Fifteen long years after Enchanted hit theaters in 2007, its sequel arrives on Disney+, and continues the story of Giselle and her life after finding her one true love. But what else could there be? These kinds of stories always end with the discovery of one’s true love, right? Not for this story, and that’s part of the fun of it. In Disenchanted, we get a peek at what happens after the usual happily-ever-after.
Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams reprise their roles as Robert and Giselle, now as husband and wife. This makes Giselle stepmother to Robert’s daughter Morgan, now played by Gabrielle Baldacchino. Along with their newest addition, little Sophia, the family moves to Monroeville, a picturesque suburb of New York, in the hopes of reviving some of that magic they had at the beginning.
Also returning are James Marsden as Edward and Idina Menzel as Nancy, now both rulers of the fantasy world of Andalasia.
Disney’s stock in trade, more than any other studio, is the fairy-tale, and all its many variations. Through almost a hundred years Disney has been creating classic films and shows depicting fairy-tale worlds, and Disenchanted is a celebration of all that as well.
For the Disney-babies out there who grew up on the studio’s classic stories and enchanting music, Disenchanted is the largest easter egg hunt out there, bar none. Wonderfully woven into the visuals and narrative are dozens of references to beloved stories. Be on the lookout for nods to Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel and many other Disney Princesses while you watch, they are everywhere.
More so than the first film, Disenchanted is overflowing with just about every story book cliche you can think of, from evil queens, talking animals, a ball to attend, and of course a curse. But rather than just being items on a list to run through or making fun of them, the movie uses them with whimsy and amusement. Because, as overused as these tropes may be, they still were a large part of growing up for many, many people. It is a love letter to many of our childhood memories, to a time in our lives when we truly believed that wishes would come true, and that good triumphed over evil, and over the next horizon was a new adventure.
It is a throwback to the old days of Disney, with animation mixed in with live action reminiscent of Bedknobs and Broomsticks and music by award-winning Disney stalwart Alan Menkin, best known for Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. And that alone makes Disenchanted worth viewing in my book.
However it doesn’t only merrily retread the olden days of cartoons and fantastical stories. Just like any good children’s story, there is a lesson hidden in all the adventure. We find out that happily-ever-after is not the end of a story, nor is it a single, frozen moment in time. A happily-ever-after is what we make for ourselves from what we’ve learned from all our dragon slaying and princess rescuing. Happily-ever after is everything after true love’s kiss, and the last stroke of midnight. And while this may seem sad at first, it really is not. Because now we know that if we continue to work at it and to dream with all our hearts, happily-ever-after lasts far, far longer than the closing of the book.
This movie was obviously made by people who were young at heart, for people who are young at heart and who aren’t ashamed to dream. Let yourself be a dreaming child again.
Disenchanted is now streaming on Disney+.