...
"Enchanted" is a marvellously entertaining film for all the family. Little girls will love Giselle, her big dresses and the song-and-dance numbers. Older kids and adults will enjoy the subversive twist. The direction is sharp, the writing spiky and Amy Adams gives a stunning turn as Giselle. ... Read review
If youre looking for signs that the modern-day Disney has lost neither its touch nor its ... more
savvy nature, then theres evidence in abundance in the smart modern-day fairy taleEnchanted. Bookended by the kind of old-style animation the studio is rightly fam...
Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
If youre looking for signs that the modern-day Disney has lost neither its touch nor its ... more
savvy nature, then theres evidence in abundance in the smart modern-day fairy taleEnchanted. Bookended by the kind of old-style animation the studio is rightly fam...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A classic Disney animated fairy tale meets with the modern live-action romantic comedy in ... more
Walt Disney Pictures' Enchanted. Featuring an all-star cast Enchanted follows the beautiful princess Giselle (Amy Adams) as she is banished by an evil queen (...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Get enchanted. Ella (Anne Hathaway of 'The Princess Diaries') lives in a fanciful and ... more
magical world where all children are given a 'gift' from a fairy Godmother at the moment of their birth. Little Ella's birthright is the gift - and curse - of obedience. As a result of this unfortunate circumstance Ella cannot refuse any command and is often left at the mercy of unscrupulous personalities. In a bid to regain control of her life Ella goes on a quest to free herself from this mysterious curse. Ella must outwit a kingdom filled with ogres giants wicked step sisters talking books and evil plots. And is she's lucky she may find love along the way.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
This delightful and witty adaptation of Elizabeth Von Arnim's novel has a superb cast and ... more
a location that creates a magic of its own. In grey rainy 1920s England Lotte and Rose tired of their overbearing husbands decide to rent a villa for a month in Portofino Italy. To share the cost they are joined by two other very different women - Lady Caroline a beautiful but bored socialite and crusty old Mrs. Fisher who has an impeccable literary pedigree. They all want to escape from trapped lives and in this paradise in ways they never imagined possible that is what they all do.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Advantages: A great central performance from Amy Adams and a good twist. Disadvantages: Susan Sarandon is losing the plot and some songs are cheesy.
Giselle lives in a magical fairytale world where woodland creatures are her best friends and she is just waiting to be swept off her feet by her prince charming. But when Prince Edward appears, his wicked stepmother sees to it that they will never live happily ever after. Instead she casts a spell that sends Giselle to our world; modern-day Manhattan where she discovers that not everything is as sweet as she thinks. Here she meets cynical divorce ... ...nut before beginning to fall for her. But problems arise when Prince Edward comes looking for the girl that has been promised to her and the evil queen hasn't finished with her either…
It's handy that director Kevin Lima has previously directed animation ("Tarzan") and live-action Disney movies ("102 Dalmatians") as this film incorporates both. He understands the conventions of both types of movies and this helps ... more
Giselle lives in a magical fairytale world where woodland creatures are her best friends and she is just waiting to be swept off her feet by her prince charming. But when Prince Edward appears, his wicked stepmother sees to it that they will never live happily ever after. Instead she casts a spell that sends Giselle to our world; modern-day Manhattan where she discovers that not everything is as sweet as she thinks. Here she meets cynical divorce lawyer Robert, who at first assumes her to be a nut before beginning to fall for her. But problems arise when Prince Edward comes looking for the girl that has been promised to her and the evil queen hasn't finished with her either…
It's handy that director Kevin Lima has previously directed animation ("Tarzan") and live-action Disney movies ("102 Dalmatians") as this film incorporates both. He understands the conventions of both types of movies and this helps him to blend the two and show how things that are acceptable in a cartoon appear absurd in real life. The film begins in Giselle's animated world where she talks to her animal friends and they talk back in English and the forest where she lives is inhabited by all kinds of magical creatures. It's a lovely pastiche of the recent Disney style - the animation is two-dimensional and the colours have a creamy quality. The visual style is both simplistic and ornate; there are lots of art nouveau curlicues on costumes and backgrounds, but the characters lack fine detail. It's a kind of pastoral idyll that is in stark relief to the hustle and bustle of live-action New York. Everything seems either garish or seedy by comparison. So when Giselle's optimism and romantic view of the world starts to affect those around her, it feels like something of a surprise. The visual style is bright and clean, eventually rendering the Big Apple a fairytale city. The CGI climax doesn't quite gel with the rest of the movie, though the computer-generated chipmunk looks fine throughout.
