Enchanted DVD > Reviews > Enchanted - Disney Extravanza

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Outstanding
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Extremely entertaining, visually pleasing, very funny .
Disadvantages:	None .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Director: Kevin Lima
Writer: Bill Kelly
Genre: Family - Adventure - Comedy - Fantasy
Country: USA
Certification: PG
Language: English
Released: 7th April, 2008 (DVD)

MAIN CAST:
Julie Andrews (Narrator)
Amy Adams (Giselle)
Patrick Dempsey (Robert Philip)
James Marsden (Prince Edward)
Timothy Spall (Nathaniel)
Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine)
Rachel Covey (Morgan Philip)
Susan Sarandon (Queen Narissa)

When lovely Giselle meets her prince charming, the somewhat obnoxious and juvenile Prince Edward, the prince's stepmother doesn't take kindly to the inevitable loss of her crown. Deciding that the match-made-in-fairyland has to come to an immediate end, Queen Narissa pushes Giselle into a fountain just before the wedding, and sends her careening towards modern-day New York.

When Giselle lands in New York, her cartoon body, obviously, undergoes a few 'human' changes, unfortunately, her naiveté and innocence are an integral part of her... which doesn't make being lost and alone in New York any easier. Thankfully, Robert Philip comes to her rescue when she falls off a billboard, and he and his young daughter take her in.

Robert Philip, not having fully recovered over the loss of his wife, has been in a relationship for many years - a relationship that has stagnated due to his reluctance in committing to his girlfriend. When Giselle comes along, her innocence is like a breath of fresh air... and her fantastical views on love and romance slowly begin to win him over. But then, just when he begins to fall for her, Prince Edward arrives to claim Giselle and to take her back to Andalasia so that they can be wed.

'Enchanted' is just one of those movies that people just love to love! It's a bit of fluff and fantasy that goes over well with the children, but it possesses that witty 'adult' edge to it that makes it just so darned entertaining for those of us who were around when 'Cinderella' came out... not that it was that long ago, of course... hmmm...

This is one movie that is not only visually pleasing, it is extraordinarily clever and funny, and has absolutely no slow 'dragging' moments, or lagging dialogue. It is remarkably fresh and simplistic, and the animated scenes mutate into 'real-life' so brilliantly that the two worlds integrate to perfection.

The real-life characters are bold and bursting with life; they fill up the screen and tell the story with as much buoyancy as is humanly possible... and sometimes beyond. Amy Adams, who plays Giselle, is absolutely brilliant in this movie. She has managed to give her character a 'cartoonesque' edge by using hand movements that are proper to fairytale characters, and by moving and talking as her fairytale counterpart did in fairytale-land. She has refrained from acting 'human', and that is what makes this movie so darned good. Unfortunately for him, James Marsden, who plays Prince Edward, didn't quite pull it off as well as Amy Adams did, and sometimes comes across as being downright obnoxious and stupid... as opposed to naïve and innocent. That doesn't matter though, because Pip, Giselle's chipmunk friend, accompanies the prince to New York and in his CGI format, he is totally hilarious and keeps James Marsden (Prince Edward) from floundering when his acting skills are put to the test.

'Enchanted' is absolutely brilliant, highly entertaining, and so wonderfully put together, that people will want to watch it over and over again... it simply fills you with this 'feel good' sensation, and when you aren't cracking up over the 'adult' wisecracks and Pip's antics, you have this silly smile plastered onto your face because you know you're watching something incredibly masterful... something that has the power to make you feel young again.