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Enchanted Parent Guide

Some day my prince will come..

Happily ever after seems like only a fairytale for Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) when an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) banishes her from a perfect animated world and casts her into the live-action reality of New York City. Ill-prepared to cope in this un-Enchanted land, Giselle finds a friend in a divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) while she waits for a handsome prince (James Marrsden) to come to her rescue.

Release date November 20, 2007

Run Time: 107 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kerry bennett.

Aside from Mickey Mouse, Disney Studios may be best known for their assortment of fairytale princesses. Beginning with Snow White , these lovely ladies sing away their woes (often with the help of their animal friends) while waiting for their Prince to arrive and whisk them off to happily ever after.

From all appearances, Giselle (Amy Adams) is no different. Living in a cartoon forest, she and her woodland friends croon through an upbeat tune in anticipation of the regal arrival of the man of her dreams. In the meantime, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) has her stepson, Prince Edward (James Marsden), tied up with troll hunting in an attempt to keep him from finding his true love. Yet as fate would have it, the two meet and plan to marry the following day. Stepping in to stop the ceremony, the Queen banishes Giselle to a strange and foreign land known as modern day New York City.

While her naivete worries Robert, her optimism slowly begins to rub off on him. Unsure whether she is for real or just delusional, the cynical lawyer soon finds himself tutoring Giselle about love and life in the modern world.

This charming collision of the animated Andalasia with real-life Manhattan takes an age-old genre and tweaks it for contemporary audiences. Viewers get plenty to laugh about as the innocent Giselle navigates the unfamiliar streets of the Big Apple and learns to take a more sensible approach to falling in love. While the film has few language concerns and brief moments of sexual innuendo, this princess is busting out all over in her self-made clothing. The script also contains some perilous moments for the characters, including a hideous monster that swoops down on the city.

Fortunately Giselle’s unexpected experience doesn’t dampen her cheerful attitude, which inspires others to have a more positive outlook on life. And while audiences can laugh at the romantic notions promoted in classic Disney tales, most of us will still enjoy this happily ever after ending.

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Kerry Bennett

Enchanted rating & content info.

Why is Enchanted rated PG? Enchanted is rated PG by the MPAA for some scary images and mild innuendo.

Arriving in New York City, this wide-eyed princess gets an introduction to a homeless man, unfriendly residents and some prostitutes. Luckily, she also meets a more convivial citizen who catches her when she falls from a perch on a billboard. Upon his arrival in the city, the sword-wielding Prince Edward holds his weapon to the neck of a man and later uses it to stab a bus. Giselle’s chipmunk friend is hung in the closet on a pant hanger, threatened with a knife and seemingly thrown into a fire. (The little critter and a dog are also shown defecating and urinating.) Characters find themselves in other perilous dilemmas involving poisoned apples, bike crashes and traffic. Later a character turns into a frightening monster that scales a high-rise building with another character in its clutches. Low-cut gowns and a shower scene, where Giselle’s animal friends conveniently maintain her modestly, are contained in the script along with some brief sexual innuendo and the infrequent use of a mild profanity.

Page last updated June 1, 2020

Enchanted Parents' Guide

What do Giselle and Robert each teach the other about love? How do they moderate the other’s view of romance?

How does Giselle’s cheery attitude affect those around her? What impact does it have on the couple involved in divorce proceedings? What influence can a person’s outlook on life, either optimistic or pessimistic, have on others?

Are “happily ever afters” achievable in real life? What sacrifices would be needed to make relationships succeed?

Loved this movie? Try these books…

Readers looking for more princess stories should find a copy of "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine, which re-imagines the story of Cinderella, with a dangerous spell, and even more devious stepmother, and a slightly hapless Prince Charming. Younger kids might like Robert Munsch' "The Paper Bag Princess", in which the damsel is neither in distress nor in need of rescue.

Being engaged to the prince isn’t quite what Ella imagined. Find out what happens to the scullery maid turned princess-to-be in Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Just Ella. The Cinderella story is also reimagined in Soot and Slipper by Kate Stradling.

Gail Carson Levine puts a musical spin on the story of a magic mirror in Fairest.

Enchanted hilariously spoofs fairy tale tropes. Fractured fairy tales do the same. Author Vivian Vande Velde playfully skewers a well known tale in The Rumpelstiltskin Problem. She also tackles fairy tale tropes in Wizard at Work, Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird, Three Good Deeds, and A Hidden Magic.

Jean Ferris also has fun with the genre in Once Upon a Marigold in which a young man who has been raised by a troll begins conversing via carrier pigeon with a lonely young woman, who just happens to be a princess.

Young readers will enjoy fractured fairy tales in picture book form. Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz will keep them laughing. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems features the well known blonde, but this time she runs into dinosaurs who eat chocolate pudding (and clueless children). Ezra Stein’s Interrupting Chicken features an excitable character who wants to change the endings to her favorite stories. Jon Scieszka hilariously turns a beloved story on its head in The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, in which we hear the wolf’s side of things. Cinderella Penguin by Janet Perlman tells the traditional tale with sly jokes that will keep parents laughing along with their kids.

The most recent home video release of Enchanted movie is March 11, 2008. Here are some details…

Get swept off you feet with Disney’s DVD release of Enchanted, which includes bloopers, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes (for the Happy Working Song, That’s How You Know and A Blast At The Ball ), and an interactive game ( Pip’s Predicament: A Pop-Up Adventure ). Audio tracks are available in English (DTS 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround), French and Spanish, with subtitles in French and Spanish.

If you chose the Blu-ray edition of Enchanted , you will also receive The D-Files, a game where viewers try to spot the hidden references to Disney films found throughout the movie. High scorers will be rewarded with three videos: So Close, Making Ever, Ever After and True Love’s Kiss.

