Enchanted / 2008 Disney / 107 Minutes / http://www.wdig.com /
Enchanted is an interesting film, because of the different styles of filmmaking that Kevin Lima, the director, used in the creation of the film. This means that there are live-action segments, computer generated-segments, and traditional animation all present during the film. This film also marks the first time that Walt Disney had moved back to traditional animation after decreeing that every feature would be animated using the computer (a 2004 decision).
The film itself starts like a number of Disney features, showing the evil machinations of Queen Narissa in trying to make sure that the film’s two protagonists, Prince Edward (James Marsden) and Giselle (Amy Adams) are unable to get together. This bit of evil throws Giselle into a real New York City, and into the arms of lawyer Robert Phillip (Patrick Dempsey). The spell, through Giselle’s presence in the house of Phillip, has real-life ramifications. Where Phillip was engaged, this become problematic when the fiancé sees Phillip in the arms of Giselle. So as to not give the whole film away in this review, I’ll change gears here. The ability of Disney, Lima and producers (Josephson and Sonnenfeld), to link together these disparate methods of filming is great. The story is typical Disney, which means that the young set, as well as individuals into romance movies, will be fans of it. The run time is a little long at points, but the previous successes achieved by the film shows that I might be one of a small minority concerning that point. The deleted scenes that are present (six in number), provide individuals with a little bit better of a sense of what the director originally intended for the film, while the “behind the scenes†featurettes vary in their “must watchâ€-ness.
One of these featurettes that was incredibly interesting to me had to be “Fantasy Comes To Lifeâ€, a short film that vies individuals some sense of the scope of the film, and what it really took to make it into reality. The bloopers run a little long, but will be a must see for individuals that like to see their favorite actors show a human side. I personally like the idea that Disney could go back to traditional animation while embracing this eclectic style. Hopefully Disney will follow up on Enchanted with other films that have this same desire to approach things from a fundamentally different way.
Rating: 8.0/10