Sometimes it’s fun to watch a movie just to get that childhood sense of wonder back. Enchanted, the new Disney film from director Kevin Lima, falls perfectly into this category.
The movie, a vibrant homage to Disney classics, begins with traditional 2-D animation. We discover Gisele (Amy Adams), an amalgam of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella, who lives in the forest of Andalasia with all of her animal friends.
Gisele meets Prince Edward (James Marsden), and the two fall in love and decide to get married the very next day. The prince’s mother-in-law, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), does not like the idea, as it could cost her the throne. She opts to get rid of Gisele by magically sending her would-be daughter-in-law to a cruel world: our own.
Gisele discovers New York City and meets Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a divorced lawyer and single dad who knows first-hand the dangers of believing in ‘happily-ever-after.’ Gisele will have to choose between her prince, who has come to rescue her and a new vision of what true love can be.
Enchanted, unlike Shrek or Hoodwinked, is not a simple parody of fairytale stories, but a modernized rethinking of the style. Alan Menken, composer for such childhood classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, wrote both the music and the delightful songs for this movie. In the “real world” of Enchanted, Princess Gisele’s songs are noteworthy for their humour.
One of the film’s particularly enjoyable moment finds the princess walking through Central Park, singing and making people around her join in, while Robert looks on, confused by the fact that they all seem to know the lyrics.
The great strength of Enchanted is the pleasure all the actors seem to have in giving it life. Amy Adams is charming, and keeps the mannerism of a cartoon princess throughout the film. Sarandon is deliciously evil and deserved more screen time.
Enchanted will leave you with a smile on your face and the songs will be stuck in your head for days. The movie is the perfect way to get in touch with your inner child and is bound to become a Holiday favourite.
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