The director clearly loves his characters and as a result the majority of the performances (particularly Amy Adams as Giselle) fizz with energy. Nothing can be too big or silly. The real-world interpretations of Giselle's actions lead to some decent comedy, such as a woman's cry of "It's trying to chew her face off!" when the princess is being nuzzled by her chipmunk friend Pip. You can also feel Robert's embarrassment as he is dragged through a musical theatre number. Lima's grasp of the absurd (everyone in Central Park joining in a song-and-dance number and the local vermin being employed as helpers, amongst other things) sells the comedy, as does his timing. He knows when to cut a gag off in its prime, which keeps the slapstick sharp and stops the characters from being too annoying. It makes for a snappy pace that makes the film feel shorter than a hundred-and-seven minutes. But this being a Disney movie, the director does over-egg the sentiment at times, making Giselle and Robert's romance a touch sickly and the happy ending a foregone conclusion. However, there's enough sugar to keep little girls sweet and the film is sufficiently subversive to keep adults engaged, making this an ideal family movie.
The screenplay by Bill Kelly (who wrote the dreadful "Premonition") gets the balance right between kid-friendly romance and adult-pleasing subversion. On the one hand you have Giselle's unswerving belief in true love and on the other you have the twisted morals of modern life. The fun comes when the two collide and Robert and other New Yorkers' cynicism misinterprets Giselle's innocence as insanity. Much of the comedy stems from how out-of-place cartoon conventions look in the real world - from talking animals to people bursting into song at the drop of a hat. And the fact that lyrics have been adapted to refer to real-world situations (a shortage of cute and fluffy animals in Manhattan means Giselle has to rely on vermin to help her) scores more points for subversive humour. Of course there's no doubt that the terminally optimistic romantic will win out - this is Disney after all, but the journey to the conclusion is never less than fun.
The characterisation is simplistic; Giselle is a complete innocent and an absolute romantic. Robert is a cynic trying to do the best for his daughter. Said little girl is of course smart and adorable. Robert's fiancée is ambitious but mismatched with him. Prince Edward is a buffoon, his stepmother Queen Narissa is evil and her lackey Nathaniel is a toadying weasel. The dialogue is sharper than you might expect from a family film and much of it can be played cheerfully tongue-in-cheek.
Amy Adams is every inch the perfect Disney princess as Giselle. Her background in musical theatre stands her in good stead for the song-and-dance numbers. But it is her physical performance that is most impressive. She doesn't walk so much as flounce everywhere and Adams incorporates the excessive hand-acting that somehow looks right in animation, but bizarre in live-action films. Virtually every word is accompanied by a frilly hand gesture and she even manages to be led around by them. She is sweet and simpering as only a cartoon heroine can normally be, with all the wide-eyed innocence giggly girlishness that comes with it. But this is tempered by her strong comic timing which prevents the character from being entirely cloying.
Patrick Dempsey is a good foil to Adams as divorce lawyer Robert. Obviously his performance is more rooted in reality and he comes across as tired, grumpy, stern and cynical. But he is human and has nice warm chemistry with his female co-star. This is in stark contrast to James Marsden's pantomime acting as the irredeemably cheesy Prince Edward - a condescending, stupid, egotistical, foppish buffoon. Marsden goes at the part with gusto and clearly isn't afraid of making a fool of himself. He also has a fine singing voice that is used to great comic effect.
Susan Sarandon perhaps overdoes the pantomime acting and definitely overdoes the eye make-up as the spiteful Queen Narissa. She spends too much time hissing and flicking her tongue and not enough being eeevil, so she isn't scary enough. Timothy Spall comes over all weaselly as her fawning manservant Nathaniel. He handles the slapstick well, but could have got by without the weird Kenneth Williams voice, which is a little distracting.
Composer Alan Menken knows a thing or two about the conventions for music in Disney films, having written a fair few scores for the likes of "Beauty and the Beast", "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin". So it's nice to see he doesn't take himself too seriously with numbers like "Happy Little Working Song". It features the lyrics; "Singing as we fetch the detergent box, Or the smelly shirts and stinky socks" and refers to the rats and pigeons helping out "even though you're vermin…" But he isn't averse to being sappy with the likes of "That's How You Know" and completely cheesy in "True Love's Kiss". His incidental music tends towards the OTT, opening the film with overblown fairytale chorals and cheesy flutes and woodwinds. The wedding theme for Edward and Giselle's nuptial is dreadfully florid and her entrance to the real world is accompanied by big brass and chasing strings, before we get a huge ethereal chorus for Times Square. Almost every time Amy Adams appears, we hear another Disney theme. Edward warrants his own ludicrous heroic theme and Queen Narissa's entrance is preceded by a suitably evil chorus and big orchestral motifs. It works as a kitsch soundtrack, though I could have done without the dreadfully naff ballads that occasionally appear.
"Enchanted" is a marvellously entertaining film for all the family. Little girls will love Giselle, her big dresses and the song-and-dance numbers. Older kids and adults will enjoy the subversive twist. The direction is sharp, the writing spiky and Amy Adams gives a stunning turn as Giselle. If you're looking for a movie for the whole family to watch or something that straddles the line between sweet and sharp and is destined to become a guilty pleasure then this is it!
