DVD Review: Princess Emmy

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As the holidays grow closer, you might be having to get a niece or a friend’s young kid a present. This can fill an adult with a little bit of fear. You want something they’ll enjoy that everyone else hasn’t thought of getting them. Plus you have to worry a touch that they’ll open up the gift and not automatically give you that face for not knowing they no longer like that certain batch of cartoon characters. If you’re resourceful, you ask their mother what the kid currently enjoys to get a clue. If they’re still into Princesses and horses, there’s a new animated movie on DVD that’s perfect. Princess Emmy tells the story of a young royal and her secret power.

Way back when a princess saved a herd of horses, the princess is given the power to speak with horses as an appreciation for her great deed. This magical talent is passed on down her family tree in the Kingdom of Kandis. Princess Emmy (The BFG‘s Ruby Barnhill) is the current royal with the power and she so enjoys hanging with her horse pals and going on adventures. But what she doesn’t realize is that her power isn’t an automatic birthright. She can lose the magic if she can’t prove her worthiness. Making things complicated is a visit from her mean cousin Princess Gizana (Game of Thrones‘ Bella Ramsey). She’s that extremely mean cousin who has no problem causing trouble and destroying toys. This is something a real mean cousin would do. Emmy fears that if she doesn’t keep her power, Gizana will take it. Can she get it all together by her Princess Day?

Princess Emmy is a fun film for kids. Although as an adult, once I realized who was providing the voice for Gizana, I was rooting for the wrong princess. How can anyone compete with the Bella Ramsey after all she did on Game of Thrones as Lady Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island? She was the toughest character in that series. If she wanted to talk to the horses, she’ll talk to horses. Do you not remember how fierce she was on the show? She’d probably want to talk to bears anyway. Voicing the King and Queen are John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run). The animation keeps a certain lightness to the movie even when Emmy fears the worst, small kids won’t be visually shocked. If a kid enjoys animation, princesses and horses, Princess Emmy is the perfect gift.

The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfer brings out the glow to the animation. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. You’ll get a good earful of horse hooves. The movie is subtitled in English.

No bonus features.

Shout! Factory presents Princess Emmy. Directed by: Piet De Rycker. Screenplay by: Sergio Casci. Starring: Ruby Barnhill, Bella Ramsey, Franka Potente and John Hannah. Rated: Unrated. Running Time: 77 minutes. Released: October 15, 2019.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.