Enchanted

Enchanted is a wonderful film, and of all the films out over Christmas, this is the one that I would recommend most. Following hot on the heels of Ratatouille, this is Disney’s next offering, though this is part animated, part live action.

Enchanted tells the story of Giselle (Amy Adams), a bona fide Disney princess-in-waiting, who gets transported to a world where "There is no Happily Ever After" just before her wedding, by her mother-in-law--to-be, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), who is reluctant to lose her crown. This is of course, modern day New York.

Disney sends up it’s own classic fairy tales of yesteryear (like Snow White and Cinderella), without ruining the sentiment that makes them so enduring. Despite obvious advancements in the world of animation, the colour of the old Disney animated films make them so much more enduring than their live action black and white counterparts. This explains the longevity of the Disney back catalogue, as animation ages a lot better than 50s live action films. This coupled with Disney’s clever marketing, keeping their films under wraps for years until anniversary re-releases in the technological format du jour, keeps Disney films of all eras on the shelves of most households. Very few homes can or do resist the Disney cannon. And why not? Their films are lovely.

In Enchanted, the juxtaposition of the Disney world and the real world is hilarious. In the animated world of Andalasia, cartoon princesses are saved from trolls by dashing Princes, have love’s first kiss, get married and live happily ever after. Whenever you fall, there is always someone there to catch you. In modern day New York, you get trodden on in crowds, elderly tramps run off with your tiara and people get divorced if they marry at all.

When cynical lawyer, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), and his little girl, Morgan (Rachel Covey) find a sodden Giselle in her wedding dress, trying to get into a casino called “The Castle,” they end up giving her shelter until she can be rescued by her Prince. This broken family fall under Giselle's innocent and charming spell, as the Prince fails to show. All does not go smoothly, especially when she makes a dress out of his curtains!

The film is great, not only for the above, but also because of the genius that is Timothy Spall as an animated henchman. If ever there were a man who looked like he could be a cartoon character, Spall is it. The film also stars the amazing lead of Wicked, Idina Menzel, as Robert’s long-suffering girlfriend. She is sadly in a non-singing role, a shame as she has a wonderful voice. But by far the most stand-out performance of the film is Susan Sarandon, a mother-in-law who is, quite literally, a dragon. She is wonderfully evil, in a tongue in cheek way.

The film plays on the modern, jaded attitudes towards love at first sight and the notion of happily ever after, sending these up with hilarity by making Giselle the most normal person in the film. She is innocent, lovely and sweet, and when she visits Robert’s offices, and reconciles a bitter divorcing couple by making them remember when they first fell in love, it shows how far attitudes have changed.

I highly recommend this film, Enchanted is out in cinemas on 14 December.

KC

Disney’s Enchanted Makes A Treasure Trove of References To Disney Classic Films

Disney’s US box office smash hit Enchanted, is set to cast its spell over audiences across the UK when it opens tomorrow.  Taking inspiration from its incredible heritage, the film looks back at its Disney past with reverence.

Animated Section

- The story book pops up, and the narrator begins the story.  The pop up book is a modern take on the traditional openings of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  The hall the book is in is based on Evind Eryle's artwork for Sleeping Beauty.

- The Troll is wearing remnants of past Disney Princess dresses as a loincloth: Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.  He also has Ariel's (The Little Mermaid) shells as earings.

- Inside the treehouse, there is a bell jar with a rose in it, which is from Beauty and the Beast.

-  The scene where Giselle and Edward ride off into the sunset, singing, is just what Snow White and Prince Charming do at the end of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

- When Giselle arrives at the castle, she meets an old hag who takes her to a well - this is a direct reference to Snow White

Live Action Section

- In the offices of Churchill, Harline and Smith where divorce lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey) works, Robert is working on a case with a divorcing couple with the surname of Banks - they are based on the troubled parents in Mary Poppins.

-  The name of the law firm is a direct homage to song writers of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul J Smith

- Robert's trusty assistant Sam is named after Philip's trusty stead Samson in Sleeping Beauty.

- Sam is played by Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid

- Sam sits across from a fish tank, which is a reference to The Little Mermaid

- The Happy Working Song is a complete homage to "Whistle While You Work". Other Disney references during this scene include:
Birds make Giselle’s dress into an apron, birds put an apron on Cinderella
Bubbles with Giselle's reflection are a homage to Cinderella
Flies twist a dish cloth that releases water, much as the birds twist a sponge full of water onto Cinderella
Animals do the dishes like Snow White

- In the scene where Edward pierces the roof of the bus, the lady with the bag of bird seeds is a homage to the bird woman in Mary Poppins

- The poison apples in the film are a direct reference from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

-  The Bella Notte Restaurant is named after the song in Lady and the Tramp.  There is a sign in the window at the far end of the restaurant.

- In the hotel room where Edward and Nathaniel are staying, Edward refers to the TV as "magic mirror" which is a reference to Snow White

-  The soap opera that is playing on the TV features actress Paige O'Hara - the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast.  Her name in the soap opera is Angela, after Angela Lansbury who voiced Mrs Potts in Beauty and the Beast.  The male soap opera star is named Jerry after Jerry Orbach who plays Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and the music that underscores the soap is the song from Beauty and the Beast.

- The ballroom scene where the old hag convinces Giselle to take a bite of the last poison apple is a reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

- The kiss from Giselle's true love being the only thing that will wake her is a reference to Snow White and Sleaping Beauty

- The clock striking 12 is a reference to Cinderella

-  Narissa turning into a dragon is a reference to Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty