A Truly Enchanting Movie; Disney At Its Finest

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 2008)

In many respects, I think "Enchanted" will hit home more powerfully with adults than children, although there's really nothing here that children wouldn't love too. It's just that this movie seemed to be a step back in time for Disney, to the stories and animation that I grew up with. While it will represent good entertainment for children, for me it was wonderful nostalgia; Disney the way Disney was meant to be. There are references throughout to the classic Disney stories (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella) and yet the story is refreshingly original with new characters and a plot that is both truly enchanting and hilarious at times.
The story starts in the animated story-book land of Andalasia, where Giselle meets her fairy tale Prince Edward and they prepare to be married. Unfortunately, Edward's stepmother Queen Narissa wants to prevent this, as once he marries, he becomes king, and so she banishes Giselle to modern day New York City. Here the movie becomes live action, and follows Giselle (now played brilliantly by Amy Adams) as she tries to come to terms with being lost in this mystifying new world. Here she meets Robert (Patrick Dempsey) - a divorce lawyer who doesn't believe in fairy tales but slowly becomes - well - enchanted with Giselle's sweet innocence. Eventually of course, Edward (James Marsden) comes to find Giselle, followed first by Narissa's henchman Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) and then by Narissa herself (Susan Sarandon). Let's just say that these three animated characters who come to life (along with Pip the Chipmunk, who also makes the journey) turn 21st century New York City on its head.
There's little not to like here, although I thought some of the charm was lost once Giselle started to lose some of her innocence and began to accept that life isn't always a fairy tale. That's true, of course, but in all honesty I liked her better as a straight fairy tale character come to life. The song and dance routines in this movie are exceptional, the scenes in which Giselle interacts with New York's wildlife (including pigeons, rats and cockroaches) are delightful and the interplay between the cast members is flawless. You basically know how this is going to turn out pretty early on, although I liked the final twist between Edward and Nancy (Idina Menzel) - Robert's girlfriend. Apparently both Robert and Nancy needed some fairy tale in their lives. It's a great Disney movie. 8/10