Utterly enchanting

Rating: 8/10 (3 March 2011)

Disney is back, in full bloom!
A very entertaining and funny family movie, with a story that will engage and amuse both adults and children. This is, of course, a movie about prince charming, but twisted, satirized and modernized. The movie mashes up all the archetypes of Disney fairy-telling and old-glamor musicals and revamps it by using a contemporary script and modern New York settings.
The movie departs from a 2D old-Disney-style movie, from where princess Giselle, prince Edward, servant Nathaniel, Hip the chipmunk, and Queen Mother Narissa will jump into New York, with their nonsense talking and schematic stereotypical behavior. In the human world they meet Robert Philip, a single lawyer good-hearted man who doesn't believe in romance or fairy-tales, and his young daughter Morgan, a lonely girl who wants magic in her life.
Amy Adams is truly terrific as Giselle, with the innocence, matter of fact behavior, and warmth that you can expect from a fairy-tale book character. Her face is very expressive and makes you believe anything and everything; she's is also great as singer of most of the songs in the movie. In fact, it is thanks to her that the movie is believable and carries on so well.
Really great is Timothy Spall in her Woody-Allen-ish Nathaniel, twisted between his love to the queen, his duty as his servant, and his increasing personal worry about self-love. Perfect in their roles are child actor Rachel Covey and Susan Sarandon, whose powerful physique is perfect for her role of witch-queen. Patrick Dempsey plays McDreamy once again, but, Oh well, his role suits McDreamy. The same can be said about a cartoon-ish and very handsome James Marsdem.
I loved the musical numbers, so very much in Mary Poppins and Sound of the Music's style. I loved that the different types of animation and special effects -2D, 3D, animal, and book style-, very cute and perfectly integrated in the story. I surprised myself laughing out loud and smiling wholeheartedly during most of the movie, which is the movie's merit.
A modern classic from the best possible Disney.