Anthony's Film Review - Disenchanted (2022)

Fifteen years later, Amy Adams still shines as a Disney princess...

Once again, I am reviewing a film that is a legacy sequel. That is, a movie that follows one that is, let's say, more than 10 years old. That includes the 2007 Disney animated-live action hybrid Enchanted, which ended on a positive "happily ever after" note, implying that nothing bad will happen anymore and there is no need to check in on the characters later on. But then again, reality is not a fairy tale. There's always some challenge that is bound to happen down the line. Hence, "happily ever after" stories are not immune to sequels.

Let's quickly recap the story of Enchanted. It centers on a princess named Giselle in the animated kingdom of Andalasia, who is banished by an evil queen to the live-action world of New York City. Amy Adams does the voice of the animated Giselle and plays the live-action Giselle. Don't forget the leading Disney prince, named Edward, voiced and played by James Marsden. But there's also another leading man: a New York divorce lawyer named Robert, played by Patrick Dempsey. Other characters include Robert's daughter Morgan and a woman named Nancy, played by Idina Menzel. The story is a comedy musical where the elements of Disney animation and live action come together in interesting ways.

This brings us to Disenchanted, a 2022 sequel released for streaming on Disney+. One thing you may wonder is how Giselle is doing after all this time. Well, believe it or not, she is still the lovable princess we love. Sure, she has presumably adjusted to life in New York, but she is still her bubbly positive self. She is undoubtedly a wonderful mother to a new baby she and Robert have, and a well-meaning stepmother to Morgan, now an adolescent. This is where Giselle faces another life challenge. How does she deal with a teenager who is tired of a stepmother being overly involved? Even as the family has moved from New York to a suburb called Monroeville, life isn't entirely happy.

One night, Giselle thinks she has the answer. Through a means of magic given to her, she turns Monroeville into another version of Andalasia, where everything is beautiful and everyone is happy. Nobody seems to be complaining about it. If anything, they are appreciating it. This includes Malvina, played by Maya Rudolph, a resident of Monroeville who is practically its queen. In fact, the magic turns her into a queen and she will not let go of this power.

As expected, this is no fairy tale. Underneath all of this wonderful magic is a curse that threatens to destroy everything. This also presents an opportunity for Amy Adams to expand her acting performance. In response to these events, Giselle presents another side of her that we have never seen before. This is a major reason that Disenchanted is not simply a rehash of Enchanted. How can it be, given the title of the film?

It is true that Disenchanted presents a series of moments where the animated Disney world and the live-action world collide, just like enchanted. However, the types of collisions are not really the same. There is still a cleverness to it all. For example, there is a boy in school whom Morgan has a crush on, and he is informally referred to as a school prince. Find out how this plays out as the story moves along.

While a sequel to Enchanted is not necessary, it can still be welcome without being unnecessary if done well. I am happy to say that Disenchanted is entertaining from start to finish. My level of enjoyment was the same as with Enchanted, so I am rating it the same as I did with Enchanted: a 7 out of 10. Now, will there be another sequel in this series? And if there will be, what will it be called? Re-enchanted? I have no idea. But if it's done well, I'm up for it.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Disenchanted, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of Enchanted.