★★★
Do you remember that princess from a cartoon world named Giselle who popped up in a manhole in New York City in 2007?
It was in a movie called Enchanted that Giselle (Amy Adams), her lovely prince, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), and their daughter Morgan first met. The movie we’re talking about had a sequel in 2022. Yes, Enchanted had a sequel, and it was just released on Disney Plus. It’s now called Disenchanted. This movie made a comeback after 15 years. The question is: is it still enchanted?
This movie, of course, cannot be a Disney film without its famous “once upon a time” line, and opening the journey to the cartoon Kingdom of Andalasia, where Pip, Giselle’s squirrel friend tells the story of her childhood. Have you watched Frozen 2 before when Olaf was retelling the story of Anna and Elsa? Yeah, it was something like that. Continuing the story, Giselle along with her family moves out of New York City to Monroeville.
Fun fact: some scenes were shot in Dublin, Powerscourt, and Enniskerry village last year.
You would think that life in Monroeville would be the happily-ever-after story, but sorry to burst your bubble, this film shows the unmagical-life of Giselle (Amy Adams) living as a mother-of-two, raising her teenage daughter, Morgan (Gabby Baldaccino). Though she has fulfilled her dream of marrying her prince charming, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), it leaves her feeling like she misses Andalasia. The first film showed Giselle’s life as beautiful, but Morgan’s life took an ugly turn when her room caught fire, triggering the unmagical reality of Giselle, who was even called Morgan’s “stepmother.” The intense feelings Giselle experienced prompted her to wish for a “fairytale life,” which she regrets throughout the film.
New cast members were introduced in this film, Maya Rudolph (Malvina Monroe) along with her two servants and the handsome prince, Tyson (Kolton Stewart). The original characters of Nancy (Idina Menzel) and Edward (James Marsden) also took part in this movie. First impression: The newly introduced characters were all interesting. However, the Disenchanted storyline felt like it only focused on Giselle and Morgan’s unsettled mother-daughter relationship. Characters like Tyson and Edward played a low-key role in this film.
But don’t get me wrong, Disenchanted, directed by Adam Shankman, maintained the feeling of a Disney movie as Giselle always sings and makes things magical throughout this movie. This two-hour film felt more musical than the first one, just to mention the iconic Idina Menzel, who voiced Elsa from Frozen, showed her amazing vocals singing “Love Power.” Another surprising highlight of this movie is the showdown between Giselle and Malvina Monroe, singing “Badder”. Correct me if I’m wrong, doesn’t it feel like something out of the Greatest Showman? If you get me, you get me.
As for this film, it’s wicked good, but the first movie set the bar so high. In fact, it’s a nice touch of bringing back childhood memories of how magic can become real. The transformation of Pip into a cat was totally unexpected. It is definitely worth watching! If you love Disney movies, Easter eggs might pop up at any time. Don’t miss that!
Hannah Giron Daygo