Pros: Laughs, acting from the leads, lots of fun
Cons: A couple adult jokes, some two dimensional characters
The Bottom Line:
Very enchanting
As Disney spoofs fairytales
So many great laughs
Disney Spoofs Itself
When you think Disney animation, you probably think of their
classic fairytales. From Snow White to Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid,
these films have been loved by girls for generations. Yet, as the Shrek
franchise showed, this genre is ripe for mocking. Disney does that itself with
Enchanted, one of the most unique ideas for a movie I've seen in years. And it
is also a highly entertaining movie that will appeal to all ages.
Giselle (Amy Adams) is your standard, run of the mill
animated woman. Breaks out into song? Check. Carries on conversations with
animals? Check. Dreaming of true love's kiss? Check.
Prince Edward of Andalasia (James Marsden) is also dreaming
of finding his true love. At the orders of his evil step mother, the queen
(Susan Sarandon), he is kept occupied chasing trolls. That is until one day
when he overhears Giselle singing. Its love at first sight, and the two plan to
wed the next day.
Step Mommie Dearest doesn't take this lying down, however.
Disguising herself as an old hag, she pushes Giselle into a "magic wishing
well" that will really destroy all her dreams by sending her to some place
where dreams never come true - New
York City .
Meanwhile, there's Robert (Patrick Dempsey). Robert is a
single father living in New York City
who is about to propose to his girlfriend of five years. A divorce lawyer, he
is bitter and cynical.
When Giselle and Robert meet accidentally, Robert tries to
get out of helping Giselle, but he can't seem to get rid of her. He can't
decide what to make of this strange woman. And Giselle certainly doesn’t get
him or the real world.
But Prince Edward isn't taking the disappearance of his
sweetheart lying down. He sets out through the magic well to find Giselle. As
more and more fairytale characters keep coming to our world, what will happen?
Will any of these characters ever be the same again?
Okay, so what makes this movie so unique? It starts out with
2-D animation. (And don't get me started on the fact that Disney had to out
source the thing that made it famous). But once the characters go through the
well, the become flesh and blood people living in our world. Yet they expect
the rules of their world to apply to ours.
The movie does have moments where it spoofs certain
fairytale movies. But the majority of the film just spoofs the genre itself.
And those moments are absolutely hilarious. As Giselle gets the nearby city
creatures to help her clean Robert's apartment, she sings "Happy Little
Working Song," which had me in stitches. Giselle's best friend is a
talking chipmunk who discovers he can't talk in the real world. And the time
when Robert tries to stop Giselle from breaking into song in a park is
priceless.
The movie isn't all laughs, however. There are quite a few
serious moments as Giselle and Robert get to know one another. As they share
their expectations from life, a serious theme about real life verses fairytales
comes out. It's never preachy and is very well done.
The plot is fairly predictable. But then again, what
fairytale isn't? This isn't a movie about the end result. It's about having fun
on the journey along the way.
Robert and Giselle are the two main characters, and they are
very well developed. Over the course of the film, they both grow significantly.
Unfortunately, the other characters aren't as well drawn. They are rather
shallow and basically serve the plot. That's not to say they are bad. They just
aren't given any emotional development. The one exception to that is Robert's
fiancee, played by Idina Menzel. While she only has a few scenes, she becomes a
sympathetic character by the end.
Now this isn't a slight on the actors at all. The cast
uniformly does a great job bringing their characters to life. The animated
actors are all deliciously over the top. They're supposed to be, in keeping
with the animated world they inhabit. I had feared it would get annoying, but
it never did. The two standouts in the cast are (unsurprisingly), the two
leads. Patrick Dempsey expertly captures the frustration and curiosity his
character is feelings. But Amy Adams is a revelation. Giselle changes before
your eyes, and Amy captures every nuance perfectly. This is especially true in
the scene where she gets angry for the first time.
There are lots of special effects in the film. The live
action animals look to be a combination of computer effect and real animals.
Some scenes with the chipmunk are obviously animated, but you really don't
care. All of the effects are top notch and completely believable.
I wish I could stop here, but I can't. While this movie
doesn't go overboard with them, there are a couple sexual references thrown in
for the adults. Yes, they are funny. But they aren't exactly subtle. They may
lead to some questions after the film is over, so be forewarned.
Having said that, this is a movie that parents and kids can
certainly enjoy together. It's got a great theme and plenty of laughs and
action. Enchanted is a film that should entertain anyone who goes to see it.
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