Enchanted

I had originally planned not to see this film ("Disney? Nah!") , but I did, for two good reasons: first, it starred the STILL woefully unappreciated Amy Adams (and if you haven't yet seen "Junebug", go rent it; you'll see why see got a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work in that film), and second, my sister, a soccer mom with no tolerance for treacle, told me that it was something adults would enjoy. She was right, but on matters of popular culture, she always is. The action begins in the (animated) kingdom of Andalasia. Adams is charming as Giselle, the naive fairy tale maiden who falls in love with her prince, agrees to marry him as soon as they meet (this is Andalasia, not Earth) and is banished on her wedding day (the next morning) by his mother, the Wicked Queen, to a place "where there are no happily ever afters": Manhattan. There, in her full length hoopskirted bridal gown, she is adrift, vainly searching for some way to get back to her Prince, until she is reluctantly given shelter by a single father (Patrick Dempsey) and his little daughter, who sees more in Giselle than her father does. A special treat for me was seeing the places where I used to work, places I miss seeing and used to take for granted - Columbus Circle, Central Park, even the Time-Warner building! (I worked in the Paine Webber building). My spouse and I used to drive to work, and were always frustrated when the crosstown road running through Central Park was closed (or slowed down by rubberneckers looking for celebrities) because someone was making a movie. But in this instance, the time they took was well worth it. As Giselle, Adams is both beguiling and funny in a natural, artless way. As Edward, her Prince, who goes to Manhattan to find his Giselle, James Marsden is an absolute hoot. I've never seen a human being look so much like a Disney cartoon prince as Marsden does, and I don't intend that as an insult - he's just uncannily perfect-looking. He takes the role of Edward and plays it with such a goofy brio that I couldn't help but be delighted by his performance. This may be a fairy tale, but is is, for the most part, set in New York City, and so there are thousands of extras other than people - rats, pigeons, waterbugs and assorted vermin are the City's version of the "woodland creatures" who love and are loved by Giselle. New Yorkers will appreciate the nod to the realities of Manhattan, because a Manhattan without vermin is WAY too unrealistic, even for a fairy tale :) I don't want to say too much about the story, but I will say that it's a thoroughly enjoyable film. The ending sung, sung by Carrie Underwood, is pretty good too.

This movie is pure magic - a true gift to all movie viewers of all ages. In this day and age it is so important to have a movie that just makes you feel good and manages to give you a natural high. This movie is so well crafted. The story is very original - cartoon characters coming to life - but it could have been silly. Instead, it is handled by only the most talented at all levels from director to A++++ actors to bring pure art together. Amy Adams as the princess is a revelation. She inhabits this character with all she has. The princess becomes very real and you experience all the wonders of the world with her. Her comedic timing is impeccable and her singing is glorious. Adding Patrick Dempsey as her real life Prince Charming was ingenious casting. It is so great to see him away from Grey's Anatomy. He is a class act and truly personifies all that is good and caring in this world. He also manages to make his character believable and not a caricature. When the movie bursts into song your heart will sing. It is amazing. The entire package of this film from beginning to end is pure magic and a journey for people of all ages to take. Show it to your kids so they can see that positive, happy feelings are possible. And for me, being 47, I recommend it to all adults. It will make you see how we all become a little jaded in life and it reminds us that the world can be magic and love is the greatest gift of all. True love's first kiss. This movie will become a Disney classic. It ranks up there wih the best of them like Mary Poppins. It is honestly one of the best and most feel good movies I have ever seen. Kudos to ereryone involved and highly recommended.

