No ordinary follow-up as sense of melancholy adds to humor
a delightful follow-up to the beloved fairy tale “Enchanted,” delivers everything you could ask for in a sequel. It not only continues the original film’s magical mix of music, animation, live action and humor, but also takes the story in a new and interesting direction.
It’s been more than a decade since Princess Giselle (Amy Adams, marvelous) discovered her happily-ever-after in New York, having fallen in love with attorney Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and outdueled an evil queen who exiled her from the kingdom of Andalasia. But
even though the queen is long gone, Giselle finds herself facing new demons, both of the inner and outer variety.
The passage of time has ushered in a sense of melancholy for the ultra-chirpy Giselle, who is struggling to deal with the stresses of big-city life, not to mention her wisecracking teenage stepdaughter, Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchi“Disenchanted,” no). Even belting out a few upbeat lyrics doesn’t seem to help Giselle — what’s a displaced fairy-tale princess supposed to do?
Move to the suburbs, of course. Against Morgan’s wishes, Giselle and Robert pull up stakes from their Manhattan digs and head to Monroeville, a storybook burg where cupcake festivals are the most important social events of the year. But even in idyllic Monroeville, home of territorial queen bee Malvina Monroe (the hilarious Maya Rudolph), Giselle finds that her happily-ever-after remains stubbornly elusive.
At this point, Giselle turns to
a magic wand — a valuable artifact from Andalasia — but her wish for better things has unexpectedly disastrous results, threatening life in both the real world and Andalasia. Giselle’s journey to restore the balance of her life, no matter how imperfect, lies at the heart of “Disenchanted.”
It’s clear that director Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”) has a deep respect and understanding of the source material, and that the cast and crew are all in. The acting across the board is solid; the animation and live sequences work seamlessly; the script is clever; and, of course, the songs from the ever-reliable Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz (including Idina Menzel’s rendition of “Love Power”) will bring a smile to your face.
In the tradition of the first film, “Disenchanted” simultaneously makes fun of and pays homage to old Disney films and tropes, whether it involves talking animals, singing kitchen appliances, fateful spells or charming princes. But there are a few things that elevate “Disenchanted” from the original.
First and foremost, Giselle is a more complicated character, at least as far as these types of movies go. Adams was a formidable actor when she first took on the role of Giselle in 2007, but she is even more skilled now. Her performance here is more layered, and it’s a joy to watch her go from good to evil,
sometimes in the same sentence, as she struggles to find her way in this upside-down world. The role is trickier than meets the eye, but she makes it look easy.
Though the movie rests on Adams’ able shoulders, it would not be as successfully realized without Rudolph, a perfect comic foil who manages to be tongue-in-cheek, nefarious, outlandish and oddly sympathetic. Adams and Rudolph are two actors in the prime of their careers, and their power struggle for the local throne provides “Disenchanted” with a highly entertaining dimension.
Sequels are often rushed affairs, made before they’re ready, and it often reflects on the screen. “Disenchanted,” on the other hand, feels like something that was handled with patience and care. When all is said and done in the Disney history books, its ending will be happily-ever-after.