Disenchanted is a multi-genre musical movie starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. This sequel to Enchanted (2007) is directed by Adam Shankman.
With the customary Disney production quality, a great lead actress, and cast, with as much irony as there is sweet, sweet, sweetness, we are offered a movie that aims to laugh at itself, and will appease the most eeeevil of cynics among us.
Premise
This is a story of what happens after the “happily ever after”. Giselle is married and seemingly happy in New York. Life starts to take a toll, after years of marriage, becoming a mother, the humdrum of it all simply is dull. But then, she sees a sign, a billboard advertising Monroeville. Without hesitation Robert and Giselle decide to relocate to that idyllic and magical suburban town that reminds her oh so much of Andalasia.
Movie Review
With extra emphasis on pastel colors the setting is just darling, and so appropriate for this story. Disney has mastered the full color pallet of chipper tones for the scenography and costume design.
With its pristine production it sets the scene for a wonderful little story that is slow in gaining traction, if it ever does. Therein lies the setback, the story. The diffuseness of it makes me uncertain what segment of the audience would truly enjoy this film.
It is always a joy to see Amy Adams perform, being the brilliant actress she is, however, this role does not do her talent justice. Granted, we are impressed by her singing voice. At a point I started worrying for Giselle – was she in fact bedridden in a coma and dreaming? Time would tell…. And that reaction can be attributed to the awkward shift, transition, in the storyline.
It was a good casting choice to have Maya Rudolph portray the “evil” suburban queen. This fantastic actress does not shy away from taking on roles that are “different”, and she interprets them well, and comedically, of course. Patrick Dempsey is good as Robert, the husband, one of the few characters that has any credibility. A credibility that vanishes once we enter the fairy tale part, which requires of all its actors to overact – be it for ironic effect or to live up to the surreal lalaland elements.
As for the special effects, the CGI work is impeccable but it will not save the movie. The costume designs are good, but the element that stands out is definitely the excellent choreography.
‘Disenchanted’ comes across as an experiment, in which neither the target audience has been defined by its creators, with a storyline that seems to not know where it is headed, lacking impactful conflicts (let them be big or small), nor does it give us impressive twists and turns. Sure, one lets out a sigh of relief when Giselle changes temperament, but it is too far into the movie after waiting for that special something to take place. And by that time I had switched off, and realized I had spent a good deal of of the feature wondering where this was going, and what it wanted from me as a viewer.
Our Opinion
Although it is well produced, it is very difficult to define this movie. The comedy in this story lies in the presumed irony, unfortunately that is not translated strongly enough into the script nor in the songs. It counts on a superb cast, but the script does not do them justice. Is this a Disney experiment to test if anybody would want to see something like this, be it teens or oldies?
The Stars
Director
Adam Shankman
Cast
 Amy Adams / Giselle |  Patrick Dempsey / Robert Philip |  Maya Rudolph / Malvina Monroe |
 Idina Menzel / Nancy Tremaine |  James Marsden / Prince Edward |  Yvette Nicole Brown / Rosaleen |
 Jayma Mays / Ruby |  Kolton Stewart |  Oscar Nunez / Edgar |
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