Disenchanted, the long-awaited sequel to Enchanted, begins with a “wink” moment. The 2007 original revels in fairy tales — a lost princess in modern-day New York — and the sequel seems set to evoke that spirit. “But there is no ‘happily ever after’ consequence. You just get married and then nothing happens to you,” a pair of chipmunks happily declare in the film’s opening animated scene. Very funny. Very understanding. Except… this time, the blink quota seems to have been severely depleted. It’s cruel to say that, but maybe we’d all be better off without Giselle’s “after” for “happily ever after.”
His first film, released in 2007, was a risk for Disney that paid off. It manages to push the line between being a love letter to Disney princess movies and a mockery of them all, perfectly noted for its humor and full of references. smart projection. Glamorous Amy Adams as Giselle, a doe-eyed girl in distress who sweeps the floor, sings to forest creatures, and takes her skirts off the curtains. “You want me to call someone for you?” Robert asked when he saw her lost in the city. “I don’t think they’ll hear you from here,” she replied sweetly.
Despite having a different director (Adam Shankman) and screenwriter (Brigitte Hales) than the first film, the sequel’s premise suggests it retains its brand of self-perceived humor. It’s been 15 years since Princess Giselle found herself exiled to a bustling metropolis, navigating noisy streets and tempered city workers to find her Prince Edward. Instead, she discovers the fainting divorce attorney Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan; Giselle and Robert are now married and have a baby, and the once-cute Morgan (played by Gabriella Baldacchino) is an outgoing, sarcastic teenager. The couple, having grown to more than their city apartment, are moving to a suburban town called Monroeville. Not even the princesses can escape the tyranny of the race for space, a joke that seems particularly clever, as many Enchanted fans will now have the black humor needed to navigate. modern housing market.
Idina Menzel and James Marden return as Nancy and Edward, now happily ruling the fairy tale kingdom of Andalasia as husband and wife. They asked, “Are you poor now?” Giselle replied: “No, it’s called a ‘fixed upper’. She quickly becomes acquainted with the town’s queen bee Malvina Monroe, played by Maya Rudolph, whose see-through appearance can be said to be the “villain”. But something is wrong. Not just with the new neighborhood, but the movie as well. All felt strangely tense, Giselle was singing with a low squeak, the songs were unforgettable and the atmosphere was sad. And why does chipmunk Pip sound like Bobby Baccalieri now?
But the main problem is that Disenchanted abandons the idea that made the first film so successful: to blend modern American life with a magical world. The action revolves around Giselle’s innocent wish that life can be “like a fairy tale”, a claim that turns her into an evil stepmother. Wait… Broken Giselle? And go to war with Malvina, the evil queen of the town? What’s not to love?
But the script isn’t smart enough for this; it’s like a fairy tale by rote memorization, lazily recycling old jokes rather than cleverly satirizing them. Adams doesn’t give enough evil to banish the idea of Giselle being a sweet innocent girl. And, honestly, turning her and Rudolph into villains without making them camp because Prince Edward’s stockings guarantees a terrible curse. Dempsey, Menzel, and Marsden (who does not mysteriously age) are massively abused, perhaps because Morgan is the real center of this story. She’s satisfactorily played by Baldacchino, but the plot revolving around a stepmother and daughter expressing their love for each other feels sweeter than progressive. Where is the satire? Overthrow where? Sometimes “happily ever after” isn’t a cop, or an old-fashioned, romantic notion that marriage solves everything. Sometimes it’s just the best time to stop talking.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/disenchanted-movie-review-a-rote-disney-sequel-that-lazily-recycles-old-fairytale-tropes-42154307.html Disappointing movie review: Disney+ rote sequel starring Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams, lazily recycling old fairy tales
