Line #42 WesternAnimation/PrincessSissi


1	[[quoteright:223:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princesssissi_3003.jpg]]
2
3	''Princess Sissi'' is a 1997 French/Canadian animated series created by Creator/CineGroupe and Creator/SabanEntertainment subsidiary [[Creator/SIPAnimation Saban International Paris]], ''very loosely'' based on the younger years of [[UsefulNotes/ElisabethOfAustria Elisabeth of Bavaria]].
4
5	More specifically, the story focuses on the plucky young farm girl nicknamed Sissi who falls in love with Prince Franz from Austria. The rest of the series tells of the trials and troubles it takes for the two of them to actually get married. There's her future mother-in-law, who's looking for a better girl to marry her son; political tensions, Sissi's own father, and lots of danger and wacky adventures in between.
6
7	The show aired in France, Canada, Italy, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, the United Kingdom and some countries of Latin America (through Discovery Channel in the late 90s). Several [=DVDs=] have been released in Germany.
8
9	Compare ''WesternAnimation/LibertysKids'', an American series with similar animation and [[HistoricalFiction genre]], and ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'', a deeply cynical (but [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane possibly more fantastic]]) musical also based on Elisabeth of Bavaria.
10
11	----
12
13	!! Tropes related to the series:
14	* AdaptationalDyeJob: The historical Sissi had brown hair. Here she is portrayed with golden hair.
15	* AlternativeForeignThemeSong:
16	** The original French version of the series did use the standard "Rien ni personne" ("Nobody Else") and ""Si simplement Sissi" ("Let Me Be Myself And Stay") songs for the opening and closing respectively, the second season swapped the songs around.
17	** The Italian dub also used the closing theme as its opening.
18	** The German dub utilized a completely different song, titled "So Far Away From Sorrow".
19	* AnachronismStew:
20	** A gorilla among the animals of Zaniouchka Circus. Captive gorillas were brought in Europe only by the end of 19th century and only as young animals that died early.
21	** Submarine and airship depicted in the series are too advanced for the time of Sissi's youth.
22	* AristocratsAreEvil: Arkas holds the title of Count, though his county is never identified by name, and is one the two main villains of the series.
23	* ArrangedMarriage: Several attempts.
24	* ArtisticLicenceHistory: ''In spades''.
25	** While Elisabeth did indeed having a younger brother named Karl, Karl-Theodor to be precise, he was her junior by two years. Konrad and Tina are inventions of the series with no mention of her elder brother Ludwig Wilhelm or her actual younger siblings Maria Sophie, Mathilde Ludovika, Sophie Charlotte and Maximilian Emmanuel. Helene does appear, but she is made an unrelated character.
26	** In actual history, Elisabeth's mother Ludovika was the sister of Franz Joseph's mother Sophie, meaning the couple was a real life example of KissingCousins. For understandable reasons, this piece of information was left out.
27	** While one would get the impression that Sophie was a widow, not only was her husband Archduke Franz Karl of Austria still alive at the time the series takes place, he actually outlived her by six years.
28	* BetaCouple: Colonel Andrassy and Ida.
29	* BigBadEnsemble: Arkas and Zotornick. They are both two of the few villains or antagonists not to undergo a HeelFaceTurn and are the ones who are defeated in the climax of the final episode.
30	* CatchPhrase: Tina's cute "Simple as that!" Also, Fritz's ridiculous "By golly!", which is mocked when Sissi tries to expose him.
31	* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Sissi seems to suffer from it, rescuing a girl from a roof and Helena among others even when inconvenient.
32	* ConnectedAllAlong: Tommy was directly separated from his father as an infant by the actions of [[spoiler:Count Arkas]].
33	* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Young Tommy, Sissi's friend and most regular sidekick, was raised in a Bavarian orphanage before running away to live in the forest. [[spoiler:He and his father finally find each other in episode forty-three, although they do not realize it until episode forty-seven.]]
34	* CountryMouse: Sissi.
35	* DecompositeCharacter: Due to Helena having been Sissi's sister in real life, this means her father in the series is one of Duke Max.
36	* EasyAmnesia: While in Venice, Arkas loses and regains his memories multiple times by getting slammed by doors. Without remembering who he is, [[AmnesiacDissonance Arkas is a kind, honest, contrite man]].
37	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Sissi scales a mountain to rescue her brothers in the first episode, displaying her courage, tomboyishness, and devotion to her family.
38	%%* FeudingFamilies
39	* GildedCage: Episode sixteen's title refers to this, as when Sissi is alone as royalty without Franz, she's trapped into learning dull manners.
40	* GoldDigger: Helena wants to marry Franz to be the Empress.
41	* HappilyMarried: Sissi's parents, Duke Max and Ludovica, are very much in love.
42	* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Not so much with Sissi, who was beautiful to begin with, but Franz and others are really JustForFun/{{egregious}} cases.
43	%%* HistoricalFiction
44	* HistoricalHeroUpgrade:
45	** While Sissi ''was'' very beautiful in RealLife, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_of_Bavaria she was much more of a]] BrokenBird, [[FishOutOfWater unable to withstand the pressure coming from the Habsburg Court]] and [[BreakTheCutie plagued by disgraces and illnesses]]. The TV series makes her a borderline PuritySue instead.