Fortunately for us in Australia, not just the USA, Walt Disney was forging ahead in leaps and bounds in both cinematic releases and television right up to his death in 1966. With television only being introduced in Australia in time for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, we were already starved for entertainment. The Disney Studios successfully exported the "Disneyland" and "Mickey Mouse Club" TV shows to Australia, where despite only having been made for 3 years, the "Mickey Mouse Club" shows were broadcast for 14 years!!! I even remember seeing the Mouseketeers when they toured here in 1959 and 1960, despite the fact that I was only 4 and 5 at the time... Yes I've been a Disney fan for almost 50 years! For those who need to catch up, see Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (Vintage) Walt Disney was a true visionary and was responsible for the public acceptance of many major innovations including respectable theme parks and even space travel and exploration. Walt's attitude of "keep moving forward" never allowed numerous instances of impending financial ruin to daunt his efforts to produce astounding improvements within the entertainment industry - from his innovations in animation techniques to the planning of Disneyworld and EPCOT in Florida. Fortunately since his death in 1966, the Disney Corporation has continued this approach of constant improvement, despite ruining Walt's true plans for EPCOT. ENCHANTED IS THE EPITOME OF ALL THINGS DISNEY. It pays homage to Walt's great early animated triumphs, "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty" and infuses Walt's love for the combination of live action and animated characters right through to the extraordinary CG-animation perfected by the recently acquired Pixar Studios. Some critics have failed to grasp the relevance to so many great Disney offerings handled so well under the clever writing by Bill Kelly and precise direction of Kevin Lima. In true Disney form, characters fall in love almost instantly and are not daunted by their apparent non-conformtiy in modern day New York, for example, James Marsden's excellent portrayal of the affected Prince Edward. To the uninitiated, the ending may appear to go a little off track, but again refers to the early Disney classics, including the poison apple and the transformation of the evil queen into an equally evil dragon. Followed by the clever use of the pop-up book technique which takes Disney animation a step further. These are made totally transparent and obvious in the Disney Blu-Ray DVD release. Amy Adams portrays a true Disney Princess, like no other before her, and is offset well by the very corporatised Patrick (McDreamy) Dempsey. Susan Sarandon also appears to have been born to play a Disney Evil Queen and Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew from the Harry Potter series) is a real life version of so many animated Disney sidekicks. Congratulations also to (Aussie) John O'Connell for his all-inclusive, interpretative choreography so befitting a true Disney classic! To sum up, I believe that Walt Disney would be EXTREMELY PROUD of this great offering which has been produced truly in his style 40 years after his demise. For those with a Blu-Ray DVD player buy that version to truly appreciate the references to Walt's genius!

This movie is fun! It makes a great family night movie!

This highly recommended film arrived yesterday from Amazon, and I'm delighted with the speedy delivery! I hate to state the obvious, but "Enchanted" is an enchanting treat for Disney fairy tale aficionadoes. It's already been hailed as "an instant classic"-- and deservedly so. "Enchanted" did extremely well in theatres in late 2007, and it will continue to enchant generations of audiences to come on DVD. Evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) transports incadescent Amy Adams as Princess Giselle from the animated world of Andalasia to real-world NYC. She is quickly followed by her stalwart Prince Edward. James Marsden is earnestly charming as the good-hearted Edward. Giselle, however, is befriended by Patrick Dempsey as Robert, a jaded and cynical divorce lawyer and his young daughter--and finds shelter in their apartment. Giselle comes to the real world with her fairy-tale sensibilities intact. Can she bring magic to a bitter and world-weary NYC and melt Dempsey's hardened heart? The plot outcome may be obvious, but the journey is delightful. The extraordinary thing about this film is how cleverly and affectionately Bill Kelly's script pays homage to the "classic Disney Princess" franchaise of "Snow White," "Cinderella," and "Sleeping Beauty" (in a nice twist, Adams saves Dempsey from Sarandon's fiery dragon)-- and several other non-Disney family-friendly classic films as well. Giselle's journey from a fantasy world to the real-world is Dorothy's journey in "The Wizard Of Oz" in reverse. When Giselle runs through a vibrant and lushly green section of Central Park singing "How Will She Know?" , the scene recalls Julie Andrews' joyous spin in the mountains at the beginning of "The Sound Of Music." Julie Andrews, of course, also starred in the Disney cash cows "Mary Poppins" and "The Princess Diaries", and she is heard here as The Narrator at the beginning and the end. Jodi Benson, voice of Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" appears as Dempsey's secretary. In a scene in Robert's office where Giselle looks at fish in an aquarium, the muzak playing extremely faintly in the background is "Little Mermaid" Ariel's theme "Part Of Your World." Paige O'Hara (Belle in "Beauty and The Beast") is briefly seen as Prince Edward watches a TV soap opera. Later, when Edward knocks on apartment doors searching for Gieselle, Judy Kuhn ("Pocahontas") appears as a pregnant lady surrounded by a bunch of kids. She takes one look at Edward in his fairy-tale Prince costume and exclaims, "You're too late." I've never seen Dempsey in "Grey's Anatomy", but with "Enchanted," he is 20 years removed from "Can't Buy Me Love," in which he played a high-school outcast who went "from Totally Not To Totally HOT." In "Enchanted", he is HOT once more. Dempsey and Marsden represent two very different types of Prince Charmings, but Amy Adams holds the entire magical enterprise together with her complete sincerity as Princess Giselle.

