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There are two things Walt Disney Pictures holiday film extravaganza Enchanted is and is not. It is not a classic Disney fairy tale, and yet it is a classic Disney fairy tale. That is to say all the essential elements—or at least the things we think are essential elements—of a Disney fairy tale are there in a modern contemporay way in Enchanted.
Enchanted, the story of Giselle (Amy Adams), a fairy-tale princess’ misadventures in modern day Manhattan, is a bit slow to get going, but once airborne it becomes one of the most, well, enchanting films from Disney since Aladdin or Mulan.
Our brief visit to the animated world of Andalasia is a super-concentrated version of every Disney animated fairy tale ever made, complete with moppet, wide-eyed, forest creatures that sing and dance as they entertain and assist Giselle.
Of course, there’s also Prince Edward (James Marsden), the requisite charming prince about the forest and all-round troll slayer, and the evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), who just happens to be Edward’s mom.
Giselle and Edward meet—during one of those troll events—fall in love, plan to wed the following day, and live happily ever after, all while singing their hearts out.
The all-seeing, all-paranoid, and basically very insecure Narissa learns of Edward’s plans and immediately sees Giselle as a threat to her throne. Something must be done! And quicker, literally, than you can say Magic Mirror, she concocts a plan, transforms herself into an old hag, and throws Giselle down the well to “someplace where there’s never a happily ever after.”
That would be New York—Manhattan to be exact.
Here, our princess out-of-water is quickly introduced to the harsh realities of life in the real world. Here, too, is where one of a series of pivotal moments within Enchanted takes place.
Early in the film, director Kevin Lima (Tarzan, 102 Dalmatians), Adams (as Giselle), and Patrick Dempsey (playing single dad and divorce lawyer Robert Philip) must convince the audience that it’s perfectly alright for a man living in New York with his young daughter to invite a seemingly daft young woman dressed in an outlandishly huge wedding gown to spend the night in their home, which of course is exactly what seven-year-old Morgan Philip (Rachel Covey) wants.
If the audience doesn’t buy into this moment, the remainder of the film risks descending into a cliché-riddled characterization of fairy tale lore. Thanks, due in large part, to Adams heartfelt organic performance, we are given permission to go along with this improbable idea when Giselle genuinely thanks Robert for his somewhat sarcastic “Welcome to New York.”
From that point, Robert stands in for all our skepticism and makes it possible for us to accept all the implausible events that follow. Not the least of which is a full-blown musical production number at various locales throughout Central Park, which concludes with an all-stops-out finale in front of the Bethesda fountain.
Enchanted ©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Photo Credit: Barry Wetcher/SMPSP Amy Adams.
Laughter Ever After
Prince Edward, now aware of his true love’s fate, follows Giselle down the well and, quicker than you can say Verizon—the owners of the manhole used in the film—pops up in Times Square and sets upon his own series of misadventures. As Edward, James Marsden never misses a beat and does a remarkable job of keeping his cartoon persona hysterically viable and intact throughout his time in our world.
Sarandon also, as Queen Narissa, makes a spectacular Times Square entrance into the real world. She is the perfect blend of regal and evil as she dismissively marches across traffic in a commanding gate that will have drag queens across the country falling all over themselves to recreate.
Sarandon’s comedic timing is perfect, whether she’s working under Rick Baker’s makeup for the Old Hag or as Narissa decked out in a spectacular gown by Mona May.
Also turning in outstanding performances are Timothy Spall (Wormtail from the Harry Potter films) as Narissa’s henchman Nathaniel and Idina Menzel (Wicked), who, despite her Tony Award-winning background, never breaks into song in Enchanted.
In fact, one of the reasons Enchanted works as well as it does is that the entire cast plays it straight throughout the film. No winking at the audience. No letting anyone in on the joke.
And jokes aplenty there are!
I saw Enchanted with a mixed audience of members of the media, along with dozens of families with children. At this screening, at least, the adults laughed longer and louder than the kids. In fact, several times during the film, many of the kids got a bit bored, even as their folks were mesmerized by Enchanted’s spell.
Enchanted ©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Photo Credit: Barry Wetcher/SMPSP Patrick Dempsey (left) Amy Adams (right).
Additionally, by his own admission, director Kevin Lima went “a little crazy” filling virtually every scene in Enchanted with Disney icons, such as the recreation of a famous ballroom dance sequence from a classic Disney animated feature. According to the film’s producers, “there are hundreds of these" ionic moments throughout the movie.
Of course, no Disney fairy tale would be complete without songs and, as previously mentioned, there’s that big production number That’s How You Know in New York’s Central Park. Like the rest of Enchanted, the bright, bubbling original music and songs from composer Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz (Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame) are both familiar and contemporary.
As for all those visual Disney sight gags in Enchanted, I suggest waiting for the DVD to spot them all, so that you don’t miss a minute of the film.—A
Walt Disney Pictures Presents
Enchanted
Rated: “PG-13”
Directed by Kevin Lima
Written by Bill Kelly
Produced by Barry Josephson and Barry Sonnenfeld
Executive Producers Chris Chase, Sunil Perkash, Ezra Swerdlow
