AMY ADAMS IN ENCHANTED
HOW WE FELL FOR GISELLE
AMY ADAMS WAS a relative unknown when she took the part of Giselle — the crinoline-clad heroine of Disney’s subversive feelgood fairytale — but that changed quickly. As the embodiment of this ridiculously optimistic princess who eschews her happily-ever-after for something a bit more realistic, Adams, stubborn and loveable, fizzed with playful energy. It was a performance capable of thawing the iciest of hearts.
2007’s Enchanted marked Disney’s first take on the traditional princess since 1991. Back then the princess was Belle, a well-read daddy’s girl whose happily-ever-after meant falling in love with her toxic, beastly captor. Disney wisely decided that their next fairy tale needed a tongue-in-cheek shake-up, and so with a wink, a nudge and some outrageously catchy musical numbers, Enchanted appeared, in a puff of glitter.
A part-animated, part-live-action hybrid, Enchanted has a deliciously ironic edge thanks to its contemporary New York setting, where the idea of true love seems nothing short of delusional. It was a smart way to poke fun at Disney’s princess prototype, but in order to pull it off, a charismatic lead with a knack for comedy was essential. Enter Adams, all wide-eyed wonder and wickedly quick timing, who could also carry all the high notes and rocked a Lucille Ball style of onscreen humour to boot. Her disarming sweetness and gusto was inspired, but there was also a streak of rebellion in her, choosing a life of imperfection over a kingdom far, far away and a puppydog prince.
Enchanted is an uplifting story about a woman realising that she’s better than the life that’s been pre-determined for her. And Adams’ Giselle is an irresistibly entertaining ball of energy that makes even the biggest cynics believe that there’s a little princess in all of us.