December 5, 2007

Wonderfully Enchanted
Disney's latest is, well, enchanting

Jon Taylor l managing editor

Once upon a time, Disney Studios made good movies.

For a little while now, I have held the belief that the stereotypical definition of the fairy tale film died more than a decade ago, when Disney Studios was releasing animated films like the classic Aladdin and the immortal Beauty and the Beast.  As is with anything good, the company soon lost its magical touch and began to release animated tripe like Mulan and The Emperor’s New Groove and so on and so forth. 

Then, in 2001, something unexpected happened. 

Steven Spielberg’s production company DreamWorks, released a little blockbuster called Shrek – the first true fairy tale story to come out of Hollywood in many years.  Featuring a grouchy ogre, a predictable love story and laughs for toddlers and adults alike, the fairy tale was back.  Suddenly, Disney decided to get its act into gear, except they didn’t.  Straight to DVD “sequel” rubbish like Mulan 2 came out instead.

That is, until now.

Enchanted, Disney’s newest foray into the (slightly) animated fairy tale market, is easily the most surprising and enjoyable children's (and adults') fantasy of the year.  Taking its cues from mixed animation / live action classics like Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Enchanted begins in the animated world of Andalasia, where we meet Giselle (an insatiably cute Amy Adams), a young maiden destined to marry Prince Edward (James Marsden), thus becoming princess of all of the land.  Alas, there is a hitch, and Edward’s power-hungry mother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) banishes Giselle to a frightening alternate reality: Manhattan.

At this point, Enchanted takes a brilliant twist into the live-action world, with Giselle prancing around Times Square in a princess gown, asking passersby how she can get back to Andalasia.  Soon, the real world of New York City is flooded with previously animated characters like Prince Edward, Queen Narissa and Narissa’s henchman Nathaniel (a hilariously despicable Timothy Spall).  Giselle finds help in divorce lawyer Robert Phillip (McDreamy…err…Patrick Dempsey), who offers her a place to stay while she searches for Prince Edward and a route back to the animated world.

Giving away any more of this plot would be criminal. Even though Enchanted follows the general plot thread of all princess films, its script throws the audience for a loop more than a few times, sending the story in all sorts of inventive directions.  Look out for the Central Park musical sequence – I dare anyone, man, woman or child, to not giggle with delightful glee.

But the script is not the high point here.  The real standout in the already magnificent package that is Enchanted is Adams, who somehow displays her remarkable acting chops through the princess sheen of Giselle.  She made her first mark in the movie biz with a supporting actress Oscar nomination for 2005’s Junebug, which showcased Adams’ ability to portray what could have been a stereotypical character with absolute sincerity on the silver screen.  Enchanted is merely Adams’ latest stepping stone towards becoming an A-list actress in the vein of Reese Witherspoon or Rachel McAdams. 

Forget about the clichéd performance by Sarandon or the uselessness of Idina Menzel’s character - with Adams at the helm, the rest of Enchanted falls effortlessly into place.

In a market saturated with kiddie crap like Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (which had me willing my own death in a Williston movie theater), Enchanted is a fresh, fun take on fairy tales.

And moviegoers everywhere lived happily ever after.

GPA: 3.8