The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

The Princess Diaries 2 is what it is, a mediocre kids film that is more about thinking pink than thinking narrative. However, because of this, it works better as a DVD than a cinema release, allowing little girls to explore just how much saccharine it takes to make such a movie and allowing parents to leave the room when the sweetness starts to give them a headache.

Extras-wise, there is all the usual fare - scene selection, director's commentary, set up options, etc, but it is, unsurprisingly, the "bonus features" that offer the most fun. With deleted scenes, bloopers, games, quizzes and a backstage documentary to keep kids occupied, the DVD is great value for money if only because it'll keep little ones out of your hair for a good couple of hours.

The Deleted Scenes section and Royal Bloopers are more entertaining than the movie itself. Offering not just an insight into filmmaking but also an insight in the methods and motivations of director Garry Marshall, as he narrates and explains why scenes were dropped, or cut. All aimed at the youngest common denominator it could seem a little patronising to older children, but hopefully if they are old enough to feel patronised then they will be old enough to realise how trite the film is and leave within the first few minutes of watching.

Harsh? Maybe. Fair? Definitely. Bloopers are bloopers - it's always fun to see actors fluff their lines, fall over and generally fool around. The added bonus here is that it is queen of the silver screen, Julie Andrews, making mistakes - even adults will enjoy watching this.

With its cheesy teenager voice-over and mindless questions, the Inner Princess Quiz isn't the most sophisticated of DVD extras but then neither is its target audience. For another 20 minutes worth of parental downtime, it's worth pointing the remote at.

Finally, the Backstage Disney documentary looks at everything from the dynamics of the actors and their feelings towards the director (cue hilarious impressions of Marshall's oh so "Noo Yoik" accent) to the creation of the fictious Genovia on set in California. You mean, those Genovian palace halls are just a set? Who'd have thought it?

If you have little girls and want some free time, The Princess Diaries 2 DVD is a good investment. If you're after an intelligent and engaging look into the world of entertaining children's movies, put the box down, move away from the shelf......... and rent Shrek, instead.