10 years after the first film, Disenchanted brings back audiences to Giselle’s enchanting world as she and her family move to Monroeville to find a new fairytale. Premiering on Disney+ on Nov. 18, this sequel brings enough nostalgia that will cast a spell of warmth for its fans.
The movie begins with a recap of the events that happened in the first movie told by Giselle’s (Amy Adams) animal friend Pip (Griffin Newman) to his children. Pip then continues the story of Giselle’s “happily ever after” by sharing how her family, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), Morgan (Gabriella Baldecchino), and the newborn Sophie move into the suburbs of Monroeville.
With the help of a wishing wand full of magic as a gift to Giselle’s family by the King and Queen of Andalasia, Edward (James Marsden) and Nancy (Idina Menzel), Giselle gets to make a wish that she hopes will help her family fit in while hiding from the consequences. This shakes up Monroeville and Andalasia into disarray.
Brewing up a decade-old story
Released three days before the 15th anniversary of Enchanted’s release, Disenchanted’s preproduction was delayed as it took years to develop and recapture the essence of the former film it built itself upon. In 2010, Disney was keen on producing a sequel to Enchanted with a release plan as early as 2011, with director Anne Fletcher taking the helm of directing the picture. However, in 2017, Adam Shankman instead negotiated to direct the film and tinkered with the script to appeal to Disney.
Composer Alan Menken, who scored the first film’s soundtrack, revealed that the script and concept for Disenchanted caused the delay as writers were taking a while to find its true magic. With that, Disney had not greenlighted the movie back then, which caused the prolonged development phase. Despite Shankman’s involvement with Disenchanted, he was to initially direct Hocus Pocus 2, which went to Fletcher instead.
Disenchanted’s concept of using a live-action and animation together also brought the original movie to stay in prolonged development. Regardless, actors Amy Adams and James Marsden were pleased to work on the film. However, they were worried as their age would counter their characters’ agelessness.
Reading through a familiar chapter
Continuing as a story of Enchanted, where a stereotypical Disney princess interacts with the city’s hustle and bustle, one would’ve expected a much similar tone where perhaps the magic was unexpected. Disenchanted failed to capture the whimsy that interplays with the seriousness as Giselle, who interprets an outgoing and charming Disney character, was given a much more composed tone where her magical traits are far lighter and less impactful than what they were in the first movie.
Tackling the move to the suburbs alongside brewing tensions with new characters such as Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph) were intriguing turns in this film. But Disenchanted’s story lacked substance as its conflict was more illusional than real. Malvina Monroe was not given much depth in the story other than a surface-level “Queen of Monroeville.” Her character was nothing more than shallow.
For Morgan’s development, the film does a great deal in outlining her adolescence. It takes a dip into the mother-daughter relationship between her and Giselle. However, it would’ve seemed better if Robert had a larger role in the family dynamics as the sequel axed his presence to a supporting character instead, whereas, in the first film, he played a bigger role.
Stirring the pot for new characters
In terms of performance, the actors have done justice to their roles, making up for the story’s issues. Amy Adams shines yet again as Giselle. Her performance emits that wonder people fell in love with. Aside from Adams’ performance, newcomers Maya Rudolph and Gabriella Baldecchino have done a good deal with portraying the characters Malvina Monroe and Morgan, respectively. The snarkiness of Malvina is attention-grabbing, while Morgan shows enough spunk that will keep audiences hooked.
Similarly, actors such as Idina Menzel and James Marsden were given more screen time and character development in their roles. As Queen and King of Andalasia, Nancy and Edward’s characters were further explored in this sequel, especially Nancy, who was first known to be Robert’s fiance in the first film. While Marsden, charming as ever, brings back that innocence and justice-driven personality he embodied as Edward in Enchanted.
Conjuring breathtaking visuals and tinkering with music
Aside from casting and character development, it has been years since witnessing a Disney feature film with their signature 2D hand-drawn animation, the last being Winnie the Pooh in 2011. The film’s animated sequences brought viewers magical eye candy and nostalgia, wherein its animation style mirrors the Disney renaissance era of animation.
One should also take note of the film’s production and costume design which brings more of the film’s magic to life. It certainly has shown improvement in technology, combining live action with animation while maintaining the magic and wholesomeness the first film established. These elements pulled viewers into the unusual yet charming story of Giselle once again.
In terms of music, with its predecessor having several iconic songs such as “True Love’s Kiss,” “That’s How You Know,” and “Happy Working Song,” audiences had high expectations for Disenchanted’s musical numbers. The show-stopping performance between Giselle and Malvina in “Badder” was certainly one to tune into. Similarly, Idina Menzel’s “Love Power” performance was commendable and powerful. Despite these notable song numbers, other tracks in this sequel aren’t as impactful after first witnessing them in the film.
A callback to fantasy nostalgia
Disenchanted offers old and new fans a fresh and exciting chapter in Giselle’s happily ever after with its upbeat cast and otherworldly visuals. Despite not living up to its predecessor’s status as a cult classic due to its plot issues being a hit or miss, it’s still a good movie to watch for nostalgia’s sake. Newcomers to the film, such as Maya Rudolph, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Oscar Nuñez, certainly added more humor and fun to this film.
With 10 years since Enchanted, Disenchanted still seems to have been worth the wait as it does sprinkle some magic that brings a whole lot of entertainment to families all over the world. As the ratings have been dipping for this film, it’s still unlikely to hope for a third story in this franchise.
For now, experience the magic of Giselle’s story once more by watching Disenchanted, streaming only on Disney+.
