Enchanted

[osprey_archer]

I just watched Enchanted. I will not make the obvious painful pun about what an enchanting movie it was. Really though, it's great. It’s a Disney movie that mocks Disney movies AND delivers a happy, sappy love story, AT THE SAME TIME.

I find it very amusing how the writers manage to have everything both ways. Acknowledgment that love at first sight and the fairy tale mythos don’t quite work out in real life (and the failed Giselle/Edward storyline to prove it) coupled with fairytale happy endings for everyone.

It must have been an absolute blast to make. Clearly the writers decided that if they were going to make a sappy Disney princess movie, they were going all out. Song and dance number in Central Park! Giant ball gowns! Chirpy little animals! An entire classic Disney movie in the first ten minutes!—and all the actors prancing around having a great time.

I totally called the ending, by the way, right down to the fact that Giselle was going to end up using a sword on something. I’m glad she didn’t suddenly gain mad sword skills, though. Giselle running after her beloved to save him is totally in character. Giselle knowing how to do something useful, not so much.

Speaking of Giselle: she would be SO ANNOYING in real life. But—AWESOME CHARACTER. I love her facial expressions: “You haven’t proposed to her in five years? No wonder she’s angry!”—and the way she just cuts loose and sings and dances and cries and emotes.

I think her hair looked nicer curled, though. Why straighten it for the big ball? Why? What is with the current American obsession with straight hair?

Although really I think the ball had a bad effect on everyone’s looks. Robert, awesome as he is, did not wear his historical clothes well.

Speaking of Robert’s clothes: I’m not sure about that scene where he’s wandering around in a bathrobe and, evidently, nothing else. Because that’s such an obvious clothing choice when you have house guests that you barely know? But otherwise he’s a lot of fun. Especially during the song in Central Park (I really liked that scene. Is that embarrassing?) where he’s all, “I don’t dance! And I definitely don’t sing!” and is totally drowned out by the mad revelry of True Love.

That was fun.

Comments

[silksieve.livejournal.com]

I loved this movie! It was entirely too cute and made me a fan of Amy Adams in a big way.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Isn't she awesome? There should be more movies with female characters who are just so incredibly and completely okay with being themselves.

[anait.livejournal.com]

I loved this movie! Yes to everything you said, as well as how the Prince never just walked, he leaped and ran, and the musical number with the NYC vermin as her loyal animal helpers. So funny! I think the single funniest thing that cracked me up was the Prince biting his gloved fist to express his frustration and anguish-- it was such a Disney character thing to do. I kept comparing him to Gaston.

[longlegs21.livejournal.com]

Enchanted was adorable! I think you right about Disney's having a lot of fun with this. And I was also tickled by the way the ending made everything work out every way for everyone. During the movie I was wondering how they were gonna get out of a bittersweet ending. But they did it, in a blast of fairytale fireworks. :-)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I loved the ending.

A bittersweet ending would have ruined things. It would have felt didactic. Most Disney movies are didactic, at least implicitly, whereas forcing a bittersweet ending onto such a happy cotton-candy movie would have seemed like an explicit lesson to teach children the modern-day common-sense "there are no happily ever afters."

Disney is one of the few modern movie studios (one of the few purveyors of pop culture, really) that presents enthusiasm and emotional intensity as good things. I would be sad if it gave up.