"Enchanted" (2007) has to be one of my favorite Disney movies in years; it is a return to the type of classic movies that were produced under Walt's supervision, but it also acknowledges the times we live in without being too negative. Right off the bat, I was amazed to be able to watch a film that had no profanity and other than the topic of divorce, hardly any adult situations. Of course, there is some 'wink-wink' adult humor that will go over the head of children, but even that is pretty tame. How refreshing to know that an excellent movie can be made without looking like the 10pm news or a tawdry reality show. PLENTY of fun references to vintage Disney films, and a number of cameos by some Disney favorites. The film begins as a typical classic Disney animated film would; Julie Andrews narrates the story of Prince Edward (James Marsden) from Andalasia, who must find his true love to marry, and his evil stepmother Narissa (Susan Sarandon), who does not want to step down from her throne and will do whatever she can to thwart Edward's search. Enter Giselle (Amy Adams), a maiden of the forest with plenty of animal friends. She too is searching for her true love, and through song and fate, Edward & Giselle meet, fall in love, but are separated by Narissa, who sends Giselle out of the toon world and into the harsh reality of present day New York City. While Edward and Giselle attempt to reunite, a hardened divorce attorney, Robert (Patrick Dempsey) & his daughter attempt to help her along the way. Giselle's positive attitude and belief in true love has a profound effect on Robert, who has apparently been embittered by his own divorce (what actually happened to his first wife is somewhat nebulous, and basically left open for interpretation). Robert is already seeing someone; Nancy (Idina Menzel) is the romantic girl he has been dating for the last five years. No plot spoilers here; you will have to see how it all comes together. This film rests on the able shoulders of Amy Adams; in the role of Princess Giselle, she could have easily done a parody of Snow White, Cinderella, and the other Disney Princesses. However, she brings warmth, charm, humor, and great emotion to her character; she is totally believeable. James Marsden again shows off his tremendous vocal talent, and as a toon Prince, he gives a letter perfect performance. Although he is a little one-dimensional at times, it works perfectly with the plot and how the movie progresses. Dempsey also does a wonderful job in his role, with just the right amount of bitterness; it is very apparent that he underneath he believes in romance but what happened with #1 has forced him to change. The only weak link in the cast is Sarandon, which is a shame. She is one of our finest actresses, and yet her characterization just misses the mark for me; she lacks the power and evil that we expect from a Disney Villain; in the climax of the film, she almost appears to be yawning through her part. It is the power and force of a Disney Villain that makes their "fall" so enjoyable; evil must be very evil for the triumph of good to be truly satisfying. Still, it hardly detracts from the overall product. The songs in this film will stay with you after you watch the movie...in a good way. Rarely have I immediately been overcome with the desire to purchase the soundtrack from a film in recent years. Overall, a definite 5 stars for this movie. The DVD is a different story; although there are extras, it does seem like Disney skimped on them. The highlight is the behind-the-scenes look, "FANTASY COMES TO LIVE," at 3 sequences: "Happy Working Song," "That's How You Know," and the Ballroom finale sequence. Seeing the layering of the CGI effects and Amy Adams having to "act" to nothing ("Happy Working Song") gives an even greater appreciation of her talent. You will also learn that one of the dancers from "Mary Poppins" has a cameo in the "That's How You Know" number. There is also an "extra," PIP'S PREDICAMENT: A POP-UP ADVENTURE, that tells the tale of Pip's alerting Edward that Giselle was no longer in Andalasia. MAYBE very young children will find this amusing, but personally, it was a little on the lame side. There is also a "Hidden Mickey" that is basically a promotion for the Bluray version of "Enchanted." The deleted scenes are fun to watch, as is the blooper reel. Neither are very long though. The Carrie Underwood music video for "Ever Ever After" is also included. I am sure (or at least I hope) there will be a 2-disc special edition in the near future. So, for this 2008 Widescreen edition, I give it 4 stars instead of 5 due to the lack of extras. The movie itself still packs a wallop!

As a love sick old widower I love this movie. Also Giselle reminds me of my wife. There is a lot of truth in this movie about relationships. The writers of this movie knew something about relationships. When Robert is upset with Giselle because she made a dress out of his curtains Giselle is sad because Robert is "unhappy", not because he does or does not like the dress. She is sorry that she made him unhappy. When Robert sends Giselle off in Central park, Giselle says that because she would not want to do anything that would make him "unhappy" she'll go. Then she wishes him every happiness and walks away. If more people in this "real" world in their relationships would be more concerned about the happiness of the other person than there own then this real world would be a much better place. It was impossible for Robert to not become "Enchanted" with a woman like that. And then came the "How does she know" song. I would think that many women watching were thinking "oh how I wish my man would do those things". It would be good if men would take heed and do those things. The part of the movie I like best is the ballroom dance. I have never gone dancing and have no wife to dance with but would have loved to when I had a wife. I would love to dance just like Robert and Giselle in this movie. I watch that part over and over. I also loved the little girl that played Roberts' daughter. She did a great job. One part of the movie that was disappointing for a Christian guy is when Nancy shows up to take Morgan to school and discovers that Giselle has spent the night there. In her rant about Giselle spending the night we learn that the reason that Nancy never spent the night was because Robert had a daughter. Suggesting that if he did not, she would have spent the night. In such a sweet movie they did not have the put by implication the thought that immorality is normal. Then again when Robert is angry with Giselle and says to her that now Nancy thinks that "You and I" and Giselle says, "Kissed" and Robert says, "Something like that". In a subtle way they are saying that Nancy is upset because she thinks that Robert is sleeping with someone else. That part was disappointing. Also for an old guy like me I would have preferred a little less bosom exposure. Overall it is a very "Enchanting" movie.

