Fifteen years after Disney’s musical fairy tale, Enchanted, hit cinema screens, the long-awaited sequel, Disenchanted, makes its debut. The movie – which is available to stream exclusively on Disney+ from today – picks up the story a few years on from its predecessor, with Giselle discovering that happy ever after isn’t as happy as she once believed.
In the movie, Giselle and Robert are still married, they now have a baby, Sophia, and their daughter Morgan has grown into a teenager. Life is ticking along as it should, but the family has outgrown their apartment in New York City, and they are now ready to embrace a new life in the suburbs.
After relocating to the picturesque village of Monroeville, Giselle and her family move into a new home. However, the house is a little rundown, Morgan is less than happy about the move, and suddenly things aren’t looking as rosy and bright as Giselle had hoped.
But before Giselle can dwell on her newfound problems, old friends Nancy and Edward drop by for a visit, to give baby Sofia a gift in the shape of a magical wishing wand. After they leave, Giselle then puts the wand to one side, thinking little of it, so she can concentrate on helping Morgan fit in, in her new home.
However, over the next few days Morgan has a difficult time at school, and she takes out all her frustrations on Giselle. This upsets Giselle further, and after bursting into song – something she still does with regularity to express her own feelings – she wishes that life was more like a fairy tale.
The next morning, Giselle awakes to discover the wand has granted her wish; but as Giselle knows all too well, wishes have consequences. If she thought things were bad before, she is now in for a whole heap of trouble, as the wish alters her reality, as well as her personality.
Directed by Adam Shankman, Disenchanted stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, and Maya Rudolph. The movie is a live-action fantasy, with brief scenes of animation, and is filled with songs, choreographed dance sequences, and the odd talking animal or two.
In essence, Disenchanted follows a similar format to Enchanted, so if you’re familiar with the first movie (and who isn’t?), then you’ll know what to expect for this second instalment. However, unlike the first movie, which was a whole heap of fun, Disenchanted is sadly a bit of a misfire, which is fine in places, but it largely falls flat.
And yes, it pains me to type out these words, as I am a big fan of Enchanted, and I’ve been patiently waiting for this belated sequel to arrive. But unfortunately, Disenchanted is a little disappointing and it doesn’t work in the way it should.
In terms of the premise, the film certainly has the right angle, and by having Giselle experience the harsh reality of life outside of a fairy tale ending, it gives the movie plenty of storytelling opportunities. Having Giselle then wish for her old life back also gives the film the chance to indulge in some Disney magic, and with Giselle getting a personality transplant, there’s plenty of room for some comedy too.
So, it’s kind of unfortunate then that Disenchanted fails to hit the right notes. It certainly attempts to take advantage of all the new plot developments, and it spends plenty of time indulging in the camp costumes and hammy performances that come with the story, but rather than bringing its A-game, everything plays out like B or C grade material.
There is a general sense that no matter what it does, things just don’t click into place as well as they should, and this becomes apparent quite early into the movie. The dialogue isn’t all that strong, scenes drag on a little longer than they should, and the whole tone feels a little off.
The songs which feature in the film also fail to match the tunes from Enchanted. With the exception of one song, belted out by Idina Menzel, the tracks range from OK(ish) to pretty forgettable.
This in itself is odd, as music maestro, Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, etc), is behind the songs. Menken wrote the tunes for Enchanted, and they worked out pretty damn well the first time around, so it is unfortunate they lack the same sparkle for this sequel.
But it’s not all disappointment in Disenchanted, Amy Adams is still on fine form as Giselle, bringing charm and warmth to the role; there is some fun to be had with some of the more fantastical elements of the film; and the costumes and scenery are sure to delight those who love Disney princesses. The film also gets stronger as it slides into its finale, which is a big plus, and it does manage to hit some important emotional beats when the story calls for it.
While I can’t imagine anyone will claim this film is anywhere near as magical as Enchanted, I do expect some will find it enjoyable enough and it does have moments which work well. I certainly liked parts of it, and I do believe it had the potential to be a very good movie.
But unlike Hocus Pocus 2, which arrived on Disney+ at the end of September and proved to be a fine sequel, which felt fully formed and strong enough to get a cinema release (even though Disney failed to give it one), Disenchanted feels more like a straight-to-streaming title. It doesn’t quite have the same power or the wow factor of its predecessor, and after all these years of waiting, this is a big shame.
But it’s not dreadful, it’s just a bit lacklustre. If you’re an Enchanted fan you will want to check it out regardless, and I expect the younger generation will fall in love with Giselle, like the generation before.
Read more:
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a Reply