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Watch Enchanted with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

A smart re-imagining of fairy tale tropes that's sure to delight children and adults, Enchanted features witty dialogue, sharp animation, and a star turn by Amy Adams.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Patrick Dempsey

Robert Philip

James Marsden

Prince Edward

Timothy Spall

Idina Menzel

Nancy Tremaine

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"True Love and Real Romance"

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

What You Need To Know:

(BBB, C, Ho, VV, M) Very strong moral worldview with light Christian elements and messages and a refutation of Romantic love, upholding a biblical view of love, and a biblical relationship between a man and a woman, showing evil as evil and good as good, plus a couple very light jokes about homosexuality; no discernible foul language in movie but one light exclamatory “Oh God” in trailer and dog urinates on man’s boot; lots of action, cartoon violence, with pratfalls, animals fly into windows, people hit their heads, people run over, sword-fighting, and a scary witch tries to poison the heroine and turns into a dragon who causes havoc and threatens the lives of people; several kisses, very simple and sweet; woman steps out of bathtub with towel around her; alcohol use in restaurant and bar scenes; no smoking; and, lying, cheating and mean-spirited villains.

More Detail:

ENCHANTED turns the fairy tale story inside out in a delightful, positive, worthwhile way. Unlike SHREK, which has a low ironic and sardonic element to it, ENCHANTED’s re-discovery of the fairy tale turns selfish Romantic notions into a story of real love, real commitment and real sacrifice.

The movie opens in a two dimensional animated world with Giselle in a beautiful cottage singing to her plethora of sweet forest friends. The forest animals are helping her to clean and sew. She is creating a life-size mannequin of the man of her dreams and is singing a song about one true kiss.

Meanwhile, Prince Edward is hunting trolls in the forest with his knave, who is the henchman of his wicked stepmother, Narissa. Narissa has told her henchman not to let Edward meet any women, lest the Prince gets married, and she loses the crown.

The Prince hears Giselle and saves her from a troll, and, together, they finish her song in a great duet. Immediately, he asks her to marry him. When she comes to the castle in her pumpkin-like carriage, the mother changes herself into a little old witch who pushes Giselle down a well. The well leads across the dimensions to real life New York City, and sweet, kind, joyful Giselle is totally lost in the cruel, uncaring real world of Urban America.

Giselle sees a poster of a castle and tries to climb up into the picture but falls into the arms of a divorce lawyer named Robert, who’s with his daughter, Morgan. Morgan convinces Robert to shelter Giselle. The next morning, Giselle opens the windows to sing to get help from her animal friends to clean up the apartment. Instead of cute forest creatures, rats, cockroaches, crows, and pigeons and other varmints come by droves to start cleaning up the apartment. When Robert awakes and sees the rats, he goes bonkers. Giselle settles him down and fixes breakfast. Her desire to serve and may not go well with the politically correct crowd.

Robert takes Giselle to his law firm. She tells him about Prince Edward. He tells her that people need to get to know each other before they decide to get married and tells her about the divorce case he’s handling. Giselle convinces the divorcing couple, however, that they shouldn’t throw away all the good times just because of a few bad times. Robert’s boss is furious that Giselle is cutting the firm out of a big retainer.

Back in the animated world, Prince Edward finds out what happens. He jumps into the well to find Giselle, but Narissa sends the henchman after him. She tells the henchman to kill Giselle. What she doesn’t know is that Giselle and Robert are falling for each other in a more real and courageous way, than the fantasy love of the Prince.

ENCHANTED continues to get more delightful as it proceeds to a very exciting, edge-of-your-seat ending. Will Narissa kill Giselle? Will Giselle marry the Prince or will she realize that Robert is her true love?

ENCHANTED is a story of real love. It contains tremendous musical numbers, flights of fancy, wonderful humor, heart-rending moments, and everything that a great movie should have. When it appears to be cloying, it suddenly gets a perspective toward itself that re-affirms the good and exposes the foolishness of the Romantic worldview.

Be careful, however, because the witch is very scary. There’s also a lot of action violence, but it is not malicious.

Director Kevin Lima does a marvelous job of keeping a fine edge and yet filling the movie with joy and excitement. The cast gives wonderful performances, and Amy Adams excels as Giselle, who is someone who is pure and naïve, but not foolish or a caricature. The music is contagious, and the dance numbers are captivating. Having grown up with a father (Robert Allen) who starred on Broadway, the movie brought back fond memories of the golden age of musical comedies in the mid-1950s.

ENCHANTED may not go over well with the PC crowd on the left, but if word of mouth has the time to spread the word about how good the movie is before the critics try to slice it and dice it, it should become one of the most popular Disney movies of all time.

The Movie Review: 'Enchanted'

Hollywood serves up something to be thankful for this holiday week with Enchanted , Disney's endearing story of a cartoon princess thrust into modern-day, live-action New York City. The movie opens with a spot-on sendup of an animated fairy tale--these are, after all, the people who invented the template--in which Giselle (Amy Adams), a comely redhead who lives with her animal friends in the kingdom of Andalasia, pines for the day her prince will come. That day turns out to be today, and after a duet with her royal swain Edward (James Marsden) and some brief complications with a troll, the two are quickly betrothed. But Edward has a, yes, wicked stepmother, Narissa (Susan Sarandon), and shortly before the wedding she pushes Giselle down a magical well to a place where "there are no happily-ever-afters."

That, of course, would be New York, as the city's large population of divorce attorneys could attest. Indeed, after the now flesh-and-blood Giselle has a dispiriting wander through the streets, she meets a divorce attorney of her own, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a single dad whose six-year-old moppet Morgan (Rachel Covey) insists he let the lost princess stay with them for the night. He awakes to find Giselle tidying the apartment, a chore that involves (in a marvelous parody of Snow White 's "Whistle While You Work") her singing directions to a cleaning crew made up of newfound, Manhattan-style animal friends--pigeons, rats, and a plague of cockroaches. She has also sewn herself a lovely new dress from material she just happened to find hanging on a curtain-rod in front of the window. She's that kind of houseguest.

Several more tourists arrive from Andalasia the next day: Prince Edward, seeking his bride-to-be; Narissa's miserable flunky Nathaniel (Timothy Spall), seeking to do away with said bride-to-be; and Pip, a charades-playing chipmunk, seeking to stop Nathaniel. Robert, meanwhile, tries to instruct Giselle in the cynical mores of the modern era, only to find himself gradually won over by her inexhaustible innocence.

In entertainments such as this, aimed, as the blurbs say, at "the whole family," there is always a tricky balance between earnestness and irony, between jokes intended for the kids and jokes intended for their parents. The makers of Enchanted have clearly opted to err on the side of the former, and while this results in a number of dull and/or groan-worthy gags throughout the film, it is nonetheless something of a relief from the pervasive knowingness and inside-jokery of our Shrek -soaked age. Though the film is full of allusions to the Disney canon, they are generally unobtrusive echoes rather than eager satires. This is a children's movie at which adults are also welcome, not a cartoon for grownups.

