At the beginning of the film, she is originally an archetypal Disney princess. Because she lives in the perfect fantasy world of Andalasia, she has barely felt emotions that are rare to the land such as frustration and anger, which, of course, are common on Earth. She dreams of having her own Prince Charming, whom she will fall in love with and live happily ever after. She also loves animals, who help her both in Andalasia and on Earth.
When she comes to New York City, her experiences in Andalasia make her blind and naive to the complexity of Earth and she becomes rather distressed and confused during her first night in New York. Her naivety also tends to frustrate Robert, who had agreed to let her stay with him until Edward, her dream prince from Andalasia comes for her. However, over the course of the film, her experiences on Earth with Robert open her up to a more complex world she had never experienced in Andalasia, along with introducing her to emotions such as anger and sadness. She also grows into a mother figure for Robert's daughter, Morgan.