The Princess Who Had Never Laughed story
In a kingdom where all frivolity is banned, a princess who has grown up never knowing what laughter is decides that she will marry the first man who can make her laugh, but it takes a peasant's youngest son and his pig to bring out both the laughter and the truth. Starring Ellen Barkin as Princess Henrietta, Howie Mandel as Wienerhead Waldo, Howard Hesseman as the King, Sofia Coppola as Gwendolyn (credited as Domino Coppola), Michael Tucci as Lionel, Jackie Vernon as Phlegmatic Jack, and Barrie Ingham as the Tutor. Narrated by William Daniels. Written by David Felton. Directed by Mark Cullingham.
22 total · 1 choice · 8 major · 13 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| the need for rest and recreation | choice | A point of the story is that we need laughter in life. |
| absolute monarchy | major | Princess Henrietta was being groomed to succeed her father on the throne. |
| bird in a gilded cage | major | Princess Henrietta was a privileged royal brat who was thought to have everything a princess could ask for, yet she was not happy with being confined to her castle. |
| coming of age | major | The adolescent princess was learning to become a young woman. She no longer put up with her father's boring old ways. |
| father and daughter | major | Princess Henrietta came into conflict with her father, the king, over her not be aloud to have any fun. |
| intellectual development of a child | major | Efforts were made to cultivate the adolescent princess in the knowledge she'd require to rule over the kingdom once she succeeded her father on the throne. |
| romantic love | major | The story concluded with Princess Henrietta and the funny man Wienerhead Waldo falling in love. |
| uptight character vs. laid back character | major | In particular, the serious and ceremonious monarch was compared and contrasted with the young princess. |
| working hard vs. taking it easy in life | major | The story concerned the question of how much diligence vs. how much recreation one ought to strive for in life. |
| brother and brother | minor | Lionel looked down on his buffoon of a brother, Waldo. |