The supporting cast is good, with Marsden in particular showing hammy comic aplomb (and a strong singing voice) as Prince Edward. But Enchanted is Amy Adams's coming-out party, and she makes the most of it. Anyone who saw her star-making performance as the inveterately effusive Ashley in Junebug (and to those of you who didn't: shame on you), will be unsurprised by the amplitude of her guileless charm. Her reply when Robert explains to her that divorce is "forever" ("Forever and ever ?"), the delight she takes in discovering herself to be, unexpectedly and for the first time, "angry"--these are moments of cinematic confection so sweet they may call for a trip to the dentist. Her singing, too, is a joy; the showstopping ensemble number she leads in Central Park, "That's How You Know," is perhaps the high point of the movie.

Indeed if there's a complaint to be made of Enchanted , it's that the Central Park scene, which takes place near the middle of the film, is the last time (and just the third) we hear Adams sing. The story concludes--as such stories so often do--with a fancy-dress ball and the appearance of a dragon, and while these spectacles are diverting enough, they make limited use of Adams's irresistible ingenuousness. After all, if it's dragonslaying you want, you can go see Beowulf in the theatre next door. A woman who can charm cockroaches into cleaning your bathtub for you, by contrast--well, that's a kind of magic you're not going to find anywhere else.

This post originally appeared at TNR.com.

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‘enchanted’: film review.

Enchantment only goes so far in this sometimes clever, other times grating mix of live action and animation that plays tricks with levels of movie reality as the world of fairy-tale animation invades contemporary New York.

By Kirk Honeycutt

Kirk Honeycutt

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Enchantment only goes so far in Disney’s “Enchanted,” a sometimes clever, other times grating mix of live action and animation that plays tricks with levels of movie reality as the world of fairy-tale animation invades contemporary New York.

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Movie Review | 'Enchanted'

Someday My Prince Will ... Uh, Make That a Manhattan Lawyer

By Manohla Dargis

Nov. 21, 2007

The movies like to promise girls and women a happily ever after, but it’s unusual that one delivers an ending that makes you feel unsullied and uncompromised, that doesn’t make you want to reach for your Simone de Beauvoir or a Taser. “Enchanted,” an unexpectedly delightful revisionist fairy tale from, of all places, Walt Disney Pictures, doesn’t radically rewrite every bummer cliché about girls of all ages and their dreams. But for a satisfying stretch, the film works its magic largely by sending up, at times with a wink, at times with a hard nudge, some of the very stereotypes that have long been this company’s profitable stock in trade.

It’s a gently heretical redo, characterized by a script that falters only in the clinch, some agile if overly timid direction and a strong cast led by a superb Amy Adams. As Giselle, an otherworldly princess who falls to Earth (worse yet, Times Square), Ms. Adams proves to be an irresistibly watchable screen presence and a felicitous physical comedian, with a gestural performance and an emotional register that alternately bring to mind the madcap genius of Carole Lombard and Lucille Ball. Ms. Adams doesn’t just bring her cartoonish character to life: she fills Giselle’s pale cheeks with blood and feeling, turning a hazardously cute gimmick into a recognizable, very appealing human confusion of emotion and crinoline.

The once upon a time begins with the animated Giselle, a pastel creation with a pointy chin and trilling voice, merrily chattering with her furry and feathered woodland friends. Although she isn’t scrubbing down the front steps in rags and clogs, Giselle has clearly been conceived, more thematically than visually, along the same lines as classic Disney heroines like Snow White and Cinderella. She’s pretty, she’s perky, she’s flat (well, not entirely), and when she sings about her one true love, it isn’t long before he emerges on horseback, answering her call with a Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken refrain of his own. Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to the chapel they would go if not for his wicked, witchy stepmother.

One thing quickly leads to another until Giselle tumbles down a well and lands in New York, her drawn figure suddenly made flesh. There, amid the bustling and hustling, she finds shelter with a guarded single father, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), and his motherless daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey). Melodrama looms, mostly and somewhat unfairly because of another woman (Idina Menzel), but the director Kevin Lima keeps the tone light and playful while also scaling some charmingly dizzy heights with two musical numbers, one a rousing, complexly choreographed song and dance in Central Park with what looks like the entire Broadway dance corps, the other a brilliantly surrealistic number with Giselle and some urban critters. You may never look at a water bug the same way again.

In some ways the film never recovers from the anarchic joys of this particular musical number, which is so flat-out bizarre and grotesquely funny — and executed straight, without knowing smirks — that it threatens to send the story off the rails. Part of this number’s pleasure comes from the naughty thrill of watching a beloved, near-sacred film — in this case, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Disney’s sublime first animated feature — gleefully turned upside down and inside out. The old Warner Brothers animators used to take rollicking aim at Disney on occasion, but it’s something else to watch Disney send up Disney, as it were, and do it with such sneaky, breezy irreverence. It’s “Snow White” as redone by John Waters.

It would be too much to expect Disney to wholly dismantle its own mythologies, thereby freeing young female hearts and minds from the curse of Prince Charming, so it’s no surprise that “Enchanted” trips up on its way to the finish. The windup disappoints, as does Susan Sarandon’s Queen Narissa, who enters in a bilious puff as if dressed for a fetish ball. The queen arrives blessedly late to a party that lasts a remarkably long time, in part because of the dunderheaded Prince Edward (an excellent James Marsden), a crafty fly in the ointment (the equally stellar Timothy Spall) and a computer-generated chipmunk called Pip (voiced by Mr. Lima and Jeff Bennett). I’d gladly tell you about Pip’s close call with crucifixion, but I don’t want to scare the children.

“Enchanted” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Pigeons and rats and water bugs, oh my.

Opens today nationwide.

Directed by Kevin Lima; written by Bill Kelly; director of photography, Don Burgess; hand-drawn animation supervisor, James Baxter; edited by Stephen A. Rotter and Gregory Perler; music by Alan Menken, with songs by Mr. Menken and Stephen Schwartz; production designer, Stuart Wurtzel; produced by Barry Josephson and Barry Sonnenfeld; released by Walt Disney Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes.

