Enchanted

Wow, what a treat this was! Enchanted, directed by Kevin Lima (Tarzan, A Goofy Movie) and written by Bill Kelly (Blast From the Past, Premonition), is certainly one of the most entertaining films of the year and easily one of the most fun to watch. The cast is magical, the plot is tremendously funny and lighthearted, and the animation/CGI is seamless in its capability to tell a natural, fun story. Enchanted surprised the daylights out of me with its entertaining spirit and joyous vibe, making it one of my favourite films of the year thus far.

Enchanted stars the luminous and magical Amy Adams as Giselle, a princess in the animated world of Andalasia. This animated world is over-the-top classic Disney stuff. Each woodland creature sings with glee and there is colour and song around every corner. Giselle is currently engaged to the handsome and bumbling Prince Charming (James Marsden) of course, but something goes terribly wrong when the Prince’s stepmother, the villainous and vile Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) throws Giselle into a magic portal. Giselle comes out on the other side of the portal in real-life Times Square and is suddenly very lost and alone. She meets divorce lawyer Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey) and their relationship begins, despite Robert’s feelings towards Giselle’s sunny “happy ever after” attitude. Eventually, the Prince, Queen, a henchman, and a chipmunk all make their way to New York to track down Giselle and right the ship, so to speak, on all things gone wrong back in Andalasia.

Enchanted works for so many reasons. First of all, it is a simplistic treat for all ages. Many movies claim to be designed “for all ages” and seriously miss the mark on at least one major demographic. Enchanted, however, nails the “all ages” aspect with its innovative charm and self-deprecating wit. It is, in and of itself, a parody of Disney’s princess genre of film. This is parody of a gentle sort, though, as it packs enough punch to lightly brush the surface and provide knowing, smiling glances between audience members as the songs and sweet moments pile up. The film features a lot of “soundalike” tunes, for example, that echo many of the major sentiments in Disney classics like Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White.

The second reason Enchanted works so well is built off of the first reason. Disney has constructed a film, in Enchanted, that builds on the legacy of past classics and shamelessly plugs them into this story. Enchanted does not win points for being unpredictable, but it also should not be unpredictable because of the nature it espouses. See, Enchanted functions as a story that we’ve all heard before rather than a fresh new tale for the whole family. What makes Enchanted work is its incessant self-awareness and ability to spin classic tales, weave them into one golden tapestry, and still turn out a convincing and charming narrative within itself.

Enchanted utilizes a slew of characters and moments from Disney classics. Giselle herself is modeled after Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Aurora of Sleeping Beauty, Belle of Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella. There are moments in the story to reflect these characterizations. For the most part, Giselle’s look is based around Ariel and her personality is based around Snow White. During the film’s animation introduction, which is done in refreshing classic 2D instead of CGI or 3D animation, Giselle uses animals to help her do chores in the same way that almost all of the Disney princesses have done in the past. The call she uses to get the animal’s assistance is, of course, the same call as used by Snow White. It’s hilarious.

Another reason Enchanted works like a charm is, quite simply, something I’ll call “The Amy Adams” variable. Mark my words on this one, kids, Amy Adams has arrived and Enchanted will do for Amy Adams what Mary Poppins did for Julie Andrews. Adams is so refreshing, lovable, light, and fun to watch on screen that it almost becomes unbearable. Enchanted is boosted into the stratosphere of legendary princess performances in Disney history because of Adams’ incredible performance and her ability to be ultimately lovable and flawless in a role that most other actresses would have overdone. Instead of being annoying, crass, loud, and terrifying like many other actresses could have been, Adams is the ultimate in sweet, kind, and caring in her role as Giselle. She is exciting, fun, flighty, and hilarious all at once. Amy Adams is one to watch, without a doubt, and has proven to be one of the top talents in film as a result of this film and her work in Junebug. She’s worth a serious look come Oscar time.

One final reason Enchanted works so well is the staple of any wonderful Disney production: the music. The music within Enchanted certainly has a rewarding pedigree. Accomplished songwriter and Broadway composer Alan Menken, who has worked on a slew of Disney classics including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Pocahontas, is at the helm for this one. The songs are homages to traditional Disney ballads and they work beautifully, producing big smiles along the way. Originally there were six songs for the film, but one was cut at the last moment. Five songs remained and they are all great. These are memorable, catchy tunes that are really magical. My favourite tune from the film happens to be “That’s How You Know,” a rousing song sung by Adams in a hilarious in-the-park segment as she sings to Patrick Dempsey. The song itself is a self-parody of Menken’s work in songs like “Under the Sea” and “Be Our Guest.”

So yeah, as you can probably tell, I liked Enchanted an awful lot. It’s hard not to completely gush about such a film because it is truly a remarkable experience. It’s rare to find such buoyant magic in cinema these days, as most films are interested in being serious about themselves and the art of classic self-parody seems left to those incapable of pulling off a properly enjoyable film. Instead, Enchanted contains one of the most charming leading actresses I’ve seen in years in Amy Adams, has some wonderful songs, and is highly entertaining throughout. It really is a firecracker of a film.

Trailer: