So the reason the movie didn't work with her as a milkmaid or the blacksmith's daughter is because then they would have actually needed to give her some motivation and drive to be something, but this gaping hole in the story was filled by her being a princess. Wonderful, I think that's about the worst message we could possibly send to kids--don't worry, if you're lucky and born to the correct parents, you don't have to want to be anything, you already are.
The movie isn't bad,and the message isn't horrible, it's just... it could have been so much better. And I was going into it with this meta-knowledge that they experimented with making her not a princess and they felt like they could not make it work.
I kind of thought if there was one thing Hollywood had figured out not to leave out from a movie that it would be the protagonist wanting something! (this made me realize I have Snow White feelings I need to write down when not on my phone.)
She does want to not be a princess, and the whole thing is built around it so in that sense she does have a "big want." (There was an article I read years ago about a new musical being developed and it talked about the song where the main character expresses a "big want" and I just love that idea.) I just wish she had a better "big want" and that she accomplished it in a more satisfying way other than just stating it and everyone who was invested in her getting married all of a sudden agreeing.
This saddens me. I heard it seems visually inspired by Miyazaki; it's too bad they didn't see his heroines of all stripes and understand that his stakes ate always high because he invests in his young women as people with their own dreams.
Her dream is to get out of getting married, and she is quite vehement about that. I just wanted her to have a positive dream, something that she wanted to be or do beyond being a princess.
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