The Dancing Princesses story
A widowed king who is overly protective of his six daughters discovers that their dancing shoes are mysteriously being worn out every night, and offers to let any prince who can solve the mystery choose any of the six princesses to have as his bride, but when the cleverness of the eldest daughter proves too much for the princes, it is up to a wandering soldier to discover the secret. Starring Lesley Ann Warren as Princess Jeanetta, Peter Weller as the Soldier, Roy Dotrice as the King, Zelda Rubinstein as the Old Woman, Ian Abercrombie as the Royal Cobbler, and Max Wright as Prince Heinrick. Written by Maryedith Burrell. Directed by Peter Medak.
24 total · 13 major · 11 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| absolute monarchy | major | The king apparently ruled over a kingdom that he could dispose of as he pleased. |
| coping with a disobedient person | major | The father the king was hard put upon to deal with his secretive and disobedient female spawn. |
| dancing | major | Each of the sisters wore out one pair of dancing slippers each night, thus putting a notable strain on the kingdom's treasury coffers. |
| father and daughter | major | The story concerns an overprotective father and his six daughters. |
| invisibility | major | The soldier would never have discovered the six princesses' secret had he not acquired an enchanted cloak that rendered its wearer invisible. |
| invisibility ability | major | The soldier came into sole possession of an enchanted cloak that rendered its wearer invisible. This newfound power he used to uncover the secret of why the six princesses' dancing shoes were getting worn out every night. |
| keeping secrets | major | The six princess siblings went to elaborate ends to keep a secret from their father, the king. |
| overprotective parent | major | A royal lone father locked up his six daughters each night and was concerned about them slipping out somehow. |
| romantic courtship | major | The six princesses were sizing up their prospective suitors. |
| romantic love | major | The soldier and professed his love for Princess Jeanetta in the end. |