WITH: Amy Adams (Giselle), Patrick Dempsey (Robert Phillip), James Marsden (Prince Edward), Timothy Spall (Nathaniel), Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine), Rachel Covey (Morgan Phillip), Susan Sarandon (Narissa) and Kevin Lima and Jeff Bennett (Pip).

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DVD & Streaming
Animation , Comedy , Kids , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

Amy Adams as Giselle; Patrick Dempsey as Robert; James Marsden as Prince Edward; Susan Sarandon as Queen Narissa; Timothy Spall as Nathaniel; Rachel Covey as Morgan

Home Release Date

Distributor.

Walt Disney

Movie Review

The lovely Giselle communes day-by-day with woodland creatures in a magical, animated land called Andalasia, dreaming and singing of a handsome prince who will one day deliver “true love’s kiss.” So when the dashing Prince Edward rides to her rescue, the two fall instantly in love and, in true fairy-tale fashion, decide to marry the very next day.

Edward’s mother, the wicked Queen Narissa, will not give up her place of power so easily, however. She tricks Giselle and banishes her to a land where there are no happily-ever-afters—a distant, dismal, dirty place called … Manhattan.

When the confused beauty pushes aside a manhole cover and pulls herself up into a flesh-and-blood world filled with tire-screeching traffic and crusty citizenry, she immediately realizes that something is horribly wrong. Rain-drenched and distraught, Giselle is rescued by Robert, a kindhearted divorce lawyer, and his young daughter, Morgan. But Robert isn’t sure what to do with this vulnerable, naive young woman. She’s definitely shaking his cynical views and having a strange impact on his life.

Things aren’t all quiet on the Andalasian front, either. Much to Queen Narissa’s consternation, when Prince Edward learns of Giselle’s disappearance, he leaps into action and makes his own way to New York. Realizing that her deceitful plan may soon be foiled, the miffed monarch sends bumbling henchman Nathaniel to finish off the young girl once and for all.

Positive Elements

Giselle has a pure, trusting heart. She carries that purity and innocence into her dealings in the flesh-and-blood world. Open and kind to everyone she meets, she sings of the joys of love and life. When faced with the fact that a husband and wife are getting a divorce, Giselle is brought to tears by the sadness of it. Better yet, when she helps remind the couple of the things that drew them together to begin with, they start to rethink their choices. “Everybody has problems,” they conclude. “Do we sacrifice all of the good times because of them?”

Robert had his heart broken when his wife left him years before, but slowly regains his faith in romantic love because of Giselle. Giselle, for her part, learns that true love is more than a song and a kiss, and that solid relationships take work. And when she sings of true love in Central Park, even the hard-boiled New Yorker onlookers catch her vision and begin to sing along.

Robert gives Giselle money, which she immediately gives to someone in need. Edward is willing to face any threat and overcome any obstacle to protect Giselle. In the end, Robert steps forward to do the same. [ Spoiler Warning ] No passive princess, Giselle bravely rescues her man (with help from a spunky chipmunk). And when characters see that the ones they care for love someone else, they selflessly step aside.

Spiritual Elements

The magic utilized here is exactly the type that you would expect to see in a Disney animated movie such as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or The Little Mermaid. Prince Edward’s mother is evil and powerful in both the animated world and ours.

She creates a portal in a well that Giselle falls through, for instance. She talks to Nathaniel by appearing in various liquids, and she manufactures poison apples for him to distribute. She disguises herself as an old hag. She supernaturally blasts a manhole cover into the Coke sign in Times Square. She fries cars at the intersection. And later, with a wave of her arms and a guttural incantation—amid fire and swirling colors—she transforms into a giant, marauding dragon.

Sexual Content

Giselle bares some cleavage throughout the film in her off-the shoulder wedding dress and later in both homemade and contemporary gowns. Queen Narissa wears a low-cut dress in her animated and real-life forms. Robert bursts into the bathroom as Giselle is stepping out of the shower. (Two birds fly a towel in for a timely, PG-rated covering.) While Giselle is wrapped in this towel, she and Robert trip and she lands on top of him in the hallway.

Robert’s girlfriend, Nancy, sees this and is upset that this strange girl is staying in Robert’s apartment. Which brings up this positive point: Robert has refused to let Nancy spend the night with him, holding up their circumspection as a standard for his daughter.

As Prince Edward is going door-to-door in search of Giselle, a beefy (male) biker-type gives him an amorous look. (Edward moves on without notice.) Construction workers grin and grimace when Nathaniel tells them he’s not looking for a princess—he’s looking for a prince.

Several passionate kisses are exchanged. Giselle comments on how beautiful an abstract nude sculpture is. She and Morgan have a conversation about the one thing boys are always after.

Violent Content

Prince Edward wields his sword on a few occasions, stabbing a bus, holding the blade to a man’s throat or pointing it at Robert. Nathaniel torments the little chipmunk who’s trying to help Edward find Giselle, holding a knife to its throat and hanging it from a hanger in the closet. A sword is also put to the queen’s throat.

[ Spoiler Warning ] Giselle bites a poison apple and falls to the ground with an ashen pallor. The wicked queen, in dragon form, blasts through walls and generally scuffs up the urban terrain around her before dragging a man to the top of a skyscraper. The scene is pretty tense as a couple of the main characters almost fall to their deaths—and the dragon does fall to hers, exploding into colored sparkles on the street far below.

Crude or Profane Language

At least one interjection each of “oh my god,” “oh my gosh” and “jeez.” Easily repeatable name-calling includes the words “idiot,” “fat mook,” “hag,” “viper” and “worthless.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Nathaniel offers a poison cocktail to Giselle. After several failed attempts at poisoning her, the man drowns his disappointment with a martini while sitting in a bar.

Other Negative Elements

The 6-year-old Morgan snags her dad’s credit card from his sock drawer and uses it to go on a shopping spree with Giselle. A homeless man steals Giselle’s tiara.

Bodily functions get screen time via a peeing poodle and a pooping chipmunk.

When writer Bill Kelly handed Disney his original screenplay for Enchanted, it had Giselle stepping out of her animated wonderland into a real-world bachelor party where she was mistaken—because of her royal getup—for the party’s stripper entertainment. And I’m sure that fans of such sordid flicks as Good Luck Chuck and Knocked Up would say that a send-up of Disney’s fairy-tale genre could have been funnier with that kind of mean-spirited mindset. But they would be dead wrong. And thankfully, wiser heads and years of rewrites have prevailed.

