Offering hope to the hopeless

Rating: 8/10 (4 April 2009)

"Sire, do you like yourself?"
"What's not to like?"
It is the simplest exchange of dialogue in the movie. But underneath it, whether the director intended it or not, lies layers of meaning. Nethaniel, suddenly seeing things in the light of the real world, asks this question to Prince Charming, whom is looking for Giselle and still stuck in the magical-happy-go-lucky state of mind. Prince Charming is the representation of the old-school Disney, the very simple, clean, wholesome, lovable Disney that every single child grows up with. In the old-school days, dreams come true, the heroes and villains are defined, and beauty runs deep within the main heroine.
Nethaniel is new-school Disney, unsure of itself, lacking any posture or ability to stand up and become known. Enchanted is quite possibly the greatest meshing of old-school with new-school, and while Disney self-mocks itself, it also statuses itself as the last main white hope in the dreams of children and adults. In a world full of cynicism, disappointment, and uncertainty over the actions and motives of other people, we all need a little bit of pixie dust to continue life. The question is can an old-school princess survive in a new-school world? Or would the new-school world consume the hopes and mannerisms of our princess? Enchanted stands as one of Disney's best family movies outside the Pixar realm this decade, and ultimately is an amazing celebration of the Disney image and reputation that it has sustained (in roller coaster fashion) for nearly a century.
Enchanted is about a princess (Amy Adams) whom is flung into a world where "dreams don't come true" according to our main villain Narissa (Susan Surandon). The reason for this is so that Narissa can remain at the throne and Giselle and Prince Charming don't marry. Giselle (in real-life form) winds up in New York City, where she runs into a pessimistic divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) and his curious daughter. While waiting for Prince Charming to arrive to New York to save her, Giselle learns that her new setting is full of people that do not have hope in life and do not believe in a happy destiny. What's worse is that Prince Charming isn't the only one that makes his way to New York from the magical land.
The script, written way back in 1997, went through a major series of changes before the final product was unleashed. And my what a script it is. Full of Disney references that could open up an amazing drinking game and full of bubbly fun, the story and dialogue remain crisp, clean, and despite predictable, contains plenty of unpredictable curves. However, the script doesn't make the film: Amy Adams does. Her performance is one of the few in film history that should quality for an Academy Award win, but won't get the nomination because of the content. It's definitely hard to praise the performance of a Disney princess, but Adams does spectacular as Giselle singing and acting-wise; infusing a jolt of energy and spirit rarely ever seen by anybody out there. Beneath her beauty is a bubbly personality that's impossible not to like. Everyone else did a grand job, including James Marsden and Timothy Spall as Prince Charming and Nethaniel respectably.
Enchanted's charm comes from its celebration and references to past Disney princesses, and its message about finding hope in a lost world. Just like in the movie, we as a generation of people exposed to the negativity of the world on a minutely basis lose all sorts of hopes in all aspects of life. The Flapper era and the Baby Boomer saga are two eras that just might not be duplicated for a very long time; the care-free, happy-go-lucky, positive time period in which all is well with the world. Walt Disney Studios used to be able to bank on this sort of happy time period. After all, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty all came out in the 50s alone. Disneyland came out in 1955. That time has passed, this sort of eventual happiness nowadays passes off as clichéd. Even Enchanted itself was tough to watch at first because films nowadays just doesn't have that happy feeling throughout all 90-plus minutes. Even modern-day Disney flicks have a bit more gloom than before: see Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahantas, Aladdin, and dear goodness Fox and the Hound.
The film's greatest strength is more than its humor, charming characters, and ridiculously happy ending; it's the message of hope and finding sunshine in a cloudy day that's screaming out to you within the first, second, and even final acts. Old-school Disney values are flung into New York City and the payoff is grand. Then there's the adorable musical numbers and nice choreography. You just want to hug the movie for being so cute. Even a bitter cynic like me couldn't help but smile throughout the entire thing, no matter how ridiculous it might be.
Bottom Line: Disney's old-school allure can be found here, as the celebration of works past and present are sprinkled throughout a creative story full of easter eggs and adorable performances. Amy Adams runs this optimistic show as the film opens up a can of happiness to anyone that sees it; no matter how bitter you claim yourself to be. The film isn't absolute perfection, but easily one of the best live-action Disney works this entire decade. Despite the childish outer look, you must see it for the deeper messages of hope and love. Highly recommend, and its great fun for the entire family. Kudos to Disney for heading in the right direction after years of questionable decisions.
"Everybody has problems. Everybody has bad times. Do we sacrifice all the good times because of them?"
Not in Disney's watch.