The Princess and the Goblin

In a rugged, mountainous kingdom, the widowed King Joss Ackland departs to attend affairs of state, leaving his young daughter, Princess Irene, Sally Ann Marsh in the care of Looti, the Princess’s nanny Mollie Sugden. When Irene goes out, she strays into a forest where deformed animals corner her until a strange singing cuts through the danger. The singer is a cheerful young boy, Curdie Peter Murray, the son of a miner, who explains that the monsters are goblins and that their threat can be quieted by song. Yet many in the kingdom remain unaware or skeptical—only the royal family seems to have forgotten the goblins.

The next day, Irene discovers a magical secret door in her bedroom and climbs into a tower where she meets the spirit of her Great-Great-Grandmother, also named Irene Claire Bloom. Grandmother Irene warns that the Princess will soon be in grave danger.

Meanwhile, Curdie and his father work in the mines. Curdie falls through a pothole and slips into the goblin realm. Hidden, he follows the goblins to a vast cavern where the Goblin King Robin Lyons and the malevolent Goblin Queen Peggy Mount unveil their plan to flood the mines and drown humans. Froglip [Rik Mayall], the spoiled heir to the goblin throne, boasts that humans once exiled the goblins underground and that now they will take revenge.

Curdie escapes and warns his father, who plans to investigate the goblin kingdom. That night, Irene and Turnip follow an invisible thread the grandmother gave Irene, and are drawn back to the goblin realm to hear Froglip’s scheme to abduct the Princess and force reconciliation through marriage.

Back in the kingdom, the miners are warned and rush to shore up the tunnels against the flood. The goblins launch a surprise assault on the castle through a hidden tunnel, quickly gaining the upper hand.

Curdie shows the people how to fight—by stomping their feet and singing—so they can drive the goblins out of the castle. As the goblins retreat, they flood the tunnels, and water rushes toward the ramparts. Curdie realizes that if the miners succeed in directing the water, it will rise into the castle itself. He searches for Irene and finds her captive with Froglip on the battlements. With Irene’s help, Curdie knocks Froglip from the castle, ending his threat and saving the kingdom. As the waters recede, the realm celebrates their victory in song.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:01