“It was a racier, R-rated movie,” director Kevin Lima (102 Dalmatians, Tarzan) told USA Today . “It took the studio time to rediscover the heart of the story.”

The Enchanted that has finally made its way to the big screen is a charming, deconstructionist fantasy that’s filled with just the right balance of music, warm wit and plucked heartstrings. The cast is terrific—particularly Amy Adams with her spot-on depiction of an animated Giselle brought to live-action life. The six musical theater numbers by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are whimsical and flow in and out of the spoken scenes brilliantly. And the story is simple but captivating.

Slugs appear on this blooming flower in the form of a couple of toilet humor gags and “gay” winks. And there are a few too-violent moments involving the villainous henchman. Also, as is typical of the far-far-away-land genre that inspired this adventure, the vainglorious Queen Narissa (complete with form-fitting black gown and bulging cleavage) does quite a bit of damage as she casts spells and morphs into a gigantic dragon.

Those slugs are nearly flicked away—but not quite—by the movie’s solid support for keeping a level head in romance and avoiding the folly of mindless infatuation. It speaks of the healthy tension between accepting things as they are and dreaming of something better. And it strongly affirms lifelong marriage and points to the painful consequences of divorce. (Not to mention Edward’s bravery and magnanimity, Giselle’s quintessentially desirable naiveté, and Robert’s patience and kindness.)

Unlike the more heavily slimed Shrek movies, then, Enchanted emerges an endearingly gentle riff on past princess tales that is equal parts parody of and homage to Disney’s classics.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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Under Paris Ending Explained

Bad boys 4 rotten tomatoes audience score breaks major franchise record, bad boys 4 cameo & how it's a callback to bad boys ii explained by co-director, as close as you can get to a family-friendly, live-action satire of disney animation, made all the better since disney itself made the film..

No, Enchanted isn't usually the sort of movie we review here on Screen Rant, but you know what? It's a great, funny film and if the more "macho" among you can set aside your testosterone, you just might find yourselves enjoying this. :-)

I mean who among us has never seen at least a couple of Disney animated films when we were kids? The fun of this film is watching how it manages to poke fun at Disney movies and the fascination comes from how they did it without being the slightest bit mean-spirited about it.

Enchanted opens with a traditional 2-D animated sequence that could fit into many old Disney movies: Pretty young girl, singing and dancing with a bunch of woodland creatures, all helping her to build a mannequin of her Prince Charming. The actual prince hears her singing, makes his way to her and within minutes they decide they're in love and prepare to be married.

Of course there's a wicked stepmother involved who doesn't want the prince to marry our heroine, Giselle. Giselle is pushed down a well and ends up in the real world, in Times Square, NYC to be precise. Her overly perky, happy demeanor is very out of place in New York City, as you may well imagine. She doesn't know where to turn and is rescued by a cynical divorce lawyer (played by Patrick "I'm the latest, hottest romantic leading man" Dempsey), who with his young daughter take her in temporarily.

Dempsey's very matter of fact fiancee is none to happy about finding gorgeous Giselle at his apartment the next morning, and that becomes one of the dramatic conflicts in the movie. I don't think I'm spoiling anything at all by saying that Giselle ends up with the lawyer. :-)

I won't go into the plot any more than that, other to say that it pays tribute to many Disney cartoons and if you keep a sharp eye you may notice them sprinkled throughout the film. Susan Sarandon was great as the evil stepmother, with my personal bias having me thinking she was perfectly cast.

The great thing about this film is how it takes the animated 2-D world and transposes the characters into reality to let us see what would happen. It was hysterical to see what it would look like if actual birds, insects and other critters came into an apartment to help clean it up. Also very funny was James Marsden as the prince, with his stuck up nobility and attempts to break out into song in Central Park.

The only thing that knocked off half a star for me was a scene where bystanders in the park break out into a synchronized song and dance scene, which took me out of the fish out of water tone of the film. Outside of that, it was great fun and I think that if you set aside any preconceived notions about watching a Disney movie about a prince and princess you might just find yourself enjoying it. If you're a parent you can happily show this one to your kids with no reservations whatsoever and you'll all have a good time watching it.

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Enchanted a Healthy Mix of Reality and Fairy Tale

Lisa Rice Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Updated Mar 13, 2008

<i>Enchanted</i> a Healthy Mix of Reality and Fairy Tale

DVD Release Date: March 18, 2008 Theatrical Release Date: November 21, 2007 Rating: PG (for some scary images and mild innuendo) Genre: Drama/Adventure Run Time: 94 min. Director: Kevin Lima Actors: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Rachel Covey, and Elizabeth Mathis

Don’t you hate it when someone yanks you out of your blissful dream world into raw reality? When you realize that birds and squirrels are no longer waiting on you, and your airbrushed body is actually subject to the elements … and gravity? I hate when that happens.

Such is the life of beautiful Princess Giselle ( Amy Adams ), a lovely young lass who initially lives in a glorious world of animation where forest creatures break out in song, with heart-lifting lyrics about the wonderful day when true love’s prince will come. Sure enough, the gorgeous Prince Edward ( James Marsden ) does come gallivanting into Giselle’s life (after slaying a hideous troll, of course), and the two are just about to head off into “happily ever after-ville” when suddenly the evil queen ( Susan Sarandon ) shows her truest, vilest colors.

Thankfully for the dreamy-eyed Giselle, a charming divorce lawyer, Robert ( Patrick Dempsey ), and his adorable daughter ( Rachel Covey ) rescue her and invite her to stay at their apartment until they can find her “real” home. Despite the fact that Giselle makes her own dresses from Robert’s curtains and invites the wild creatures of New York to help her clean the place (very scary, indeed as this includes rats and roaches—ew!), it all goes well until Robert’s girlfriend, Tess ( Elizabeth Mathis ), sees that her fiancée has fallen (literally) onto the beautiful princess and assumes the worst.

Enchanted is a completely adorable, delightful movie whose packed screening audience of little girls ages four to fourteen gave it a rousing applause at the end. The story wraps up in a compelling way, hinting that the good life just might be a healthy mix of both seasoned reality and fairy tale dreams.

