First shown in animation, “Enchanted” is set in the kingdom of Andalasia, ruled by Queen Narissa and her stepson Prince Edward. The queen fears that Edward will marry and remove her from her throne. Her fear becomes reality when Edward meets the beautiful maiden Giselle in her cottage in the woods. Reminiscent of the princesses in “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty,” Giselle appears, singing in the company of various forest animals.
About 30 seconds after a duet, Edward and Giselle fall in love. Before the two can marry, Queen Narissa interferes by shoving Giselle through a portal that transforms her into a human and transports her to New York City via the sewer system. Dressed in an extravagant wedding dress, Giselle (Amy Adams) wanders around the city until she meets a lawyer and his daughter who take care of her until Prince Edward comes to her rescue.
With her storybook view of romance, Giselle shows her skeptical new friends that true love still exists. She sings and dances with innocence and a simplistic view of life. Adams appears in movies such as the indie flick “Junebug” and the more popular “Catch Me If You Can.”
Although none of her previous films required elaborate song and dance numbers, Adams performs with a surprisingly good voice in her role as Giselle.
Giselle works her musical talents on her lawyer friend, Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey). Dempsey is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Derek Shepard (a.k.a. McDreamy) on ABC’s hit show “Grey’s Anatomy.” Earlier this year, he also starred in “Freedom Writers” opposite Hilary Swank, playing a role that showed a less pleasant side of him. In “Enchanted,” however, Dempsey does an excellent job of playing a single father struggling to raise his daughter (Rachel Covey). He is the caring, but realistic adult who doesn’t believe in fairytales.
In addition to the acting talents of Adams and Dempsey, “Enchanted” also stars James Marsden as Prince Edward. After learning of Giselle’s disappearance, Edward vows to rescue his bride-to-be and arrives in New York City, tights and all. Marsden delivers a few singing numbers, showcasing the same mellifluous voice audiences heard in the 2007 remake of “Hairspray.” From the hip Corny Collins to the hilariously dramatic Prince Edward, Marsden is a joy to watch on screen.
While Prince Edward searches for Giselle around the city, his servant Nathaniel (Timothy Spall), conspires to slip Giselle a poisoned apple, given to him by the queen. Previously seen in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” as the disgustingly unkempt Wormtail, Spall once again plays the role of minion to an evil sovereign figure.
Everything Nathaniel does is out of love for his queen, who exploits his servile affection to manipulate him into following her orders. Queen Narissa is played by none other than Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon, who has appeared in numerous films including “The Banger Sisters,” “Stepmom” and “Thelma and Louise.” With her exceptional versatility, Sarandon makes for a delicious villain who will do anything to thwart her stepson’s marriage.
Tony Award-winning actress Idina Menzel plays Philip’s love interest, Nancy Tremaine. Menzel has starred in the big screen version of “Rent” and has appeared on Broadway in “Rent” and “Wicked.” Surprisingly, Menzel does not partake in any singing, even though her impressive vocal talents would have certainly added to the film’s merits.
With an impressive cast and recreations of scenes from Disney classics, “Enchanted” is a sweet love story that charms audiences with music, comedy and romance. Its themes of true love, chivalry and friendship hold special appeal for younger audiences, as well as adults who remember delighting in the rapturous songs and spectacular visuals of childhood Disney favorites.