Light humor makes 'Enchanted' a royal treat
Disney princesses aren't, by nature, a very funny group of gals.
Beautiful, yes. Kind, yes. But funny? No.
In "Enchanted," Walt Disney Pictures manages to make an animated princess funny, and to make a fish-out-of-water story unique by mixing real and animated worlds.
The humor in "Enchanted" rises above the cornball schtick you might expect in a princess-finds-herself-in-Manhattan plot, even if it fizzles into a predictable ending.
Amy Adams steals the movie as Giselle, playing the part with as much breathy, bright-eyed naivete as Cinderella herself.
The story begins in full animation as Giselle prepares to marry Prince Edward (James Marsden). However, Edward's mother, the evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), fears Giselle will take over her throne. So, on the young couple's wedding day, Narissa throws Giselle down a magic well, sending her to "a place where there are no happily ever afters" -- New York City.
In the big city, Giselle is no longer animated -- she's a real woman walking around in a wedding dress. Scared and lost, she's picked up by cynical divorce attorney Robert (Patrick Dempsey). Despite his skepticism and a jealous fiance, he gives in to his 6-year-old daughter's desire to help Giselle.
While Robert and Giselle develop a friendship, Prince Edward arrives in New York -- now also human -- to rescue Giselle. Standing on top of buses with his sword drawn, and watching TV (which he calls "the magic mirror"), he finds Giselle in Robert's apartment.
However, Queen Narissa is not far behind, and soon shows up in New York to try and kill Giselle before she can return to their animated world.
Will Giselle and Edward live happily ever after?
The movie struggles when Robert and Giselle delve too deeply into the "Is love a fairy tale?" debate, and when the comedy falls back on animal gags (one of the main characters is a squeaky chipmunk). But its sugary ending is saved by a super-cool montage of the real and animated characters.
"Enchanted" is geared toward an elementary school-age princess fan, as the plot might confuse (and a few of the images might scare) the preschool crowd. Moms won't be disappointed either. (Patrick Dempsey as the lead? Hello?)
"Enchanted" maintains a sweet Disney feel (uplifting musical numbers, a happy ending and so on), but with humor added in. And it's humor that parents who have sat through countless kids movies will definitely appreciate.
"Enchanted"
Three stars out of four
Opens today
Amy Adams as Giselle
Patrick Dempsey as Robert
James Marsden as Prince Edward
Susan Sarandon as Queen Narissa
Timothy Spall as Nathaniel
Rachel Covey as Morgan
Written by Bill Kelly. Produced by Barry Josephson and Barry Sonnenfeld. Directed by Kevin Lima. A Walt Disney Pictures release. Rated PG (some scary images and mild innuendo). Running time: 107 minutes.