The acting is wonderful, and Susan Sarandon makes the most delightfully scary, but brilliantly evil queen—both in cartoon world and in Manhattan. The animation is stellar, even hilarious at times with how much the cartoon characters look like the real actors.

The only caution, and probably the reason the movie gets a PG rating, is that there’s a bit of innuendo here and there, with Robert falling and landing on Giselle, making it look like more than it was. The scene of the rats and roaches cleaning the apartment might be a bit too startling and creepy for young ones, too. The wicked queen also tries to poison Giselle (with apples, of course), and it looks at one point like she may have killed her.

Worldview: Romantic and optimistic. It’s never too late to lose the cynicism and live from the heart.

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Enchanted (2007) Review

Non stop delight.

Enchanted (2007)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Enchanted; was it a genuine hug and kiss to Disney’s beloved and historic past or a cynical grab at past glory much like the company’s pillaging of previous successes for a direct-to-DVD buck? Much to my delight, the answer to this query was the former. Ex-animation director Kevin Lima has assembled the first true Disney movie I’ve seen in years, as timeless and potent as anything from 75 years in the studio’s catalogue. IF you love old fashioned Disney romantic adventures, be they animated or real life, then you’ll absolutely be enchanted by Enchanted.

In a typical Disney fairytale land, a young maiden named Giselle (Amy Adams) is rescued by the daring-do Prince Edward (James Marsden) and is taken to his castle to marry him. This, simply, will not do for Edward’s step mother, the Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon). Narissa disguises herself as an old hag and pushes Giselle into a mysterious fountain under the pretext of an “accident.” The fountain flow ends up in the real world, our world, New York City to be precise. Giselle, ever the princess, finds herself dependant on the kindness of strangers, in this case a divorce attorney and his daughter (Patrick Dempsey and Rachel Covey). Soon, Prince Edward, his squire (Timothy Spall) and Narissa herself follow Giselle into our world to mix things up.

It’s genius in concept and genius in execution. It’s a story told sincerely without the constant drip, drip, drip of sarcasm like in another popular fairytale parody: the Shrek trilogy. It revels in the conventions of Disney magic and while the real world characters are at first unconvinced, it isn’t long before Giselle has everybody under her spell, and frankly isn’t that where we all want to be? Nobody wants to be the gloomy Gus hissing thinly veiled insults from the sidelines.

There’s also a timelessness to the story, which should make it appealing for years. Though it obviously takes place in the present day, there’s really no reason the film shouldn’t appeal to kids 20 or 30 years from now. Part of this is because of the loving way winks and nods to Disney’s past are worked in the look and production design, Narissa bears a striking resemblance to Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent, while her hag form is an all too obvious reference to Snow White. Less subtle is a reference to “Belle Notte”, a song from Lady in the Tramp turned name of an Italian restaurant in Enchanted. Watch carefully because there are several sly references like this one waiting between the lines for cinefiles.

The real credit goes to the actors though, they are uniformly excellent. Dempsey kind of gets on my nerves playing Dr. McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy, but in this film I found him charmingly befuddled. Spall made for a perfect sidekick to Marsden’s uber-heroic Prince, he even reminded me of the guy that carried the glass slipper around at the end of Cinderella, he’s the spitting image.

Of course the real star, and what a star-turn it is, is Amy Adams. If you haven’t fallen in love with Amy Adams before, you’ll find it very hard not to do so here. She’s the heart and soul of the movie, another actress in the role of Giselle and the whole thing would have fallen down like a soufflé. It required the actress to hit all the right, sometimes conflicting notes, and Adams is very impressive in the way she makes Giselle a very real person though cut from the animated cloth.

And finally, we get a return to cell animation on the big screen, short time though it is, it is a welcome sight after nearly four years of the CGI onslaught. It’s proof that the Disney crew’s still got it despite being all but shoved out the door after Home on the Range and it’s a tantalizing hint at things to come as John Lassater continues to move the company back to its heritage. The bright colours, the big eyes on the princess, the music, it all hits the right notes and shows that the Disney formula is as potent now as it ever was.

Do yourself a favour and see Enchanted, in fact see it twice. I can’t think of a family movie released this year that even compares in both artistic and entertainment value. Just when you thought you’ve lost all hope in Disney, they come right back up and surprise you and I’m loving it.

Final Thoughts

Brendan Frye has over a decade of experience in the gaming and media industry. From an early age, he loved gaming, and that life-long passion has found its way to his work. He now works as the EIC of CGMagazine, along with acting as a Judge for numerous gaming conventions. He contributes to shows such as The List and other radio and TV programs. When he is not working, he can be found enjoying the latest Souls experience or finding a good horror movie that is in need of watching.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, CGMagazine may earn a commission. However, please know this does not impact our reviews or opinions in any way. See our ethics statement.

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Details: 2007, USA, Cert PG, 108 mins

Direction: Kevin Lima

Summary: A fairytale princess is stranded in modern day New York

With: Amy Adams , James Marsden , Patrick Dempsey , Susan Sarandon and Timothy Spall

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DVD of the week: Enchanted

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Movie Review: Enchanted (2007)

by StevenHelmer

A review of the 2007 family comedy starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey.

Synopsis: A young woman falls from a tree into the arms of a prince and, in true fairy tale fashion, they fall in love at first sight. However, just as she is about to marry him, his evil stepmother pushes her into a well and transports her to New York City. Unaware of where she is and how she got there, the woman receives help from a divorce attorney and his daughter.

Who's in it?

The movie stars Amy Adams , Patrick Dempsey , James Marsden , Susan Sarandon , Timothy Spall and Idina Menzel .

A Charming Family Movie

My oldest daughter apparently read the book this movie was based on and asked if we could watch it for our weekly movie night. So, I ended up getting it through Netflix and we watched it Saturday night.

I saw this movie once before and, for some reason, wasn’t a big fan of it. However, after seeing it again, I think I was just having an off night the first time I watched it because this movie is actually quite charming.

Adams is fantastic as Giselle, the forest maiden who continues to believe in true love and happy endings even as everything is going wrong around her. I loved how she could seem completely clueless at times but, at the same time, managed to be unusually open minded considering her situation. As my wife and I mentioned while watching it, she seemed to adjust to the everyday modern conveniences that you would think would seem so foreign. It was great seeing her keep her optimism even as her overall personality evolved.

