Director: Alex Tcitsil'in
Fairy-tale expectations get flipped on their head in "Rebellious," an animated adventure where the princess in danger does most of the rescuing herself.
What is Rebellious about?
When an evil sorcerer kidnaps a headstrong princess on the eve of her engagement, the story sets up what looks like a familiar rescue quest, with her scholarly fiancé setting out to save her. But the film quickly subverts that setup: the princess spends far less time waiting to be saved than she does outsmarting her captors, testing the sorcerer's plans, and plotting her own way out. Meanwhile, her fiancé's journey leans more on cleverness and resourcefulness than brute heroics, giving the film's central couple complementary strengths instead of a one-sided rescue narrative. The result is a modern spin on classic fairy-tale structure, aimed at family audiences but built around a female lead who refuses to sit still.
Cast & crew
Vanessa Johansson voices the rebellious princess at the story's center, bringing sharp wit and stubborn courage to a character built to challenge fairy-tale convention. Erica D. Schroeder, Marc Thompson, and Sara Secora round out the voice cast alongside Jennifer Sun Bell, Anthony Sardinha, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld, and Jon St. John, each lending distinct personality to the sorcerer, the fiancé, and the wider ensemble of allies and adversaries the princess encounters along the way.
Context & significance
"Rebellious" belongs to a wave of animated films that take classic fairy-tale beats and rewrite them from the perspective of the character usually left waiting in the tower. Its co-production between Cyprus and the United Kingdom reflects a growing pattern of international animation studios collaborating on family-friendly features designed for broad, global audiences rather than a single home market. The film keeps its comedy light and its pacing brisk, favoring quick banter and visual gags over any darker edge, which keeps the tone approachable for younger viewers while still giving older kids and parents plenty to smile at.
Where & how to watch
"Rebellious" is available on K-Time with a free account login, offered with a Farsi-language interface and Persian dubbing for family viewing.