46	** By sheer virtue of this taking place long before World War I, Franz Joseph I of Austria, here simply called "Franz", has a more positive portrayal than would be possible if this was not about Sissi.
47	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Helene_in_Bavaria Helena.]] In RealLife, after an HeroicBSOD that almost had her becoming a nun, Nene actually got over Franz and was HappilyMarried to the Prince of Thurn Und Taxis (and not to mention, she and Sissi were close enough to have Sissi right next to Nene's deathbed when she died). In the series, she's an ungrateful and clingy GoldDigger who ''hates'' Sissi with all of her soul and won't stop causing trouble to her. And the historical Helena was Elisabeth's ''sister'', while the series denied their relation for the sake of turning the former one into an AlphaBitch Sissi's {{Rival}}.
48	* HotBlooded: Morgash, the second-in-command of the Hungarian rebellion. His tendency to make rash judgements and use violence causes many problems. When he is spurned by Sissi, and led to believe it is because she is in love with Gyula Andrassy, he tries to get her ''arrested''.
49	* IdenticalStranger: [[SnakeOilSalesman Fritz]] for Franz.
50	* IdenticalTwinIDTag: For Sissi's brothers, Kyle and Konrad. Kyle's hair and clothes are always tousled compared to Konrad.
51	* InHarmonyWithNature: Tommy is at home in the woods and can communicate with animals for the most part, hence why his foster mother calls him a "wild boy".
52	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Empress Sophia trusts Zottornick and Helena because they know the sweet words to get on her good side, but she doesn't trust Sissi because of her BrutalHonesty.
53	* {{Jerkass}}: Count Arkas and Helena are both lacking in anything resembling redeeming qualities.
54	* MeaningfulName: Sissi's names her horse Tempest, a turbulent wind, after seeing how fast and wild he is.
55	%%* {{Melodrama}}
56	* MoralityPet: Zottornick's only positive qualities are his fondness for his pet dog, Demon, and Sissi's pet parrot, Gossip (which is rather inexplicable, given that Gossip proves time and time again that he hates and has absolutely no loyalty towards Zottornick).
57	* ObliviouslyEvil: Helena is placed in charge of orphans. While her attempts at keeping them entertained ''appear'' to be genuine, they are poorly-thought out and borderline-dangerous; she tries to get them to play with a snarling Doberman, Zottornick's aptly named Demon no less, that she can barely control, and later she more or less forces them to frolic in the snow and do things like build snowmen even though it is freezing out and they are poorly clothed. She eventually just gives up and starts using them as servants.
58	* ObnoxiousInLaws: Mean old Empress Sophia, constantly coming up with other brides for Franz.
59	* ObviouslyEvil: One should really wonder why Empress Sophia trusts Councillor Zottornick so blindly, given his pale scrawny face, EvilEyebrows, [[BaldOfEvil bald]] head and his [[EvilSoundsDeep deep sounding voice]]. [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/princess-sissi/images/5/5c/Councillor_Zottornick.png/revision/latest?cb=20130817092650 He really looks like someone you should trust blindly, don't you think?]]
60	%%* ParentalMarriageVeto
61	* PetTheDog: Empress Sophia is a snobbish ControlFreak who adheres to protocol like a religion, but she has been known to show leniency when humbled or impressed enough. She improves vastly in episode forty-five, when she finally approves of Sissi and becomes more open to breaking tradition.
62	* PimpedOutDress: ''Especially'' that [[spoiler:wedding dress!]]
63	* PinkMeansFeminine: Some of her dresses, including her peasant dress.
64	* PluckyGirl: Sissi.
65	* PrettyInMink: Sissi has a white winter coat trimmed with fur.
66	* PuppetKing: What Councillor Zottornick tries to turn Empress Sophia into. The reason he is so against Sissi marrying Franz is because he knows he can't control her so easily.
67	%%* RequisiteRoyalRegalia
68	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething:
69	** Max is Duke of Bavaria and personally cares for his peoples' needs whenever he can. Sissi takes after her father's example.
70	** Franz and Karl become this the more they're inspired by Sissi.
71	* SavingTheOrphanage: Sissi almost can't thanks to political slander but succeeds anyways.
72	* SiblingTriangle: Downplayed; Franz's brother Karl is in love with Sissi as well, but he cares too much about her and Franz's happiness to stand in their way and therefore cannot be considered a rival.
73	* SpoiledBrat: Helena is spoiled to the core, throwing tantrums if she doesn't immediately get everything she wants on a silver platter. She's only interested in Franz for the perks being Empress would give her and would be utterly content letting Zottornick rule Austria from the shadows with her on the throne.
74	* StarCrossedLovers: Most of the plot comes from Sissi and Franz being torn apart time and time again.
75	* UngratefulBastard: Helena, even after Sissi saves her from drowning.
76	* TheUnintelligible: Helena's father, Herbert von Grossberg. It gets played for drama when Empress Sophia is unable to understand his attempt at explaining to her that Zottornick is a traitor who has just orchestrated the possible deaths of Franz and Karl.
77	* UnrelatedInTheAdaptation: Sissi and Helena were sisters in real life and Sophie their maternal aunt, making them cousins to Franz and Karl.

Context WesternAnimation / PrincessSissi