In the animated world of Andalasia, Giselle is about to marry Prince Edward, but she is pushed into a well by his evil stepmother, Queen Narissa, who wants to retain her crown. Giselle (Adams) lands in New York City and is helped by divorce lawyer Robert (Dempsey) and his daughter. As her unstoppable optimism rubs off on Robert’s cynicism, Edward (Marsden) searches for her, while his stepmother Narissa (Susan Sarandon) plots to keep them apart. Everyone meets up in a dramatic climax at a ball, of course, but who does Giselle really love now? And can Narissa be stopped?

CRITIQUE

The Disney company is one with a heritage rich in not only family entertainment but the animated medium as well. Though now producing both live-action and animated features, the earliest output of this studio were pioneering efforts in feature-length cartoons. Perhaps it was inevitable that the studio would eventually come upon the idea of a live-action version of an original fairytale. Enchanted creates magic with the clever, romantic, and funny story brought to life with appealing performances and beautiful production values.

The extensive library of Disney films features some examples of live-action and animation being combined into the same film, but usually combined into one world. I don’t think they’ve ever had the animated world segue into the real world before. It is a brilliant conceit, and, moreover, it is executed flawlessly. The animated opening of the film, mostly taken up with a delightful duet, “True Love’s Kiss,” is gorgeously drawn and set off with a border, while Giselle’s fateful fall is sufficiently tense.

The real world is where things truly become magical. Disney heroine’s connections to animals are spoofed ingeniously in “Happy Working Song.” The production numbers of a big-budget musical fit right in with the Disney fairytale aesthetic; “That’s How You Know” is show-stopping and grand. A soaring love song caps things off at the ball, a ballad that’s about as romantic as it gets called “So Close.” All three of these songs were Oscar-nominated, by the way. The work by legends Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz is as genius as ever. And that’s just the music!

The performances are spot-on as well. Dempsey is a welcome sight back in leading man territory, Adams is triumphantly endearing and multitalented, and the chemistry between them is quite sexy for a Disney film! Also, Marsden is cheeky fun and Sarandon shows them all what a villain does. In premise and in execution, Enchanted is clever and magical throughout and a worthy addition to the Disney tradition.

THE VIDEO

Enchanted is presented in anamorphic widescreen and the transfer is flawless. The gorgeous theatrical colors, especially of the animated portion, and picture show no glitches.

THE AUDIO

Enchanted is presented in English DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. The songs all sound thrilling via both tracks, while dialogue and sound effects come across clearly. There are also French and Spanish language tracks, as well as optional French and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

Pip’s Predicament- A Pop-Up Adventure: Animated like a pop-up book, this is the short story of what happened in Andalasia before Prince Edward followed Giselle to rescue her. Pip, her chipmunk friend, has to use magic “nut dust” to free Edward from a trance in which he believes he is marrying Giselle. Quite funny in places, this is for the kids, but everyone might get a kick out of it once.

Deleted Scenes: Six scenes are grouped here, with optional introductions by director Kevin Lima. The content here is actually good, with an alternate animated opening, a bit more of Indina Menzel’s performance as Nancy, and a nice scene where Giselle tells Prince Edward that she is thinking about “the day after happily ever after.” The introductions just cover why things were cut, but they are nice all the same. This is a good extra.

Bloopers: Short and funny, this gag reel has enough to make it worth one viewing. I like the bit where Adams flubs a line, then asks the little girl playing Morgan to say it.

Fantasy Comes to Life: Three different sections make up this behind-the-scenes doc. The songs “Happy Working Song” and “That’s How You Know” each get covered, as does the thrilling finale at the ball. Full of on-set footage and interviews with various craftsman, the director and actors, this the disc’s best extra. I love learning that quite a lot in “Happy Working Song” was actually done by trained animals themselves, not CGI. It’s great to see some West Side Story vets in the “That’s How You Know” number, and we get to see just how much was computer-generated in the climax of the film.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Enchanted has tons of charm in every aspect of story and performance, and it also has skillful direction and excellent music. Disney’s rich heritage is lovingly referenced and winked at in this sweet story. Many families will definitely want to buy this romantic and funny film, which is coupled with several worthwhile bonus materials. Dare we hope for a sequel?