Enchanted
Just in time for the Holidays
is a superb family film from Disney called Enchanted. Another classic
fairytale but this time with a twist as the real
world and the animated world
collide, in what better place, than NY City. It’s the story of an animated
Prince and Princess who fall in love but the
evil step mother doesn’t
want anything to do with a wedding of her step son. So she throws the princess
in a well where she pops up in NY and with a real life body.
Amy Adams plays Giselle the
fairytale princess and talked about how the princesses of later day are
a little stronger than the ones in Disney’s early history. “The more modern
Disney Princesses reflect how women have changed over time. I think those
women represented how women were portrayed
in that time in our society.
And now I really feel like from The Little Mermaid on, they’ve always
been really strong willed. I mean, you look at Mulan, that girl, I wouldn’t
wanna mess with her. All of them where girls who bucked tradition and went
after their own destiny. And Giselle is very much like that.”
And you couldn’t have a princess
without a Prince. James Marsden stars as Prince Edward, the vain yet sincere
prince who comes to NY City to rescue
his fair maiden. But is
Edward as dumb as he seems? Marsden says, “When I read the script for the
first time the thing that popped into my head is
that he doesn’t seem like
the Prince from Snow White. He’s obviously a lot more full of himself
but in a very naïve, innocent way which sort of lets
him off the hook. It was
always written in the script that he have a healthy ego. To make the humor
work and to make the audience ok with the story he
had to be a little more
over the top. The key is to not wink at the audience. Not be precious or
cute. You don’t want the audience to believe that you are in on the joke.
Otherwise the jokes don’t work. To me, Prince Edward has an innocent narcissism
about him.”
While in NY City Giselle
is befriended by a lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) and his young daughter. How
was it to play the straight man in fun fairytale film?
Patrick said, “It wasn’t
a very fun role to play most of the time because I am just driving the
plot. Everyone else is having a great time. That is really hard. But then
you realize what your role is in the greater scheme of things. I was trying
to find the moments of humor when I could but still keep the emotional
foundation to the piece. So though it is not the most enjoyable it is the
most challenging.”
As in every Disney Fairytale
there has to be an evil Queen. Susan Sarandon talked about how she turned
Queen Narissa into what we see on the screen. “I saw her as a Disney icon.
An elegant, very high collared, very smooth, with an “I’m so bad I don’t
have to raise my voice until I lose it” attitude.
Once you are in that costume
you have to move in a certain way. Then for the voice I just thought it’s
creepier as a really weird babysitter. Really nice
but just so creepy. Pretending
they are your best friend. Hopefully the audience will love to hate
me.”
The film is directed by long
time Disney moviemaker, Kevin Lima. He talked about how this movie keeps
the tradition of all the other Disney films.
“What I thought was important
was to tell the story that you can have happy ever after in our world.
Maybe you cant get it exactly the way you can in a
Disney cartoon. But you
can have it. But it takes some of the same values that Disney characters
hold on to in order to get it. You have to have
perseverance of spirit.
Hold love in your heart. You have to have hope. All those things I thought
were important and those were messages from the old
Disney classics that I wanted
to try and put into a contemporary setting.”
Enchanted comes out
just in time for the family holidays and it is a film for the whole family
to enjoy. It is rated PG for some scary images and mild
innuendo. The perfect, must-see
film for the Holidays and I give it 4 out of 5 true love kisses.
Matt Mungle(11/19/07)
Matt is a member of the North
Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) and co-hosts a weekly radio feature,
The Mungles on Movies, with his wife Cindy.
For additional reviews,
interview clips and great DVD giveaways, visit the website www.mungleshow.com"
Review copyright 2007 Mungleshow
Productions. Used by Permission.
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