Advantages: Great film, cast, musical numbers and DVD Disadvantages: Susan Sarandon
Everyone would love a fairytale, a life filled with music, and happily ever afters. But alas in this world it doesn't always work out like that. But what if a princess from a place far, far away falls into your life from a sewer bringing along a talking chipmunk, which can't talk, a prince, and a wicked step mother? Well then obviously things are going to be a little different. Disney haven't been known to make many films of quality recently without ... ...I sat down to watch it, but I fully admit I was wrong to be. This film is enchanting. ==Plot== The film opens in a traditional Disney animation, in a world filled with princes, talking animals and evil stepmothers. Giselle is our main character and she soon bursts into song, wishing for a prince charming to marry. Luckily enough a prince, Edward, overhears her singing while defeating an ogre and so they meet and instantly fall in love, as they do ...
alienduck 16.02.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Enchanted (DVD)
Advantages: Animation and real life actors, great musical numbers, wonderful plot Disadvantages: Too sickly sweet for some!
...afternoon when Harry's asleep!
Enchanted begins in typical Disney animated style, introducing us to Giselle, a pretty young woman looking for her one true love and his kiss. Giselle finally meets Prince Edward and the two prepare to marry. However Edward's step-mother Queen Narissa doesn't want the marriage to go ahead, and sends Giselle into the 'real world' via a magic well. Edward decides to rescue his princess and also goes into the real world, ... ...ago, Under the Sea.
Enchanted really has a magical storyline as is expected of a Disney film. They have managed to include many elements within the film which will appeal to a broad range of viewers, from comedy to romance and even a bit of action/adventure too. The inclusion of both animation and real-life actors is wonderful and crosses both elements seamlessly. They have done a great job in making the cartoon Giselle as similar to Adams as possible, ...
mummy2harry 14.06.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Enchanted (DVD)
Advantages: Disney magic, James Marsden Disadvantages: Patrick Dempsey is bland
Enchanted is Disney's 2007 animated comedy fantasy film that combines real live acting and the older animation of Disney. It is a fresh film that references many Disney films as well as making its own mark in the halls of Disney films.
The Plot
The film starts off in cartoon style. Gisele is a beautiful maiden awaiting her Prince to come and meet her so they can share true love's first kiss, in true fairy tale style. Prince Edward is the heir to ... ...A magical film, despite everything, Enchanted is harmless enough entertainment. It's not the best Disney ever made by any means, but it's worth a look and good to watch with the kids on a Sunday afternoon or to go to the cinema as a couple for a soppy snog on the back row, but don't watch this expecting a cinematic masterpiece from Disney. It's a nice idea, but nothing special.
The DVD is available from amazon.co.uk for £11.98. Wait a couple of ...
pmcds 19.06.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Enchanted (DVD)
Advantages: Wonderful Light story, good acting Disadvantages: Not for the men of the house
Making the most of not having my 2 eldest boys this week I managed to watch a film at dinner time when my youngest was in bed. I have had this film for a few weeks now but not got around to watching it as hubby just does not fancy it. The film starts off in the animated town of Andalasia with Giselle and the forest animals making a model of what her prince charming should look like and she starts singing and her voice is heard by Prince Edward who ... ...Giselle and instantly falls for her. He declares that they will marry the following morning.
The Prince?s wicked step mother who is Queen says that she will not allow this and she banishes Giselle down the well into the land of reality. Giselle is so lost and she finally finds help when a divorces lawyer and his daughter come to her aid. Prince Edward follows Giselle to the real world and begins his search for her. The wicked Queens sends her aid ...
sewbizzie 17.02.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Enchanted (DVD)
Advantages: Fun, different to the usual animated Disney films Disadvantages: Very Disney themed!
My husband and I always get lots of DVD's at Christmas and we finally watched this last night. I have wanted it for quite some time so you'd think I would have gotten around to watching it sooner after receiving it but, due to working lots and then not really having enough time to sit down properly and watch it in the evening it has been nearly a month after receiving it as a present that I've managed to finally watch this Disney film. So hopefully ... ...was written by Bill Kelly and directed by Kevin Lima.
The plot:
Giselle is your normal Disney Princess character - she lives in the woods in animated land Andalasia and can talk to the animals and they will come to her aid should she call them. She can sing and dance and is madly in love with the handsome Prince Edward from her dreams who, after meeting her for the first time proposes to her. They plan their wedding for the very next day and it ...
frankiecesca 18.01.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Enchanted (DVD)
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to ...
