Disney Does The Unexpected...

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2009)

It is VERY, very seldom that I go out of my way to watch a PG-rated movie, let alone a Disney film, unless it happens to be one of the classics I grew up with, or it presents something completely fresh, new and unexpected. NOT three words I would usually associate with something from Disney these days, but now I stand forcefully corrected. Not only has Disney taken that time-honored, road-tested (and considerably worn-out) concept of "Happily Ever After" and completely subverted it, but they've done it in a way that's shocking, surprising and incredibly entertaining!
ENCHANTED is, I promise you, like nothing you have ever seen from "the Mouse House" before! Taking everything we've known about fairy-tale scenarios about princesses, handsome princes, evil stepmothers and "true love's kiss", it presents it all in a bright, shiny, delicate, bejeweled package with which everyone is more than a little familiar...then drops it off the Empire State Building!
Part-animation, part live-action and CG, and definitely part old-time musical, it's the wonderful story of Giselle, a fair maiden longing for her handsome prince, Edward, and the wonderful state of "happily ever after" bliss in which they'll live once they meet, fall into each other's arms and are immediately married.
You know what's coming next. Edward's mother, The Wicked Queen, isn't about to let some little "forest rat" take over her throne, so in a disguise that will be more than a little recognizable, she tricks Giselle on her wedding day and with one of those evil magic spells that every witch keeps handy, she sends the poor girl spinning into a place she never expected...THE REAL WORLD. But not just any part of it. TIMES SQUARE IN MANHATTAN!
I could go on for at least a dozen more paragraphs about how great, brilliant and hysterically FUNNY it is when Fairy Tale Land and the Real World come crashing together, complete with the truly startled kind of reactions you or I would have when faced with a princess, a handsome and slightly dangerous prince and even a "talking" chipmunk, but I will leave these wonders and the rapture of a tale well-told for you to discover yourself.
In the meantime, I have to give crazy props to the performances of all the actors who not only voice the principal characters, but play them in the "Real World" as well. Amy Adams is nothing short of perfect as Giselle, as she completely enraptures us with the arc of change she goes through, transitioning from fairy-tale princess wanna-be to a real woman with true feelings. James Marsden is hysterical as Edward, and Timothy Spall hits every comedic note just right as Nathaniel, Edward's sidekick and the Queen's lackey.
But these stories are only as good as the heroine and her nemesis are in them, and Susan Sarandon has a ball as Evil Incarnate. Channeling every wicked female figure in Disney lore, she owns the screen every time she's on it - in both real and animated form - and it's 50% because of her that ENCHANTED has a thrilling third act.
Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel and the supporting cast are all great, but this story definitely belongs to the leads. But most of all, dear moviegoer, it belongs to you, because without our suspension of disbelief, who would even care about what happens in the beautiful, "ENCHANTED" realm of Andalasia or even its not-so-moondust sprinkled counterpart, good old N.Y.C.?
Disney never stopped making family movies, but it's good for once to see one truly made for the ENTIRE family - kids and adults alike.