Enchanted (film)
Enchanted is a 2007 American live-action animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Kevin Lima and written by Bill Kelly. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Josephson Entertainment, and Right Coast Productions, the film stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon, with Julie Andrews as the narrator. It focuses on an archetypal Disney Princess-to-be named Giselle, who is exiled from her animated world into the live-action world of the New York City metropolitan area, where she falls in love with a divorce lawyer.
The film is both an homage to and a self-parody of Disney's animated features, making numerous references to past works through the combination of live-action filmmaking, traditional animation, and computer-generated imagery. It also marks the return of traditional animation to a Disney feature film after the company's decision to move entirely to computer animation in 2004. Composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who had written songs for previous Disney films, wrote and produced the songs of Enchanted, and Menken also composed the film's score. The animated sequences were produced at James Baxter Animation in Pasadena, while filming of the live-action segments took place around New York City.
Enchanted premiered at the London Film Festival on October 20, 2007, and went into its wide release in the United States on November 21. It was critically well-received, established Adams as a leading lady, and earned more than $340 million worldwide at the box office. It won three Saturn Awards, Best Fantasy Film, Best Actress for Adams and Best Music for Menken. Enchanted also received two nominations at the 65th Golden Globe Awards and three Best Original Song nominations at the 80th Academy Awards. This is the first Walt Disney Pictures film to be distributed under the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures banner after Disney retired the Buena Vista brand from its distribution division.
A sequel, Disenchanted, was released on Disney+ on November 18, 2022.
Plot
In the animated fairy tale kingdom of Andalasia, the corrupt and ruthless Queen Narissa is determined to stay in power; her reign will end if her stepson, Prince Edward, ever gets married. Narissa enlists her loyal servant, Nathaniel, to help Edward hunt trolls to distract Edward from searching for his true love.A young woman named Giselle lives in a forest and dreams of meeting a prince and experiencing a "happily ever after." Edward hears Giselle singing and sets off to find her. Nathaniel frees a captured troll to kill Giselle, but Edward rescues her. She and Edward are instantly attracted to each other and plan to be married the following day.
Narissa disguises herself as an old hag, intercepts Giselle on her way to the wedding, and pushes her into a well. Giselle turns into a live-action version of herself and is teleported to New York City's Times Square where she becomes frightened and overwhelmed by the harshness and unfamiliarity of her new environment. Meanwhile, Robert Philip, a divorce lawyer, plans to propose to his girlfriend, Nancy. Robert and his six-year-old daughter, Morgan, encounter Giselle while taking a taxi home. Robert reluctantly allows Giselle to stay in his apartment at the insistence of Morgan, who believes that Giselle is a princess.
Edward embarks on a mission to save Giselle, along with Giselle's chipmunk friend Pip; they jump down the well, turn into live-action versions of themselves, and emerge in Times Square. To his dismay, however, Pip discovers that he cannot speak in the real world. Meanwhile, Narissa sends Nathaniel to follow Edward and sabotage his efforts to find Giselle, and gives him three poisoned apples to use on Giselle, saying whoever eats one of the apples will fall into a deep sleep and die at midnight.
Nancy arrives to take Morgan to school, and, after seeing Giselle, she assumes Robert has been unfaithful to her and leaves. Robert is initially angry at Giselle, but he ends up spending the day with her to help familiarize her with the city. Giselle questions Robert about his relationship with Nancy and helps the pair reconcile by sending her flowers and an invitation to a costume ball at the Woolworth Building. Nathaniel attempts to give Giselle a poisoned apple twice, but his attempts fail.
Edward locates Giselle at Robert's apartment, but although he is eager to take her home to Andalasia and marry her, she suggests they should first go on a date and get to know each other better. Giselle promises to return to Andalasia after the ball that night, which Robert and Nancy also attend. Nathaniel reports his failure to poison Giselle to Narissa, who furiously decides to enter the real world and kill Giselle herself.
