March 18, 2008

Disney is home to some of the most legendary and magical movies of all time, and regardless of whether these movies are hand-drawn animation, CG, or live action; they have a mass appeal like no other movie studio. What other studio would even dare lock away their films in some mystical “vault” and only re-release them when a new generation of viewer was ready to be inspired?

The Disney legacy launched back in 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and since then their library of animated titles has grown to more than 45 films. Many of these timeless classics are being remastered and presented on DVD with better picture and sound than they were when first released in theaters, which will delight not only the children, but the parents and grandparents who likely watched them when they were young.

Enchanted is the latest masterpiece from the wizards at Disney, and it is a marvelous blend of traditional storytelling, enduring characters, and catchy music that will have you singing a “Happy Working Song” long after the movie is over. Enchanted is a mix of classic Disney animation and live action but not in a gimmicky Roger Rabbit style. Both visual styles are presented as totally unique worlds that collide through events in the story, offering numerous opportunities for fun, humor, and happily ever afters.

Enchanted begins in the animated world of Andalasia, presented in a soft, yet colorful palette where we meet the wide-eyed innocent Giselle (Amy Adams) who lives in a tree house with her woodland friends and dreams of her true love, which naturally inspires the first of three musical numbers in the film. Meanwhile, Prince Edward (James Marsden) is out slaying foul ogres – a fiendish diversion crafted by the evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) who realizes that if her son finds his true love and gets married, she will lose the crown.

Things pick up once Giselle literally falls into Edward’s lap and after a very brief introduction and briefer engagement the two are going to be wed, but the evil queen, disguised as a vaguely familiar old hag (for Snow White fans) tosses Giselle into a wishing well on her way to the alter, and our soon-to-be princess is magically transported to a very real Times Square in a very real New York City.

Scared and confused, Giselle immediately tries to find her way home but after a chance encounter with Robert, (Patrick “McDreamy” Dempsey), a divorce lawyer, and his daughter Morgan, her journey gets sidetracked as Giselle quite literally enchants this single dad and his daughter with her innocence and magical housekeeping abilities. But back in Times Square, Prince Edward and Pip, the obligatory chipmunk sidekick (who goes from animation to CG) arrive in the “real world” in search of Giselle. But also along for the search is Nathaniel, supposed friend of Edward who is secretly working for the queen and sent to kill Giselle with a poison apple before Edward can find her and bring her home.

For the rest of the film we get to see some fantastic performances from the entire cast. I was impressed with the underlying themese of the opposing balance of innocence versus skepticism and watching the two characters that represent each slowly merge and even overlap to some extent. The longer Giselle stays in the real world the more she doubts her fairtytale future back in Andalasia with Edward, and the longer Robert is exposed to Giselle’s infectious outlook on life the more laid back he becomes. This is most apparent about halfway through the movie when he tells Giselle he doesn’t sing or dance, but ends up doing both before the end of the movie.

One of the most interesting elements of Enchanted is just how inspired the creators were by some of the original Disney works. There are so many references to other Disney movies in this film that you could make a game out of it – in fact, they did on the Blu-ray disc, and if you play the D-Files game you can watch the movie while taking an interactive trivia test. Depending on your final score you can unlock up to three bonus featurettes that dive even further into the making of Enchanted. I was most impressed with the fact that, even with so much borrowed material, the movie remained fresh and none of these "referential moments" seemed forced or out of place in the modern day script.

Visual references appear as characters, like the old hag with a poison apple, classic scenes like the rowboat from Little Mermaid, or cinematic moments like the sweeping camera shot through the ballroom in Beauty and the Beast. Some of the references are so subtle that they will likely whiz right by you, at least until you discover them in the D-Files and then you’ll go, “oh yeah…” And who would have ever guessed that the Ogre is wearing all the dresses from past Disney princesses as his kilt?

Some references aren’t even visual like having Julie Andrews (Marry Poppins) voice the narration, or beginning the film with a storybook opening up, or naming Robert's receptionist after the horse in Sleeping Beauty. But there are plenty of still moments and even entire scene segments reproduced in true next-gen fashion. Here are some images that match scenes from Enchanted with their inspirational counterparts.

