The films take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If the Stan Lee cameo in the second film is anything to go by. Braid! was a hit because no guest at the olive farmer benefit knew the story of Rosagunde
While Genovians very well know the tale of their first princess who strangled the man that tried conquering Italy and forcibly married her, it's a fairly esoteric story. Mia references it in passing for a creative writing assignment, explaining she's descended from Rosagunde. Lilly herself is shown to be ignorant about Genovia, causing her to become embarrassed when Michael shows that he studied up on the country. Thus, it wasn't just the in-universe Dancing Bear that Princess Mia was playing the lead — though that helped with the audience and Mia herself surprised that she can sing after the intense rehearsals — but the dancing bear that the story is quite shocking. Lilly even notes that Rosagunde's story has And Now You Must Marry Me, The Caligula, and Marital Rape License when Grandmere explains it. It also helps that Grandmere probably delegated the script to a ghostwriter, who turned a standard Cliché Storm into one heck of a showstopper so that the story was passable. Rene Took a Level in Jerkass because he wasn't ready to be a father
- For those who met Rene in Princess In Waiting, he seems to be enough of a Nice Guy with a Really Gets Around attitude. Rene and Mia are incompatible and cousins to boot when Grandmere tries shipping them together, and he covers for her while she leaves the ball early to see Michael. Then he knocked up Bella Trevanni, the Contessa's granddaughter, and was forced into a Shotgun Wedding with her. While he still has a charmed life — it's mentioned the Contessa bought an apartment for them in the Upper East Side of New York — any parent can tell you that a newborn is a dramatic change. You barely get any sleep and have to manage a crying or fussy child on a regular basis. Even if Rene and Bella got nannies and babysitters, that doesn't make parenting less of a responsibility, and Morgan is the result of their one-night stand. Thus ten years later, Morgan Alberto Trevanni is a well-meaning Spoiled Brat, and Rene decides if he can't be a prince in Italy or Genovian prime minister then he can kick his younger cousin Mia out of the palace when she's about to be crowned. The reason that Rene doesn't pay Olivia or Nisha for babysitting his son? He was too embarrassed to face the Grimaldis or Thermopolises after being busted for grave robbery.
