In order to start this review for Disenchanted I have to first travel back in time to the year of our lord 2007 to start at the beginning. Enchanted came out when I was 8 and I remember liking it a great deal. Amy Adams was great and so charming; Patrick Dempsey was a great love interest who brought the realism to match Adam’s fantasy and James Marsden had some of my favorite moments in the movie. I rewatched it 15 years later and that charm was still there. Maybe it is the nostalgia but there was a lot of comfort in seeing the original again.
I also now realize that the entire soundtrack was on my old job’s playlist for their toddler time, which could explain why I have good memories associated with this movie. Thats why it pains me to say that the Disenchanted has none of that.
I understand that as a 23 year old that this movie was not made for me so take my opinions with a grain of salt. That being said, this felt like Disney just pumped out another sequel to a movie that was perfectly good as a stand alone. They just did it with Hocus Pocus which makes it all the more apparent. The problem with Hocus Pocus 2 and now Disenchanted is that they just lack the elements that made the originals stand the test of time.
The “Disney-fication” just makes these feel shallow and not memorable. It feels like this takes place on a set and not in a real town, which is rough when the original takes place in such a notable real place. (New York). But back to this movie. This movie just doesn’t look good, not that the original had groundbreaking effects, but a film made in 2007 should not look as good if not better than a movie that came out in this age of technology. The acting really isn’t anything memorable, as it feels like people playing characters and not like these characters actually exist.
It’s not all bad though. Amy Adams is still putting in that work here. Even if the songs aren’t as memorable, she still does have some really enjoyable songs. I also really like the story: after searching for and finding her “happily ever after” in Enchanted, she discovers that real life isn’t as fantastical as she hoped, so she tries to find the magic from her old home. I thought it was a creative way to continue a story that didn’t really need to continue.
I also like the twist that since she wishes for her life to be a fairy tale, Adams becomes the wicked stepmother who is fighting the wicked feelings. Patrick Dempsey is also full of energy in this which is something I haven’t really seen before (granted I haven’t seen anything else he’s been in). Maya Rudolph is also fun to watch as the other villain. I know I said the acting wasn’t memorable but once you buy into the style of movie it is, her performance is exactly what you’d hope for.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, I don’t believe that Disenchanted is a bad movie, I just think that I am not the type of person this movie was meant for. There are some fun elements for sure and I think others would definitely enjoy this more. I just am not a fan of these Disney ‘legacy sequels” for how shallow they feel. This could have never been made and I would have been happy with the story starting and ending in Enchanted. But anywho, watch this if you’d like. If you don’t, you won’t be missing much.
