DVD Review: Enchanted
I have to admit, Enchanted was a much better movie than I was expecting. I was completely prepared to suffer through ninety minutes of your typical dopey teenage-girl movie that has one dimensional characters, little plot, and no humor. Thankfully, it turns out my fear was unjustified. This was a sweet movie with many humorous moments and characters that fun to follow. No, they didn't have a lot of depth to them, and neither did the plot, but for how it was put together, this really didn't matter too much.
Enchanted starts off in the animated world, in typical fairy tale fashion, though this feels a bit too cutesy. It seems out of place somehow, though only slightly, not enough to really make a difference, just doesn't quite feel like a typical Disney animated feature. Anyway, and Enchanted follows the story of a peasant girl named Giselle who meets a prince, and instantly falls in love with him (and him with her, of course). So after knowing each other all of about five seconds, the two decide to get married.
But Prince Edward's evil stepmother, Queen Narissa, is determined that this not happen, for if it does she would lose her crown, and so on the day Giselle and Edward are to be married, she disguises herself as an old lady and pushes Giselle through a portal that leads to our world.And why not? It seems like a foolproof plan. I don't see how anything could go wrong. Of course if she where a thorough evil witch, she would have actually killed Giselle before disposing of her body, you know, just in case. But apparently she knows that she's in a G-rated movie or something, because this doesn't happen.
So now Giselle finds herself the real world, and in New York no less, where people are not quite as polite as they are in her animated fairy tale world. After popping out of the magical manhole in the middle of the street wearing her big fluffy princess dress and getting whisked away by the crowds of people, she finally ends up alone on the streets of New York. After wandering around town for a bit, she eventually runs into single dad Robert Philip, a divorce lawyer who no longer believes in fairy tales or happily ever afters. Of course, this doesn't make him a monster or anything, so he allows Giselle to share the cab ride home with him and his daughter, Morgan, but only so that she can use the phone (of course he doesn't believe that she is a real soon-to-be princess).
Meanwhile, Giselle's squirrel friend alerts Edward that some old lady pushed Giselle into a portal, and like you'd expect from a brave fairy tale prince, he charges after her! New York is a big place, however, so tracking her down is going to be quite a challenge, especially if he keeps pointing that sword at everyone he meets. Queen Narissa doesn't like this, and sends her bumbling lackey after the prince to stop him from finding Giselle. You know, because nothing could go wrong by sending a clumsy easily-manipulable man to accomplish and extremely important task.
Anyway, I think you've got the basic idea here. It's all pretty straight forward, but it's also pretty sweet, charming, humorous, and enjoyable. It's not something I'd be dying to own, but it was fun to watch and I'm sure kids will love it. All of the fairy tale characters come-to-life are excellently played, and really do feel like something out of a children's storybook. The DVD contains a bunch of extra features, such as deleted scenes, bloopers, behind-the-scenes stuff, and a mini-adventure starring Pip the squirrel.
And now, for your enjoyment, here are some scenes depicted from Enchanted along with the classic Disney scene that was referenced in the film:
Enchanted, released by Walt Disney Video, is available starting March 18, 2008.
Press Release: Enchanted
An acclaimed new Disney classic with a hilarious twist casts a heartwarming spell when Enchanted comes to stunning Blu-ray High Definition and DVD on March 18, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Shining a witty and charming new light on a beloved genre, Enchanted is a modern day musical fairytale filled with uproarious surprises that the entire family will enjoy again and again. Both the Blu-ray Disc and DVD boast a vast kingdom of entertaining bonus features, including the trivia based BD-Java feature “The D-Files” available only on Blu-ray Disc.
Enchanted cleverly combines heartfelt romance with a gentle spoof of Disney films of the past as an animated heroine from a far away kingdom finds herself transformed into a real live woman in bustling New York City. Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams (2005 nominee for Best Supporting Actress; Junebug) leads an all-star cast as the lovely Giselle, a storybook princess-to-be lost in the Big Apple. Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon (1996 winner for Best Actress in a Leading Role; Dead Man Walking) plays the evil sorceress Narissa who exiles Giselle from her fairytale kingdom and James Marsden (Hairspray) is her handsome prince, with
Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as a contemporary knight in shining armor and Tony Award® winner Idina Menzel (2004 winner for Best Leading Actress in a Musical; “Wicked”) as his girlfriend Nancy who suspects Giselle might just be a little too good to be true.
The film features dazzling animation sequences, spectacular costumes and unforgettable songs by award-winning composers Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) and Stephen Schwartz (Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame).
BONUS FEATURES
The Enchanted DVD and Blu-ray Disc will magically transport viewers from Giselle’s animated home in Andalasia to live-action Times Square and back for an array of enchanting bonus features, including:
- PIP'S PREDICAMENT: A POP-UP ADVENTURE -Giselle’s chipmunk friend Pip stars in this new short—magical pop-up, storybook style. While Giselle gets used to life in New York, Pip embarks on a daring mission to rescue Prince Edward.
- FANTASY COMES TO LIFE -Discover the cinematic wizardry that went into the making of Enchanted in three behind-the-scenes featurettes: “Happy Working Song,” “That’s How You Know,” “A Blast at the Ball”
- DELETED SCENES -Including exclusive intros by director Kevin Lima
- BLOOPERS
The Blu-ray Disc contains all of the above, plus:
- THE D-FILES -Enchanted is loaded with witty hidden references to classic Disney films. The D-Files” rewards players who spot them with a short featurette showing the original Disney reference. High scoring players are treated to three extra special videos: “So Close,” “Making Ever Ever After” and “True Love’s Kiss.”
Enchanted begins in the animated fairytale land of Andalasia where the charming and perky Giselle (Amy Adams) instantly captures the heart of the dashing Prince Edward (James Marsden). Desperate to keep the young lovers apart in order to preserve her control of the throne, the prince’s evil mother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) transports Giselle from her whimsical homeland to the worst place she can think of—Times Square. Suddenly transformed from animated beauty into flesh and blood girl, the comely lass twirls her way through the urban jungle, blissfully unaware that dreams don’t always come true. Rescued from the streets by divorce lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey), who suspects she’d be better off in Bellevue, and pursued by Edward, who finds that a sword is useless against a modern day dragon—er, make that city bus—the eternally optimistic Giselle starts to wonder if “happily ever after” is what she really wants.