Amy Adams is wonderful in this. The acting was on par with characters in Disney cartoons.

love songs & the story

Den här filmen är väldigt fin och jag tycker om den. Fast det blev retur på den eftersom dess omslagsbild på fodralet stämde inte och jag ångrar mig. Det kändes väldigt lurigt då jag trodde att dess omslagsbild på fodralet var bara med Giselle på. Jag har redan den här filmen så därför skickar jag tillbaka den som jag köpte här på Amazon.

Ich inde ja die alten Klassiker von Walt Disney (Arielle,...) die besten Filmeproduktionen dieser Filmgesellschaft. Das ganze mit dem Disney und Pixar kram war schon echt eine Enttäuschung, da ja mittlerweile alles in 3D produziert wird. Bei findet Nemo war es auch noch etwas neues und dieser Film hat mir auch gefallen, aber alles danach war nicht in meinem Interesse. Vor Findet Nemo wurde 1995 Toy Story zwar auch 3D gemacht, aber da war es noch absulut neu. Aber "Verwünscht" knüpfte an die altbewerten Klassiker an und somit entsand in den ersten 15 Minuten das, was Disney groß gemacht hat. Aber der Übersprung in die Reale Welt, war für den Film echt was neues, was es noch nie gegeben hat. Die reale Welt und die Märchenwelt vereint. Alle halten Gisele (die Prinzessin) für verrückt. Da es ja niemand glauben würde, weil man dies ja nur im Märchen kennt. Und alles was sie dabei tut und anrichtet hat seine Lacher bekommen. Es ist viel Kitsch dabei, aber gerade dieser Kitsch macht dies so lustig und perfekt. Aber auch die Märchenwelt wird gut dargestellt, es wird auch gezeigt, das man Märchen auch ohne Zeichetrick oder Computeranimation darstellen kann. Und dann noch genauso wie in einem Zeichentrickfilm. Es werden zwar auch Tiere in der Realen Welt animiert, weil es ohne dies ja auch nicht geht, aber es ist nicht der gesamte Film animiert. Am lustigsten fand ich die Szene, als Gisele mit Robert im Park spazieren geht und anfängt zu singen. Robert kann sie dann noch davon abhalten, aber als die Straßenmusiker genau das gleich Lied anfangen zu spielen fängt Gisele doch an zu singen und dann reißt es den ganzen Park mit. Diese Szene ist nicht nur lustig sondern hat Märchenzauber in der Realen Welt, so wie wir es aus den Klassikern von Walt Disney kennen. Ich habe lange nicht mehr so ein Meisterwerk gesehen und werde mir die DVD auf jeden Fall kaufen. Dieser Film ist echt nur zu empfehlen.

excellent

I have had the sheer delight to watch this film a few times now and it still holds me completely captive every time! It's a true fairytale for all us die hard romantics. Amy Adams plays Giselle, a hapless romantic who is looking for her one true love, Prince Edward, (James Marsden). Said Prince is also searching and when they meet it's love at first sight. This is all done in animation. But alas, Edward's evil stepmother has other plans for Giselle and tricks her by disguising herself as an old woman who only wishes the couple happiness. The old woman pushes Giselle into a wishing well and she, ( with us in tow!), is thrust into the very real world of Manhattan. Enter dreamy Patrick Dempsey as a cynical divorce lawyer. He rescues Giselle from the dangers of the city and takes her home to help her out. This is where the story really kicks in, and I won't go into any more detail, I don't want to spoil it for you. Susan Sarandon is on top form as the evil stepmother and Timothy Spall is great as the sleazy henchman. But top marks must go to Amy Adams and James Marsden. They are fantastic! All in all then, this is a great film to watch if you like a good love story with a twist. Watch it if you enjoy any Disney film. Happy viewing people!