Another staple of Disney classics is music and Enchanted boasts three major musical numbers and a fantastic emotional score from award-winning composers Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The first number takes place in the animated world and is classic Disney as Giselle assembles a mannequin (Cinderalla style) of her true love. The next song is “Happy Working Song” where Giselle awakens in Robert’s filthy apartment and summons all her woodland friends to help clean, only in New York City, the critters aren’t as cuddly, so we end up with a mix of real and CG pigeons, rats, and cockroaches doing the dirty work. The only thing more amazing than this musical number is watching how they created it in the bonus features.

The third number, “That’s How You Know” is a song and dance number of epic proportions that takes place in Central Park with hundreds of dancers and street performers and covers a variety of musical styles including a catchy calypso beat. And if you watch closely, you might just spot some of the original dancers from West Side Story and a familiar chimney sweep from Marry Poppins.

The Blu-ray version of Enchanted has all the same bonus features as the standard DVD including a pop-up book adventure called Pip’s Predicament, which actually tells the story of what happened back in Andalasia between the time Giselle fell into the well and Edward came through after her. There are also three featurettes that go into great detail on the making of the two live-action musical numbers and the big ballroom sequence at the end of the film. There are also sections for deleted scenes, a short blooper reel, and a fun music video with Carrie Underwood doing the theme song from the movie.

Of course the biggest and best feature is also exclusive to the Blu-ray disc. D-Files is loaded with witty commentary by William Huntley (Grumpy) and all sorts of interactive trivia that will test your knowledge of the Disney legacy. You’ll be scored during this quiz, and if you earn enough points you can unlock three special extras. You can even save your progress and continue at a later time.

Filmmaking: 10
Enchanted combines a charming story of "innocence meets reality" with outstanding cinematography and state of the art practical and visual effects. Some of the scenes with Pip are so lifelike you’d think they trained a real chipmunk to do those scenes, and the final dragon at the end…well; you have to see it to believe it. And observant fans who have seen all of the past Disney classics will love all the subtle nods to some classic and even iconic Disney moments.

Visuals: 10
Enchanted covers just about every discipline in filmmaking then pushes that craft to new and unexpected levels of brilliance. The blending of CG and live action is unbelievable, especially in the apartment cleaning scene, and mixing in the practical effects to make it all come together is quite an achievement in filmmaking. As previously mentioned, Pip is perhaps the best, or at lest the most lifelike CG critter ever put on film. He can sit in the palm of an actor’s hand and you’ll swear he is real. I also loved the style and warm colors of the animated world of Andalasia that made it feel like a classic Disney tale. The film looks amazing at 1080p and many of the bonuses are also presented in true high-def. I also enjoyed the 1:85:1 presentation of the animated storybook world versus the 2.35:1 widescreen of the live action world. You really have to watch for the transition.

Sound: 10
I’m usually the first to scoff when a musical number breaks out in a film. Sure, I respect the genre, but there is just something so unnatural about people breaking out into song during their daily lives. But, you expect musical numbers in a Disney movie, so I was prepared going in, but what I wasn’t prepared for was that I actually enjoyed the live-action numbers far more than the animated song at the beginning of the film. I think I was able to relate with the Robert character, being slightly taken aback that this girl is busting out into song in the middle of the park, but by the end of the number I was nodding my head and tapping my foot right along with him. The songs really are quite infectious. The Blu-ray offers an immersive Dolby TrueHD sound mix that gives this film an epic scope and crystal quality.

Value: 10
The BD version of Enchanted sells for anywhere from $24 to $30 and in my opinion is worth every last cent. I’m 44 and don’t have any kids and I was captivated by the film, watched it twice the first night and once again since. The bonus features include: deleted scenes, bloopers, behind the scene featurettes, and a pop up adventure with Pip. The Blu-ray version offers the exclusive D-Files trivia challenge. With the pure entertainment value of the feature film and all the great extras, there is no reason not to pick up this Disney classic on Blu-ray. It’s a great movie to show off your high-def home theater.

Overall: 10
Despite borrowing generously from dozens of past Disney films, Enchanted is surprisingly fresh and original. We’ve often seen real people get transported into the world of animation but bringing the animated world to life is simply inspired. Enchanted is not only an instant classic fairytale; it inevitably draws the audience in with its charming characters, which many viewers can relate to. Because Enchanted is able to connect on an emotional level with its audience, it will continue to be a must-have in anyone’s DVD collection.