Those who may have caught The Princess Switch 2 trailer or who have been eagerly awaiting this sequel to the 2018 Vanessa Hudgens Christmas movie are sure to be pleased with this 98-minute soiree of what happens when you combine an upcoming coronation with rekindled romance, mistaken identities and, of course, the Christmas season. The Princess Switch: Switched Again returns many of our favorite characters from the original film and graciously ages them into their respective roles. Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens), who is now Princess of Belgravia, demonstrates how she has taken on the royal responsibility and proves that her love for Prince Edward is true and not just the result of one crudely crafted scheme to temporarily switch places with royalty. Meanwhile, Duchess Margaret (also Vanessa Hudgens) faces an unexpected ascension to the throne of Montenaro, throwing her back into the spotlight that she tried so aggressively to escape in The Christmas Switch in 2018. And then we have Fiona (also, also Vanessa Hudgens), a spoiled and esoteric cousin of Margaret who desires nothing but the riches of the palace. 

Most of the supporting characters you fell in love with in The Christmas Switch make a return, and the plot continues to complicate itself by adding yet a third Vanessa Hudgens to the mix of switching. Say what you will about her accent choices (with Fiona sounding like a strangely accurate Elizabeth Hurley impression from Bedazzled), but seeing Hudgens pull off three distinct, believable characters while also making those characters realistically portray each other without losing the faith of the original is actually spellbinding. Dare I say that in the Christmas season of the strange year of 2020, The Christmas Switch: Switched Again is exactly the movie we need.  

Switched Again Cast:

In The Princess Switch 2 cast we see Vanessa Hudgens returning to play both Stacy DeNovo and Lady Margaret Delacourt, as well as the new Fiona. Other returning Princess Switch 2 cast members include Sam Palladia as Prince Edward and Nick Sagar as Kevin. We unfortunately see Kevin’s daughter, Olivia, recast from Alexa Adeosun to Mia Lloyd. Lloyd did a fine job in her role and would have been great if she originated the character, but there was a charm that Alexa Adeosun brought that was lost. Regardless of this one real-life Christmas switch, The Princess Switch: Switched Again is one of its strongest assets. However, the strongest part of this film is something else entirely…

Switched Again Costumes

It’s not hard to notice that The Princess Switch: Switched Again comes with an increased budget from Netflix, and one of the areas its most evident is the costume design. From floor-length gowns and royal dresses to coronation outfits and the ridiculous number of costume changes that Vanessa Hudgens has, there’s plenty to appreciate from a purely fabric-and-thread perspective. The costuming choices for Stacy DeNovo shows her growth from a baker from Chicago into an actual, ruling Princess of Belgravia. Not to mention that the unique costume choices for Stacy, Margaret and Fiona all distinctly represent their characters, making it easy for the audience to differentiate them before they even begin speaking, a quintessential key to any “switched” movie. Meanwhile, countless scenes with large numbers of extras also dressed in fanciful and bespoked royal wear showcase just how committed Netflix was to the world-building of this story. Seriously, even if you despise feel-good and quaint romantic comedies and/or Christmas films, if you’re a fan of good costume design this movie is worth a watch. 

Vanessa Hudgens and Christmas Movies for 2020

Since 2006’s High School Musical, Vanessa Hudgens has led an impressive career, racking up more and more credits year after year. She’s become a go-to talent for Netflix for not just what is sure to become The Princess Switch trilogy (and potentially beyond), but also with standalone films like The Knight Before Christmas. Other acting credits like Dog Days and Second Act show just how busy the actress has been over the past few years. Whether you’re a fan of Vanessa Hudgens or just want to relax by the Christmas tree with a film that’s arguably the polar opposite of what 2020 has been for just about everyone, give The Christmas Switch and its sequel a watch. 

The Strange, Fourth-Wall Breaking Nature of Netflix Christmas Films

Admittedly, I haven’t watched all of the Netflix Christmas films, but they’ve been slowly and carefully crafting a shared universe to rival the MCU. Not only do Margaret and Kevin watch A Christmas Prince on Netflix in the first film, but those two characters (and their baby) make a cameo appearance at the coronation in the second movie. How could characters from a movie existing within one fictional universe show up, for real, in another? The only logical explanation is The Christmas Switch’s version of A Christmas Prince is a documentary based on the very real events of journalist Amber Moore and Prince Richard meeting and falling in love. The Netflix film The Christmas Inheritance shows up as an in-movie film across multiple Netflix movies, including The Princess Switch, and in A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby, a map shows that one of Aldovia’s nearby neighboring countries is Belgravia. 

What does this all mean? It may be too soon to tell. But Netflix could be crafting something far more sinister than Thanos collecting the Infinity stones. 

Mental Health in Princess Switch II

If there’s one thing The Princess Switch films do well its shining a light on the importance of self care and being true to your own ambitions. Lady Margaret wasn’t interested in entering into a marriage purely for the sake of the monarchy, and Stacy learned how to be more spontaneous and live in the moment. When it comes to handling depression, often times the first step is moving past some of those mental blocks that prevent you from taking that next step or that chance. Both Lady Margaret and Stacy learn to pursue what’s most beneficial for them, turning opportunities from “I can’t” or “I shouldn’t” to “I can” and “I get to”. Few things in life can get quite as complicated as love, and though The Princess Switch and its sequel don’t dive into the intricacies of maintaining a healthy, long-term relationship, it does provide some guidance on how to avoid being in the wrong one.

RORSCHACH RATING

The Princess Switch: Switched Again isn’t a teardown of Machiavellian royal rule nor is it particularly stunning in acting or story, but elements such as stunning costume design and an impressive showcase of characters from Vanessa Hudgens definitely puts this film in the recommended watch category. It won’t be for everybody, and some may abhor the ridiculousness and repetitive plot lines, but The Princess Switch: Switched Again brings something new to the table while rekindling the magic captured with the 2018 Vanessa Hudgens Christmas movie. 

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