Disney's back, and they hit the mark!

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2008)

I remember the days of Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Mermaid. Some of you out there might actually be able to remember the days of Peter Pan, but I'm afraid I can only go back as far as the early '90s...
Enchanted is a very goofy, playful movie full of Disney jokes that poke fun at themselves. The reason I didn't give this movie more than 7 (a "good" rating in my opinion) is because it definitely didn't have the same feel as their older classics, but I really appreciated how Disney took a risk at making fun of itself for the sake of producing a truly entertaining and enjoyable film.
The acting was overall very well done with the whole cast. Amy Adams pulled off a blank, dreamy-eyed princess near perfectly; James Marsden played a similar prince very well and I was particularly impressed after having seen him as Cyclops for so long. Timothy Spall has definitely stood out to me lately in movies and I was very pleased to watch him on screen.
The plot, although generally typical for a Disney movie, took me by surprise. I knew it wouldn't be terribly "deep" per se, but I was shocked by how intricate they were with the story. Also, the theme was quite refreshing. The whole movie gave kids (and adults alike) a good idea of how to live properly IN the reality that we all occupy, but live FOR the dreams that are in our hearts.
There were a couple of complaints I had; although the music was quite enjoyable I was expecting some more musical numbers and a little more variety, and I kind of hoped for a movie with a little bit less "modern movie appeal" attached to it.
Overall, this movie was charming. It paid homage to classic Disney movies and it sort of revived something that we've begun to lose...a fun time at the movies.