Movie Review: Enchanted

With Enchanted, director Kevin Lima and company simultaneously spoof, and pay tribute to, Walt Disney's animated classics. Unlike the Shrek films, which had a large seam of bitterness running through their Disney parodies (possibly due to Jeffrey Katzenberg's ouster from the Mouse House), Enchanted adds a truckload of sugar to help the medicine go down. And Enchanted goes down surprisingly easily.

A Fairy Tale in New York

In an animated sequence set to Julie Andrews' narration, we meet Giselle (Amy Adams), a Disney heroine from the old school. She catches the eye of the dashing Prince Edward (James Marsden) who, in fairy tale fashion, immediately decides that she is his one true love and asks her to marry him. Everyone is overjoyed, except for Edward's stepmother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), who worries that Edward's nuptuals might cost her her throne. So Narissa, after transforming herself into a hag a la Snow White, pushes Giselle into a magic well which leads to "a land where there are no happy endings." A land otherwise known as live-action New York City.

However, this being a G-rated Disney film, this otherwise harsh and unforgiving world must now play by different rules. Giselle quickly meets a jaded divorce lawyer named Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). While Morgan is quickly captivated, saying, "Daddy, I think she is a real princess!" Robert is dubious, believing that "dreams don't come true." No prizes if you guess that happens next.

Meanwhile, Prince Edward goes after Giselle, wreaking havoc along the way. Cue Queen Narissa, who realizes that her happy ending might be jeopardized by this, to also hit New York City. Hijinks ensue.

Amy Adams: Oscar Nominated Performance Sells Enchanted

Amy Adams is a major reason why Enchanted works. In a role that has already secured her an Oscar nomination, she becomes a real-life Disney princess, all fluting voice and fluttering hands. In that regard, she plays the character completely straight: it's the context of a Disney princess stranded in the "real" world that generates the laughs.

It doesn't hurt that Giselle's singing reshapes the world around her: in a brilliant spoof of Snow White's "Whistle While You Work," she summons rats, cockroaches and pigeons to help her clean Robert's messy condo.

And when there's some serious drama here, like the scene where Giselle experiences anger for the first time, Adams can switch between the two without compromising the comic aspects of the character. Kudos to Adams for delivering a comic performance that doesn't feel like she's attempting to be funny.

Speaking of the songs, Enchanted features the work of award-winning tunesmith Alan Menken, along with Stephen Schwartz, who wrote a whole slew of tunes for this movie. They wink towards classic Disney songs while adding their own spin: gotta love a tune which rhymes "determined" with "vermin."

James Marsden: A Star-Making Role?

However, the true find of this flick is James Marsden, who plays Prince Edward. A less skilled actor might have descended into out-and-out buffoonery when playing such a (ahem) cartoon character, but Marsden effortlessly switches between parody and pathos in this role. It's an incredible performance that should raise his profile in Hollywood.

Oh yes, further kudos to Bill Corso who rendered the make-up for Susan Sarandon's real-life 'hag' performance. An incredible job.

Enchanted has its flaws. Patrick Dempsey (Dr. McDreamy from Gray's Anatomy) doesn't do much more than react to the shenanigans around him, sometimes with only three stock expressions. Someone has to be the straight man in this flick, but straight doesn't mean wooden.

Despite the supervision of veteran Disney animator Andreas Deja, the animated sequences that bookend Enchanted really aren't up to Disney's usual standard. They're better than what most studios would consider "good enough," but the guys who brought us The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast should aim higher.

Oh yes, and seven drunken dwarves could drive a truck through the plot hole that sets up the final confrontation between Narissa and Giselle. I'm not giving away any details, but that was the only moment that pulled me out of the picture.

Is Enchanted a Good Movie?

If you wanted deep philosophical ruminations on our world, or heartrending drama, look elsewhere. Enchanted is pure cotton candy, a light-hearted confection of song, dance that takes the occasional affectionate jab at classic Disney animated movies. In that regard, it's all empty calories. But Enchanted is a very tasty treat, that delivers the tone of classic Disney animated movies, and some of the heart that was missing from the 1990's "animated renaissance." Walt would be impressed.

Enchanted poster

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