Princess Protection Program, starring Selena Gomez as small-town girl, Carter, who’s dad rescues endangered princesses for a living. His job is to put them in a Princess Protection Program where they will be relocated to somewhere safe. However, he saves Demi Lovato’s character, Princess Rosalinda, from Costa Luna which is being overrun by foreign terrorists attempting a coup d’états. While her mom is held hostage in Costa Luna, Rosie is relocated to stay with Carter and her dad where they become close friends despite their different backgrounds.

This movie, as you can probably tell from the brief summary, touches on some pretty deep topics. Rosie is away from home concerned about the safety of her mother and country. These storylines were essential to teaching kids from a young age about foreign conflict and real-world issues like terrorism and foreign violence. The idea of Rosie getting plucked from her home and family with absolutely no warning resembles the experiences of many immigrant children or children experiencing war in foreign countries. Though it’s unknown whether this was the intention of the movie, it is heartbreaking to see her facing displacement alone. Though many kids cannot relate, they can sympathize with Rosie and later sympathize with people with similar stories. Within these storylines aligns a lesson of trust, as Rosie is plucked from her home and does not know who she can trust with her secret of being in protection. When the time comes that she needs help, she can rely on Carter’s father and her dressmaker back in Costa Luna to ensure that she and her mother are safe. Showing young kids the importance of having trust in the adults in their life is an essential message.

When the girls first meet, Carter is quick to label Rosie as a spoiled princess without knowing what she is truly going through. She resents that Rosie is stealing her dad’s attention as well as the attention of her crush (who is actually just a jerk). Seeing how these two girls look beyond their differences and see how their values align is important for watchers to see. This message goes deeper than two girls just becoming friends. In a place where Rosie knows and trusts basically nobody, she and Carter find that their values for kindness, trust, and love for their parents align. In the end, Carter ends up risking her life by playing bait for terrorist leader General Kane to capture her instead of Rosie. This kind of sacrifice goes beyond the standard idea of friendship that is typically displayed in movies, especially ones aimed for children.

Aside from the deeper meaning, this movie is just a really good watch. Selena and Demi have great chemistry, and watching Rosie try to live a civilian life and massively failing at mundane things like eating a cheeseburger is very funny. And, of course, the happy ending where Rosie is reunited with her mother and becomes the Queen of Costa Luna is exciting (despite being somewhat predictable) after a lot of tension. All in all, an excellent movie and definitely an underrated flic.