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This
surprisingly enjoyable fish-out-of-water (well, more accurately:
Princess out of Pencil) tale is a fantastically fun, touching and
endlessly tongue in cheek affair in which classic Disney fairytale
collides with modern-day New York.
Enchanted
follows Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) from the animated land (literally)
of Andalasia who is thrust into the heart of the real world by an evil
Queen (Susan Sarandon) who will stop at nothing to ensure that her son,
Prince Edward (golden boy, James Marsden), doesn't marry Giselle.
However, soon after her arrival in the Big Apple, Princess Giselle's
views on life begin to change after a chance encounter with a single
father (Patrick Dempsey). The question begins to arise: Can Giselle's
storybook love survive in the harsh light of the real world?
This
is story telling at it's best. There's plenty of romance, slapstick and
cute & cuddly creatures for the kids (a rogue squirrel almost
upstages everyone in the film), and there's more than
enough nostalgic and relationship gags for the parents to keep everyone
pleased.
The film looks great, with the musical dance sequences
through Central Park simply sublime - you can't help but watch with a
child like grin on your face (Dempsey's characters warrants big laughs
when bemusingly asking several random passers by who are get
caught up in the spirit of an out-of-place musical number "How do you know this song? I've never heard it? You know it too?").
The
cast, too, deliver some great performances here - each playing it
serious enough, while still having fun being over the top in such
outrageous circumstances. Adams is superb as the Princess (her voice is
uncannily similar to the bounty of animated Disney female leads over
the years) who remains cute and charming despite being - what most
would consider - outright psychotic. Dempsey (everyone's favourite
comeback kid) delivers a McDreamy performance (although, I'm still not
convinced that he and Rob Lowe aren't actually the same person), while
Sarandon remains the sexiest older woman in Hollywood.
This
could have very well gone the other way (with a hokey story and
too-over-the-top performances) but director Kevin Lima has put together
a perfect mix of fantasy and reality wrapped in a funny and heart
warming package. Everything just seems to work.
We all want a fairytale ending - and Enchanted gives everyone a little bit of hope that it just might be possible. EXTRAS
Disney
have never disapointed in the past with Special Features, so it comes
as somewhat of a surprise that this release isn't totally up to their
normal standard. That said, it is still about 50 time more entertaining
that most other films are offering of late.
Included are a slew
of featurettes, the best of which is "Fantasy Comes To Life", while the
Bloopers are an always welcome addition to any Extras material.
Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 65%
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