What really impressed me about this movie though was how it managed to keep things so upbeat. This includes a very funny scene that turns into a sudden song and dance number and the prince’s (Marsden) various misadventures trying to find his true love while his assistant (Spall) secretly was working for the evil queen (Sarandon) and was looking to kill Giselle.

The love story between Giselle and Dempsey’s character wasn’t that much of a surprise and, ultimately, became a little predictable. However, the fact he did already have a fiancée (Menzel), did make things somewhat interesting, as did the fact he was a divorce attorney (essentially the opposite of everything Giselle believed in).

A fairy tale comes to life in this thoroughly original Disney Classic. And the sights and sounds are even more stunning on Disney Blu-ray. Drawing inspiration from its classic h...

Final Opinion

This is a pretty funny and charming movie that I found I enjoyed much more than I expected to. It’s a film I recommend if you are looking for a movie to watch with your family.

My Grade: B

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Let us consider the dilemma of the Interesting Shot, announcing itself to the viewer as a considered expression of artistic merit, from a conscientious director thinking outside the common realm of composition and wielding perfect design that betrays nothing unwarranted.

With the Interesting Shot, who needs life? Or storytelling? Case in point: “The Watchers,” the first feature of Ishana Night Shyamalan (you’ve seen her dad’s movies), about a quartet of people trapped in the woods like caged animals by mysterious entities. Regrettably, the movie itself feels trapped by its airless gallery of carefully crafted images, familiar to the high-toned end of the horror genre: elegantly mood-thick surroundings, deliberately half-seen creatures, actors positioned as if in a still life.

Not that talent doesn’t go into the Interesting Shot. But in prioritizing her collaboration with cinematographer Eli Arenson over elements such as dialogue, acting, editing and interior logic, she drains her waking nightmare of a set-up (based on the 2021 book by author A.M. Shine) of anything that might connect us on a human level. All that’s left is the stuff that signals a cautiously planned experience. Even her opening, of a guy frantically trying — and failing — to escape menacing woods comes with some explanatory narration (“There’s a forest in Ireland not on any map”) that feels like our sense of discovery has been childproofed.

Dakota Fanning is that narrator, who we learn is Mina, first seen as a bored-looking, chain-vaping worker in a Galway pet shop, tasked by her boss with driving a golden parrot to Belfast. The journey takes her through those eerie woods, where the car suddenly conks out. Lost and carrying the bird — who briefly gets its own POV Interesting Shot — she stumbles upon a severe-looking, white-haired woman named Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), who demands Mina follow her through the open doorway of a boxy one-room structure if she wants to live.

Inside what Madeline calls the Coop — one side of which is a window that becomes a trick mirror at night — Mina finds another young woman, easygoing Ciara (Georgina Campbell). There’s also a wide-eyed teenager named Daniel (Oliver Finnegan) and many rules. The most vital is that after sundown, they must all face the mirror so an audience of deadly forest beings called Watchers can observe their nightly imprisonment. In the daytime, they can be outside, but within specified boundaries marked by freaky stick figures and signs scrawled with “Point of No Return.”

Fanning reliably imbues Mina, who bears guilt from a childhood trauma, with a risk-taking independence; she quickly bristles at the notion that escape is impossible. But her rebellious attitude puts her at odds with the humorless, imperious Madeline, a character so laughably charged with meaning beyond what we’re shown, she might as well have “Just You Wait” tattooed on her forehead. Conversely, Ciara and Daniel are about as forgettable as characters can be. The only thing the foursome has to watch on their vintage TV is — wink, wink — a DVD of a “Big Brother”-style program. The irony, however, is that the level of character storytelling on any given episode of a dumb reality show is better than “The Watchers.”

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Being a fan of the Christian pop duo for KING & COUNTRY or having even the slightest interest in the musical genre probably goes a long way toward making the drama “Unsung Hero” more meaningful. For everyone else, it plays like a blandly well-intentioned tale of triumph over adversity and an earnest celebration of the importance of family.

And what a family it is. The massive Aussie brood at the film’s center provides both the inspiration for the story and the behind-the-scenes machinery to tell it. Joel Smallbone , half of the singing group with brother Luke, co-wrote and co-directed the film with Richard L. Ramsey. He also stars as his own father, David Smallbone, a music promoter who moved his pregnant wife and their six kids from Sydney to Nashville in the early 1990s with dreams of making it big in the United States. (A younger actor, Diesel La Torraca , plays Joel as a child with a natural yearning to perform.) Stick around for the credits, and you’ll discover how various members of the clan appear in minor supporting roles throughout.

But this isn’t a music biopic or even an origin story, even though much of the plot centers on whether older sister Rebecca can secure a record contract with her pure, clear voice, which could rescue the family financially. (Spoiler: she does and goes on to become Grammy winner Rebecca St. James; for KING & COUNTRY has won multiple Grammys, as well.) This is, as the title suggests, a tribute to the person who held the family together when everything was falling apart: matriarch Helen Smallbone, played with optimism and authenticity by Daisy Betts . “Unsung Hero” follows the highs and lows of the Smallbones' efforts to stay afloat in a foreign land, but Helen’s resiliency—as well as her faith—provides a consistent through-line. The casting of Kirrilee Berger as Rebecca is particularly effective since she so closely resembles Betts, adding believability to their mother-daughter bond.

We know these attractive and talented people will be fine even before they set foot in their local church and meet the big-hearted neighbors who will rally around them in times of need. It’s all very affirming to the Christian audience it’s geared toward and somewhat predictable from a narrative standpoint.

What is surprising, though, is that there are actual moments of raw emotion within the workmanlike direction and episodic script. Things get ugly. Pride takes over. Having dragged his family halfway around the world to an empty rental home, and with job prospects falling through left and right, David feels depressed and resentful. He lashes out at the friendly fellow churchgoer ( Lucas Black ), whom he feels has been too generous alongside his perky wife, played by Hallmark Channel and Great American Family mainstay Candace Cameron Bure . Helen, in a rare show of anger, even explodes at David at one point.

“Unsung Hero” could have used more of such emotional honesty. But it ultimately must deliver a broad uplift that’s palatable for the whole family, so it tends to skim the surface. And aside from the parents and Rebecca, the characterization is woefully lacking; the other kids are all kind of a perky blur. Joel Smallbone has a solid screen presence in what must have been a challenging role, but his choices behind the camera with Ramsey feel mostly pedestrian.