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Enchanted (DVD)"
Advantages: Brings the magic back to adults and introduces the magic to young children Disadvantages: Quality is not as good as it should be
The Magic Faraway Tree
One set of books I loved when I was a child was those written by Enid Blyton, a well known ,yet perhaps old fashioned in her writing, author of many great childrens books ? many of which are now being remade to suit a more modern audience of children. Included in Blyton?s writings were the well loved ?Faraway Tree? books, full of magic, fantasy and strange and wonderful creatures to capture the hearts and imagination of children all over.
My Enid Blyton books were passed down to me from my own mum and now having a daughter of my own, I couldn?t wait to pass down my books, yet my daughter being so young still, I thought perhaps the DVD would be better at the moment (although lets be honest ? I brought it more so for my own memories and enjoyment!).
THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE
In the center of the Enchanted Wood ...
****Ella Enchanted****
I was first drawn to this film because i love anything with Anna Hathaway in it and i must say i was not disappointed.The film is about a girl called Ella (anna ) who is given the gift of obedience by her godmother.She isn't allowed to tell anyone about this gift and it isn't a problem until her mother dies and her father remarries. Her Step sisters find out about this and use it to their advantage,getting Ella do to stuff for them, including stealing.Fed up with the gift Ella goes in search of the fairy godmother so the spell can be lifted and on the way she meets the prince and falls in love.As you can guess things don't go according to plan..
**Ella**
Anne Hathaway plays the part well.This was probably one of the last films she did before she "grew Up" and changed her image.
*Dame Olga*
Not a main ...
Advantages: Great film for the whole family Disadvantages: Nothing really!
is the most famous of the lot, here are the others: "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss", "Get over It", This Film "Ella Enchanted" and "An American Crime". He has a new film on the way, however it is a remake, but would it be as good? It's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" which will be out in 2009, I wonder if I'll like it at all? I don't know much about his films and have only seen this film which I love, and therefore I really don't know if I would be as interested in the other films he has directed!
Anne Hathaway stars as the lead role "Ella of Frell". She is a really good actress and as I have grown older I have realised how good she really is. I never once thought of her releasing the energy she put into this film, in other films such as "The Princess Diaries" or "Brokeback Mountain". I believe people are trying to grab her into all the new ...
Fairy tales and reality collide in this animation-live-action hybrid from Walt Disney Pictures. Princess Giselle is forced out of her animated world by THE prince's villainess stepmother and into the real streets of New York City. Though her prince is on his way to rescue her, she might have met her true love in a Manhattan lawyer.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINM; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINM; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Fantasy Comes to Life: 3 behind the scenes featurettes 'Happy Working Song', 'That's How You Know', 'A Blast At The Ball', Deleted Scenes with introductions by Director Kevin Lima, Pip's Predicament: A Pop-Up Adventure, Bloopers
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
Enchanted works its magic largely by sending up some of the very stereotypes that have long been Walt Disney Pictures’ profitable stock in trade (New York Times, 28/11/2007)
More than lives up to its title. A full-blown musical that commutes between Disney's patented cartoon universe and the real world with cleverness and grace, this splashy production reminds one of nothing in the Disney canon so much as MARY POPPINS (Variety, 28/11/2007)
DVD Description
With a fine cast and fun in-jokes, Disney's ENCHANTED is sure to cast a spell over both children and adults. It begins with a 2-D animation sequence reminiscent of the company's beloved past. Surrounded by dozens of cute animals, Giselle (voiced and later played by Amy Adams) sings about her desire to find her one true love. Meanwhile, a handsome prince (James Marsden) overhears her, and they meet and fall in love. In many Disney movies, this is where the story ends, but ENCHANTED is just starting out on its journey. The prince’s wicked stepmother (Susan Sarandon) can’t stand to lose her throne, so she pushes Giselle down a well, and the beauty ends up in the real world. Gone is the animated fantasy, and a live-action Giselle lands in the middle of Times Square in New York City. Her optimism and perkiness put her at odds with the New Yorkers she encounters, but she gets help from a cynical divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) as she waits for her prince to rescue her.
Fans of Disney classics from SLEEPING BEAUTY to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will be glad to see their favourite films referenced in ENCHANTED. Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel in THE LITTLE MERMAID) makes a brief appearance, and the evil queen threatens to kill Giselle with a poisoned apple a la SNOW WHITE. Though it reminds the audience of past favourites, ENCHANTED boasts its own script that is at once intelligent and heartwarming. But the true highlight of the film is the acting by the fairy tale couple. Marsden (HAIRSPRAY) couldn’t be funnier as the charming prince, while Adams (an Oscar nominee for 2005’s JUNEBUG) gives dimension to the heroine. As a result, ENCHANTED is a film that deserves to sit on a shelf with Disney’s classics.
![Enchanted [DVD] [2007]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/77936688.jpg)
![Ella Enchanted [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78500088.jpg "Ella Enchanted [DVD] [2004]")