At the ball, Robert and Giselle dance together. Nancy and Edward look on in dismay, noticing the chemistry between the pair, but also notice each other. Giselle and Edward then prepare to depart, but Giselle begins to feel guilty and anguished for leaving Robert behind. Shortly before midnight, Narissa appears in her old hag form, and offers the last poisoned apple to Giselle, promising that it will erase her memories of Robert. She takes a bite and immediately falls into a deep sleep.
Narissa tries escaping with Giselle's body, but Edward thwarts her. Realizing that Narissa never cared about him, Nathaniel reveals her plot and apologizes for his previous actions. Robert realizes that true love's kiss is the only force powerful enough to break the apple's curse. Edward's kiss fails to wake Giselle, and the clock begins to chime, prompting Narissa to boast that Giselle will soon die. Edward realizes that Robert should kiss Giselle instead, but Robert is hesitant to do so until Nancy, despite being heartbroken, gives him her permission.
Robert kisses Giselle right before the stroke of midnight, waking her up. Enraged, Narissa transforms into a dragon and takes Robert hostage, prompting Giselle to take Edward's sword and pursue her to the top of the building to rescue Robert. Pip comes to support Giselle and causes Narissa to fall to her death on the streets below. Robert almost falls as well, but Giselle rescues him, and they share another kiss.
Edward and Nancy fall in love and get married in Andalasia. Nathaniel, who stays in New York, and Pip, who returns to Andalasia, write autobiographies based on their experiences in the real world. Giselle starts a fashion design business, which becomes very successful, and forms a happy family with Robert and Morgan.
Cast
- Amy Adams as Giselle: A singing and dancing princess-to-be who ends up almost having her dream of meeting her prince a reality. Hailing from Andalasia, Giselle displays similar traits to early Disney Princesses; Lima describes her as "about 80% Snow White, with some traits borrowed from Cinderella and Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty... although her spunkiness comes from Ariel from The Little Mermaid". She is "eternally optimistic and romantic" but is also "very independent and true to her convictions". Over the course of the film, she becomes more mature but maintains her fondness of singing, kindness, innocence and optimism.
- Patrick Dempsey as Robert Philip: A cynical Manhattan divorce attorney at Churchill, Harline & Smith LLP who does not believe in true love, happily-ever-after, or fairy tales since his wife left him and their daughter. He falls in love with Giselle after her adventure to New York City, and her sense of fun gradually rubs off on him over the course of the film.
- James Marsden as Prince Edward: A dim-witted, yet brave, heroic and good-hearted, prince in Andalasia and the stepson of Queen Narissa. He is baffled by the world of New York once he enters it. He is "very pure, very simple-minded and naive, but innocently narcissistic".
- Susan Sarandon as Queen Narissa: Edward's evil stepmother, a sorceress, and a megalomaniac with a hatred for Giselle simply for being an obstacle for her to keep her power. Narissa's mannerisms, characteristics, powers, and physical features were inspired by such classical Disney villainesses as the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.
- Timothy Spall as Nathaniel: A servant of Queen Narissa, who gets controlled through his infatuation with the Queen and his own lack of self-esteem. He initially does Narissa's bidding, but ultimately realizes her true nature and rebels against her. He has a penchant for disguises.
- Idina Menzel as Nancy Tremaine: A fashion designer and Robert's girlfriend. Once Giselle falls in love with Robert, she falls for Edward and leaves with him. She is named after Lady Tremaine, the stepmother from Cinderella.
- Rachel Covey as Morgan Philip: Robert's 6-year-old daughter. Despite her father misunderstanding her and telling her otherwise, she believes in fairy tales and also believes that magic exists.
Paige O'Hara and Judy Kuhn make cameo appearances as soap opera character Angela and a pregnant woman Edward encounters, respectively. John Rothman and Jodi Benson portray, respectively, Robert's boss Carl and secretary Sam, while Tonya Pinkins and Isiah Whitlock Jr. portray Phoebe and Ethan Banks, a couple whose divorce Robert is mediating. Marlon Saunders and Jon McLaughlin appear as vocalists who sing "That's How You Know" and "So Close", respectively.