ENCHANTED
Reviewed by Sam Hatch
By all means, Disney's Enchanted should have been a third-rate straight-to-video (or straight-to-cable) distraction. All the more surprising that it fires on many more cylinders than one would expect, and is a truly entertaining piece of fluff that rightfully belongs in the same corporate pantheon as the many classic Disney films it spoofs and references.
Mixing live action and cel-drawn animation has been done many times by now, from the old dance-offs between Gene Kelly and Jerry Mouse to fellow Disney entries (such as the now-banned Song of the South and the later effort Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) to other studios' product like the smutty comic book romp of Cool World. While the subject matter is wildly different, Enchanted bears the most structural resemblance to that 1992 Ralph Bakshi bomb.
The film begins in traditional Disney animated style, with the introduction to the character Giselle (Amy Adams, playing an amalgam of such Big-D favorites as Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White). She daydreams of finding her one true love whilst cavorting with the numerous woodland critters who talk to her when they're not straightening up her nifty tree house.
Her Prince Charming is in this case Prince Edward (James Marsden), the last in line to inherit the Kingdom of Andalasia. Unfortunately his father is no longer animated (sorry), and his wicked stepmother Narissa (Susan Sarandon) has assumed control of the realm. She's a paranoid twist on the villains from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, and has Timothy Spall's character Nathaniel shadowing her stepson at all times, keeping him busy chasing trolls lest he find himself a dame and seriously consider a career on the throne.
When Edward's troll-smiting mission crosses paths with one of Giselle's lilting tunes, there's a cute moment where they instantly fall in love and begin finishing one another's sung phrases. An immediate marriage is scheduled, which is rudely interrupted by Narissa (posing as the apple-bearing hag from Snow White), who sidesteps her troubles by dumping Giselle into a magical fountain that transports her to current day, real world New York City.
This sort of material sounds like something that might have sat between copies of scripts for Mannequin and Howard the Duck back in the ‘80s, another reason that I'm fascinated by the fact that it works! Director Kevin Lima has handled some other family fare such as 102 Dalmatians and the animated Tarzan, but he shows an unexpected flair for composing interesting shots that are laced with oversaturated colors. For once, the live action bits don't look mundane compared to their animated counterparts. (I saw it in a digital presentation, and the thing was just beautiful)
Right off the bat there's a great overhead shot that wipes from Giselle's descent into a subway tunnel into her emergence from another locale. The film is also technically noteworthy in that it's another in the short list of movies with variable aspect ratios. The opening segment is presented academy standard flat (similar to the layout of a widescreen television screen), yet expands to anamorphic dimensions once Giselle enters our reality. The last time I remember seeing this done in theaters was with the three-ratio film Galaxy Quest (which was sadly pared down to only two ratios for its DVD release).
The plot (scripted by Bill Kelly) is a light confection about Giselle's encounters with Patrick Dempsey's realist divorce lawyer Robert Phillip and his wide-eyed daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey), the latter of whom is eager to bond with an older girl who just might be a real princess. Robert already has his own lady, a woman named Nancy (Idina Menzel) who he's been courting for years. Against his better judgment, he allows Giselle to crash at his pad for a night, opening a can of troublesome worms.
The following morning reveals one of the film's best moments, a singsong cleanup routine as Giselle makes do with whatever bestial helpers answer her beckoning yodel. In this case she spiffs up the messy single dad's pad with the aid of legions of pigeons, rats and cockroaches. It's a hilarious bit that almost resembles the underappreciated Joe's Apartment, and thumbs its nose at cartoon cliché's without trying too hard.
That effortless attribute accompanies the remainder of the film as well; as Giselle tries less to acclimate herself to this strange new world than she does convincing everyone else that fairy tale way is the only way. Amy Adams is simply superb in this role, and captures for real all of the wide-eyed cartoonish nuances that we've seen delivered via pencil and ink for so many years. She and her other countryfolk are played off as naïve instead of plain dumb, which is refreshing.
Dempsey is decent here as the straight man, and it's his routine sighs and eyeball rolls that express what we the audience should feel. He realizes early on (as do we) that he has no real choice but to accept all of the goofiness that accompanies Giselle. This grounding effect somehow makes the insanity surrounding him that much more infectious and fun, such as a simple stroll through Central Park that turns into a calypso sing-along with a cast of hundreds that would feel right at home in something along the lines of The Little Mermaid.
Disney mainstay Alan Menken contributes to the very catchy tunes, and fans of the Magic Kingdom will have other skirmishes with previous talent - for the original women who voiced Belle, Ariel and Pocahontas all receive bit parts. There are plenty more references and nods to the history of fairy tale cinema, but without the overt winking that made the first Shrek film so wearying.
Shortly after Giselle's introduction to Manhattan, the amorous Prince Edward also sets off into the magical well with both Nathaniel and his true love's favorite chipmunk Pip in tow. Pip is a cute character that's well realized through CGI, and is frustrated to find that his gift of speech has been downgraded into a series of squeaks and squeals in the real world. He knows what sort of vile deeds are being conducted, but is powerless to explain it all to the dim, amorous Edward.
Marsden is just about as great as Adams at this kind of role, and perfectly twists his face into a medley of exaggerated expressions of vain machismo. The film somehow manages to walk a tightrope that plays these characters just the right way – we're not constantly laughing at them, and their unflagging determination to retain their uncomplicated outlook on life is just plain fun. Of course the point is eventually made that while we can teach them a certain amount of modern sophistication, they can tell us a thing or two about love.
This comes to the fore in another funny scene in which Giselle sabotages a divorce hearing by convincing the sparring parties that they're making a big mistake. On the other hand, the point is made that just because you think you're obligated to be with someone, it doesn't mean you should if your heart isn't in it. Thus, a complicated web of romantic intentions is spun, but thankfully everyone is played so well that it doesn't feel like a cheat when things fall together without people getting emotionally wounded.
I've heard some complaints about the finale being overdrawn, but the eventual emergence of Sarandon's Narissa in the real world was worth the trouble in the long run. The ensuing showdown between her and Giselle might lack a totally convincing motive at that point, but it does lead to a fun and imaginatively rendered monster moment that once again references the classic Sleeping Beauty.
The film looks great, the songs are fun, and the cast (particularly Adams) is amazing at delivering humorous performances without ever cracking their deadpan veneer. Like I said, it should be a total mess, but somehow it pulls itself together and soars. (Perhaps the filmmakers had the help of roaches and rats.) Enchanted should be a blast for everyone within the family unit, and is the most entertaining non-Pixar family film from Disney that I've seen in a long time. It charmed my socks clean off!