, the people of Aldovia. One of the messages, however, is not so festive:
"Dear Royals, while I'm sure you're having a dandy Christmas at the palace, the real working people of Aldovia are suffering... I've lost my job, as the company I worked for my whole life was put out of business by your 'New Aldovia' disaster."
The king stops playing the piano immediately and listens to the message. The kingdom's finances don't make sense, his cousin, Simon, showed up to help, but as far as the prince is concerned, Simon is less than trustworthy, and the advisor his mother sought, Leopold is not helpful at all... Fortunately, Richard is about to marry a reporter, who doesn't miss a chance to go out and investigate the matter on her own
Amber's personal crisis of confidence is a pretty cliche: the common girl who becomes a princess and struggles with the loss of autonomy and control over her own life, to the point where she questions if she even belongs there. Her investigative adventure paves the way for the heroine to assert herself and make her voice heard. Richard too must find his voice and do right by his people. It's cool that although this is a movie about a wedding, there isn't much about wedding nerves at all... both of them are sure of what they want in that regard, and even Amber's brief doubts about her competence as a queen don't shake that.
The queen gets a little less attention this time. Prior to this movie it had caught my eye how different a character she is from the stern queen mothers in these Christmas films. She never tried to control Richard, never felt the need to protect him from his own immaturity... She knew her son, and merely tried to steer him in the right direction. help him when he needed it... This time though she takes a turn to a more ordinary role, often trying to force some of her own choices for the wedding on Amber... When Amber asserts her voice though, the queen is quick to see the error of her ways, and promptly apologizes...
Princess Emily had a lot more space, and even proves to be a competent hacker when they needed it. Even Simon seems to have hidden depths in this movie, but then again a lot of villains in these films are not entirely villainous to begin with.
Overall, I liked it a lot... This movie is so funny, even more so than the original! I didn't much care for the wedding designer's brand of comedy, but Amber's dad was delightful. It was definitely a worthy sequel to the first film.
"After Father died... and you left us to go soul-searching, I was so angry with you...at first. But then I realized this life we find ourselves in, the titles and responsibilities we bear, can overwhelm any person, especially a good-hearted one. And I've allowed it to happen. You accepted your title with eyes wide open. With the best intent. - And that's the brother I love."
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