Friend Fred , way back on February 23, extolled the virtues of the 2007 cartoon-and-live-action Disney film Enchanted. It starred Amy Adams, who Roger Ebert loved in Junebug. A couple months later, I went to my local library to put it on reserve. And waited and waited until, when a call came from the library saying my item is in – without actually specifying what item it might be – I had forgotten about it.
Two days later, I get the DVD and the family sits down to watch it. Big mistake. The four-year-old is terrified of the ogre, and by the time we get to the slaying of the bus dragon, she’s done.
So I watch it by myself (and later my wife, herself). You know what? Fred was correct! It’s fun! It’s romantic! It has some great songs, including “Happy Working Song” that Adams sang at the Oscars this year, a great riff on “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White. In fact, what was truly remarkable were some of the exact shots used in various animated and live action Disney films.
The art was great. I recognized the cartoon version of Susan Sarandon before I recognized her voice. The other characters that inhabited both worlds were likewise well-rendered in animated form. The DVD extras enhanced my appreciation of the moviemaking. Those birds and rats that were cleaning? NOT CGI, but actual trained animals. New York City at the climax? CGI.
In fact, the only quibbles I had the DVD touched on. A couple deleted scenes, one of which would have explained the motivation of one character better, I might have kept. But this is a minor thing.
I had forgotten that Patrick Dempsey was that McDreamy guy from Grey’s Anatomy. But, as Fred noted, the film lives or dies with Amy Adams, and she was radiant. Perhaps coincidentally, Giselle spoke to her prince (James Marsden) about what happens after “happily ever after”; a recent TV Guide promises that Grey’s will answer the very same question this coming season.
Highly recommended for people who know the Disney oeuvre or like musicals. Recommended for most everyone else who isn’t grumpy. Not recommended for very sensitive four-year olds.
ROG