“Enchanted” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Weaves A Spell
“Enchanted” is a holiday delight of a movie. The magical forces at the Walt Disney Studios assemble and create a movie that is a blend of the fantasy world and real life. Funny, musical and romantic – the movie pleases on all fronts. Amy Adams leads a cast of clever actors who help you suspend belief and plunge into the world of Disney where anything can happen.
The film opens like a Disney animated feature. A beautiful and sweet young woman named Giselle (Adams) lives in a tree house and is kept company by the animals and birds of the forest. She is ever hopeful of finding true love, which she does in the form of Prince Edward (James Marsden).
They meet and immediately plan to marry and live happily ever after. Before this can happen however Edward’s evil stepmother (Susan Sarandon) pushes Giselle down a well. When she climbs out of the well she is in the real world of New York City and no longer is a cartoon character but a real live girl.
Shortly thereafter Edward jumps down the well and emerges the same human way in New York. He is followed by Giselle’s chipmunk friend Pip (Kevin Lima) and Edward’s manservant Nathaniel (Timothy Spall).
While wandering the streets of New York, Giselle meets divorce attorney Robert Phillip (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). They take Giselle home with them and agree to help her find her way back to her home in Andalasia. Before that happens Giselle confronts daily life in the modern world.
All of this plot telling takes a little too long and there are some portions of the film that drag. Still the overall effect is good-natured fun that the entire family can enjoy. Plus there are a few musical numbers in the movie that lift the tempo of the film.
Adams is a delight as the wide-eyed Giselle. You can believe that her character is totally out of her element but learning as she goes along. She is a true Disney cartoon come to life. Marsden is equally as good as the faithful and sincere Edward. His is probably the better of the two performances as he must be overly eager to tackle the problems in this new world.
Dempsey is so into his role of Phillip that you never think that this is “McDreamy” acting a new part. He dances, he sings softly and he acts with heartfelt enthusiasm. It is a very romantic role and one Dempsey plays to perfection.
Sarandon is a little over the top as the villainous Queen, but Spall is a perfect foil for her rants and raves. Idina Menzel of “Wicked” fame is okay as Dempsey’s girlfriend. Her role doesn’t require much and that is what she gives it. Jodi Benson, who was the voice of Ariel in “The Little Mermaid,” appears briefly as Robert’s assistant Sam. Benson is a talented actress who deserves a bigger career than she has had.
The film is rated PG for mildly scary situations.
Children of all ages will enjoy “Enchanted” and so will adults. It is a festive and funny treat for the holidays. The Walt Disney Studio knows how to make audience pleasing movies and this is one of their best.
I scored “Enchanted” a spell binding 7 out of 10.
