DVD Review: Enchanted

Enchanted cleverly combines heartfelt romance with a gentle spoof of Disney films of the past as an animated heroine from a far away kingdom finds herself transformed into a real live woman in bustling New York City. Academy Award nominee Amy Adams (2005 nominee for Best Supporting Actress; Junebug) leads an all-star cast as the lovely Giselle, a storybook princess-to-be lost in the Big Apple. Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon (1996 winner for Best Actress in a Leading Role; Dead Man Walking) plays the evil sorceress Narissa who exiles Giselle from her fairytale kingdom and James Marsden (Hairspray) is her handsome prince, with Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as a contemporary knight in shining armor and Tony Award winner Idina Menzel (2004 winner for Best Leading Actress in a Musical; “Wicked”) as his girlfriend Nancy who suspects Giselle might just be a little too good to be true.

Review:
Who doesn’t love a perfect fairytale story? Enchanted is one of the best movies of 2007 in my opinion. This animation/live action modern fairytale uses past stories, such as Cinderella and Snow White, to push Disney into the future. Beginning like the classic animated stories, with a beautiful princess, Giselle(played by Amy Adams), being rescued by Edward, the handsome prince (played by James Marsden) in the land of Andalasia. Giselle is banished by the evil stepmother to a place “where there are no happily ever afters” – obviously modern day New York. Edward certainly doesn’t give up easily and travels to New York to search for Giselle. As the characters enter through the sewer portal, they become live versions of themselves – to a T.

When Giselle arrives in the city, she is rescued by a deliciously hot divorce lawyer, played by Patrick Dempsey, and his young daughter, who is the only one who believes Giselle is actually a princess. Amy Adams seriously channeled Cinderella and her background as a classically trained dancer as she is fantastic throughout this film.

The final scene, an extravagant ball, is enough to make any woman swoon at the thought of McDreamy being your prince charming. This is a perfect family film and for girls of all ages. The characters had me laughing the entire time. Giselle’s innocence made for some great comical moments. The only gripe I had was towards the end – I was ready for the plot to wrap up – the long stepmother scene at the ball was a few minutes too long and was semi-predictable.

To sum it up, this is a must-see film!

Review by Jenny Hager

Grade: A+
Official site: http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/enchanted/
Buy on Amazon: Enchanted