The Disney empire rakes in millions
of dollars, so why should we give them
another $8.50 to see “Enchanted”?
There have been many movies about
humans who wind up in animated
worlds, including “Who Framed Roger
Rabbit?” and even the infamous “Monkeybone.”
But “Enchanted” shows us
what happens when an animated Disney
princess, Giselle, arrives in our world
– in modern-day New York City, to
be exact.
Giselle, played by Amy Adams, disappears
from the kingdom of Andalasia
on the day of her wedding to Prince
Edward (James Marsden). Edward’s
evil stepmother, Queen Narissa (Susan
Sarandon), disguises herself as an old
woman, lures Giselle to a magical
fountain and pushes her in, wedding
dress and all. The fountain is a portal
from Andalasia to Times Square, where
Giselle naively wanders along for the
better part of an evening until jaded
divorce attorney and single father Robert
Philip (Patrick Dempsey) takes her in
after some persuasion from his 6-yearold
daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey).
Giselle finds ways to show gratitude
and share the joy of life and love with
Robert, Morgan and anyone she meets
– sometimes through song and dance,
of course.
The movie really gets fun when
Edward arrives in New York to search
for his beloved. He is accompanied
by Giselle’s squirrel friend Pip, and
then followed by Narissa’s henchman,
Nathaniel (Timothy Spall). Their quest
and the comic pratfalls that ensue help
move the plot along, but are enormously
entertaining.
The movie’s pace and plot are solid
until the end, where it seems a little
rushed. However, that is not a real
problem. Those of us who grew up
watching Disney movies and are watching
“Enchanted” are merely going along
for the ride. From a business perspective,
Disney stands to profit not only from
children’s ticket sales, but also from
those of us who are there for the ride.
The film pokes fun at the conventions
of traditional animated Disney fairy tales.
For example, Giselle’s “Happy Working
Song” spoofs the “Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs” ballad “Whistle While
You Work.” Instead of cuddly forest
animal helpers, Giselle is assisted by
cockroaches, rats and even a one-legged
pigeon.
“Enchanted” is a true Disney production
in every way, from the use of traditional
animation to the music featured in
the film. The music and lyrics come from
composers Alan Menken and Stephen
Schwartz, who are Disney legends in
their own right (Menken composed
music for “The Little Mermaid” and
“Beauty and the Beast,” while Schwartz
composed music for “Pocahontas” and
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame”). The
film is sprinkled with many references
to classic Disney staples, such as the
Bella Notte restaurant from “Lady and
the Tramp.” And look out for cameos
by Jodi Benson and Paige O’Hara, who
provided the voices for the princesses
Ariel and Belle, respectively.
Adams does a phenomenal job of
portraying the definitive fish out of the
water, a real life Disney princess thrust
into Manhattan (bonus points for being
able to dance and sing). Critics also
are hailing Susan Sarandon’s role as
Narissa, but the real scene stealer is James
Marsden, known best as Cyclops from
the “X-Men” movies. There is no reason
why Marsden’s dashing, good-looking
goof of a prince should be more appealing
than Dempsey’s cynical, brooding
lawyer, yet Prince Edward emerges as
the more engaging and sympathetic of
the two men. Your level of satisfaction
with the end of the movie ultimately
depends on which prince you would
rather spend happily ever after with.
(For the record, I would rather finish
Edward’s duet.)
There’s only one concern if you go
to see “Enchanted”: When you stand
in the box office line, look around and
estimate the number of small children
that will be in the theater with you.
Count on hearing, “Ew!” when true
love’s kiss is shown onscreen.
Grade: A