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From
December 13, 2007
Enchanted
Disney's latest tugs at the heartstrings
Watch a video interview with Enchanted director Kevin Lima
I haven’t been as delighted and surprised by an old-fashioned Disney tale since I was a child. Enchanted begins between the covers of a book. A fairytale princess warbles about discovering true love’s kiss to a ghastly chorus of twittering forest animals. The evil queen pushes Giselle down a wishing well before she can marry Prince Charming. And all of them, for one greedy reason or another, pop out of a pothole in Times Square, Manhattan. This is bliss.
Amy Adams, the confused princess, can’t understand why people want to rob or rape her. Her naivety about cars, traffic lights, and strangers at 4am in the pouring rain is not just fabulously naive, it’s totally precarious. She is plucked off the mean streets by a hunky divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey), who has a six-year-old daughter and a fiendishly needy girlfriend. Being a Disney princess with good manners, Adams can still muster the local wildlife to do her bidding when she sings. Sewer rats, cockroaches, flies, and pigeons clean up Dempsey’s Fifth Avenue flat and make breakfast the next morning.
At this point I realised that the film could do no wrong. I started crying when Adams waltzed through Central Park with a perfectly stressed Dempsey, who had no inkling why total strangers should start assembling a musical number around him. That kind of magic never knowingly touches real lives. Kevin Lima’s film does just that. Susan Sarandon is terrific as the Evil Queen; Timothy Spall pops up like a well-used wart; and James Marsden is the terrifically thick and handsome Prince.
PG, 107mins
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I adore all the Disney princess films and it was high time they made another one - and Enchanted really didn't disappoint. I loved every minute of it, loved being a Disney geek spotting all the references and loved the Disney magic that was sprinkled over the whole thing. When I was in the cinema, a little girl said 'I could just sit and watch that all over again, I could'. I am no longer a little girl (!) but I feel exactly the same and cannot wait for the DVD.
Rachel, Nottingham,
Not sure what film you guys were watching. But me and my two children (12 & 8) found Enchanted very middle of the road and thought awarding it 4 stars is way too generous. We've seen every childrens film released for the past three years, and that's a lot.
James, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire
I went to see this with my 18 and 15 yo sons, without high expectations but on a recommendation from Mark Kermode.
I can honestly say it was the best film I have seen all year - absolutely wonderful.
The scene in central park was simply spell-binding and seemed to touch something deep in one's soul.
Forget about your mistrust of Disney corn and go and see this movie - you will not be disappointed!
Toby, Winchester, UK
The sheer magic of this movie was indescribable. When we'd all thought Disney had used up all their fairy dust, this pops out! I was a bit sceptical about mcdreamy, but he was delightfully grounded to the airiness of the other characters, it made you really believe he needed saving by the fairytale's magic.
Marvellous fun
Niccy, London,
saw it in Spanish and even dubbed over it was great!!!!!probably even better in its original form!
marie, murcia, spain
I watched it with my wife and Children in New York and an old guy behind us was falling off his chair laughing! Great film for all ages and it captures the joys of New York life brilliantly!
Andrew Stiven, Rego Park, New York