Movie Review: Enchanted

Stars: 5 out of 5
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.