Truly enchanting with a fine mix of 2D animation, live-action and CGI plus several references to other Disney films

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 2013)

I've rented this film a few times and have thoroughly enjoyed it. While it's a little overlong for my tastes, it was swiftly paced and had plenty of scenes to enchant me. It was also the first time I'd ever heard of Amy Adams, who was sweet and full of determination as Giselle.
The opening animated sequence, which makes up the first 10 minutes of the film, is fluid and brightly-coloured with a style that is reminiscent of Disney Rennaisance films such as 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'The Little Mermaid' and I enjoyed watching the characters from Andalasia in live action form trying to get used to New York. The dialogue is mostly original for a fairytale-themed film with some clever perceptions of certain objects such as Giselle thinking a billboard advertisement is a castle and Prince Edward believing the TV in his hotel room is a mirror. I was amused by spotting the many Disney film references, particularly 'Snow White,' 'Cinderella' and 'Sleeping Beauty' as well as the name of the Italian restaurant being a nod to 'Bella Notte' from 'Lady and the Tramp.' As for the musical score, it is very fitting for the film's theme and beautiful, especially when Pip the chipmunk tries to act out Nathaniel trying to poison Giselle with an apple and the orchestral versions of 'True Love's Kiss', whimsical and has the odd use of haunting choral vocals, particularly during Queen Narissa's live action parts. My favourite songs from the film are 'True Love's Kiss,' 'Happy Working Song (reminiscent of 'Whistle While You Work'),' 'That's How You Know (the catchiest of them all and reminds me of 'Under The Sea')' and Carrie Underwood's 'Ever Ever After' that plays towards the end. The cinematography is creative and I especially like the camera work when Giselle's arm drops to the the floor, the poisoned apple rolls down the stairs and onto the ballroom floor - a very dramatic shot indeed. Further to the apple, I liked the brief running gag of Nathaniel offering Giselle a caramel apple and an apple martini in disguise. The cast did a great job with playing their parts and I liked how they used their actual voices for the voice acting in the animated segments. I also liked the pop-up book segments and it reminded me of a technique used in the 'Longman Video Classic Nursery Rhymes' video I watched a lot as a child.
Like 'The Princess and the Frog,' this film uses the Disney fairytale formula with modern twists perfectly and is the best film combining animation and live action since 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' 9/10.