Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato Bring Princess Protection Program to DVD June 30

Princess Protection Program starring Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato is releasing to DVD on June 30. Teenage Princess Rosalinda Marie Montoya Fiore (Demi Lovato) is about to become queen of Costa Luna, a tiny island nation. However, the general of Costa Luna's military General Magnus Kane (Johnny Ray Rodriguez) seizes control before the coronation, and the princess escapes -- way too easily -- with the help of Joe Mason (Tom Verica), agent in the covert international Princess Protection Program (PPP). Using no more than the slippery fruits at hand, Mason whisks Princess Rosalinda to safety where she is transformed. Huh? Weren't we shown four steps to make her "unrecognizable"???? Even after showing us scissors snipping away, Princess Rosalinda's hair and face look exactly the same. In any case, the ill-prepared and completely unchanged Princess Rosalinda, who now has the temporary name Rosie Gonzalez (which is sure to confuse any dictator), journeys with Mason to his rural Louisiana home where she meets his daughter Carter (Selena Gomez). Princess Rosalinda AKA Rosie Gonzalez must hide with the Masons as Carter's cousin until order is restored to her nation.

Princess Rosalinda, who was obviously given no training whatsoever by the Princess Protection Program in how to behave in her new habitat, must learn what it is like to be a normal American girl, and is that ever hard! In a cafeteria full of kids eating hamburgers, and knowing that her mother's life is in jeopardy if she blows her cover, Princess Rosalinda AKA Rosie Walks past numerous tables full of kids eating burgers and pays no attention to how they eat their burgers. She daintily places her napkin on the table, removes the hamburger from the tray, places it on the napkin, and proceeds to try to cut it up.

Although far from being remotely realistic, I have to admit Princess Protection Program has its good points. Much like Princess Diaries, Carter learns there is more to being a princess than fancy clothes and deportment, that being a princess should be about serving people. Actually Princess Protection Program is very derivative of Princess Diaries, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a cute movie, a sweet movie - an improbable and not very original movie, but Princess Protection Program is a great movie for your young ones.

This is the first time I have seen Demi Lovato or Selena Gomez in anything, and I was not expecting to be impressed. I was wrong. The shining star of Princess Protection Program is Selena Gomez. Wow! This is a nuanced actress who brings life to her character and makes the role much better than it was written. With the slew of singing teen actresses the Disney Channel has trotted out these past few years, Selena Gomez is the first one I have seen who can really act without looking like a caricature.

Princess Protection Program also stars Tom Verica ("American Dreams") as Joe Mason, Jamie Chung ("Samurai Girl") as Chelsea, Nick Braun as Ed, Samantha Droke ("Horton Hears a Who!") as Brooke and Robert Adamson as Donny. The Princess Protection Program DVD will be released as a special edition titled Princess Protection Program: Royal BFF Extended Edition"on June 30, 2009 and will feature an exclusive new music video of "One and the Same" performed by Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, a behind-the-scenes look at the film with the teen stars, and a free "B.F.F" necklace set. The Princess Protection Program runtime on DVD is 89 minutes long.