The ‘90s costume design is on point, though—so many bad sweaters on display—and the soundtrack of secular pop songs, including Jesus Jones and Seal, is period-specific if a little on-the-nose lyrically. For the most part, “Unsung Hero” does what David Smallbone himself didn’t do: It shies away from taking risks.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Disenchanted, common sense media reviewers.

Charming sequel will please fans; mild scares, romance.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Step-relatives are true family too. Be careful wha

Giselle is sweetness incarnate and maintains a gen

Lead actors are mostly White and Black. The film e

Characters turn evil and treat each other cruelly.

A married couple kisses. Teens flirt.

Adults drink wine.

Positive Messages

Step-relatives are true family too. Be careful what you wish for. Nobody's perfect. The real world can be better than fairytales.

Positive Role Models

Giselle is sweetness incarnate and maintains a generally positive outlook, caring deeply for her family. When she turns evil, she's cruel to her stepdaughter and will stop at nothing to dethrone her rival. Morgan finds courage and resilience she didn't know she had. Malvina is power-hungry and mean-spirited, and she risks the life of a child to maintain her power.

Diverse Representations

Lead actors are mostly White and Black. The film exploits some stereotypes of fairytale characters and endings.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Characters turn evil and treat each other cruelly. Lives, including those of kids, are threatened by dragons, giants, sleeping potions, falls, fires, fights, spells, curses, and the destruction of the world.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Disenchanted is the mostly live-action sequel to 2007's hit Enchanted . Stars Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey reprise their roles, and Maya Rudolph joins the cast. Potentially upsetting or scary scenes involve characters turning evil and treating one another cruelly. Lives, including those of kids, are threatened by dragons, giants, sleeping potions, falls, fires, fights, spells, curses, and the destruction of the world. Adults kiss and drink wine. Though characters treat each other cruelly, they do so under spells, and there seems to be a message that the real world can actually be just as good as in fairytales. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parents say (14)
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Based on 14 parent reviews

Cute Family Film

Fun family movie, what's the story.

Giselle ( Amy Adams ) and husband Robert ( Patrick Dempsey ) are moving their two daughters, Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino) and baby Sofia, to the suburbs at the start of DISENCHANTED. Giselle has finally had enough of grimy New York and has found a castle-looking home in a fairytale-like suburb. Things get off to a rough start: teenage Morgan is angry about being moved, the house isn't quite move-in ready, Robert has a soul-sucking commute, and the other school moms, reigned over by Malvina ( Maya Rudolph ), are unwelcoming, to say the least. When Giselle is gifted a magic wand, she makes a wish that her new life becomes a fairytale, and suddenly the world around her transforms. But what she doesn't count on, and cannot control, is the effect the changes will have on everyone around her, and on the beings of Andalasia back home.

Is It Any Good?

Featuring another tour-de-force performance by Adams, starring as the charming ingenue turned wicked stepmother, this sequel will please fans. Disenchanted reverses the roles of its predecessor: Instead of a cartoon princess landing in real-world New York, the princess turns her new home in the suburbs into a fairytale world and, in the process, becomes evil and risks sucking the life out of the actual magical kingdom of Andalasia. It's a clever premise -- what suburb couldn't use a little excitement? -- that allows the actors to play against character and the characters to further parody Disney tropes. By far the film's highlight is a showstopping villain sing-off between Adams and Rudolph -- two evil divas dressed to the nines and fighting over who's "badder" and should be queen. They bring PTA-mom rivalry to a whole new level.

The film has some funny lyrics about the family's move to the "magic kingdom of suburbia" and what constitutes a fairytale life. But the set-up of the story and presentation of character updates (cute little Morgan is now a sullen teen) takes a bit too long and the intro section lulls. It's only once Giselle starts to feel evil that the film picks up and the real fun begins. Her chipmunk turns into an amusingly evil fat cat ("I feel so superior!"), and Adams appears to be having a blast arguing with herself as good and bad Giselle fight over her spirit. Dempsey also looks to be enjoying himself, failing at slaying dragons and giants. But Enchanted , and now Disenchanted , is Amy Adams' show, and not even Idina Menzel's spectacular singing or Rudolph's droll eyebrow lifts can steal her limelight.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Disenchanted uses material from its prequel, Enchanted , but evolves the characters. What's different, and what's the same?

The film combines live-action and animation. How do films do this? Do the animated characters look like the real ones? What other films have you seen that use this technique?

What role do memories play in the climax of this film? Why do you think memories are given such importance?

Movie Details

On DVD or streaming : November 18, 2022
Cast : Amy Adams , Patrick Dempsey , Maya Rudolph
Director : Adam Shankman
Inclusion Information : Gay directors, Female actors, Black actors, Female writers, Asian writers
Studio : Disney+
Genre : Family and Kids
Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Music and Sing-Along
Run time : 120 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : mild peril and language.
Last updated : February 17, 2023

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘The Watchers’ Review: Ishana Night Shyamalan’s Debut Is an Elegant Supernatural Horror Movie That Gets Lost in the Woods

David ehrlich.

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If there’s much about her debut that left me wishing the apple had fallen a little further from the tree, there’s also no denying that the “ Unbreakable ” filmmaker’s daughter has the skill to follow in her father’s footsteps, which she does here even when the material is begging her to blaze her own trail. And yet, frustrating as it can be at times, the young Shyamalan’s loyal devotion to the family brand proves strangely appropriate for a story this fraught with parental baggage, parroted behavior, and the life-or-death need to satisfy the expectations of an audience who will tear you apart the minute you turn your back on them. Related Stories ‘Sacramento’ Review: Michael Cera Freaks Out About Having a Baby with Kristen Stewart in Michael Angarano’s Slight but Satisfying Road Comedy ‘Vulcanizadora’ Review: Joel Potrykus Blows Up Middle Age in Bleak and Shocking Style

In “The Watchers,” that audience has claws big enough to scratch permanent scrape marks into a pane of bullet-proof glass. Those violent grooves are the first thing we notice about the brutalist concrete building where Mina (a sullen but headstrong Dakota Fanning) takes shelter after her car breaks down in an unmarked forest somewhere between Galway — where the downtrodden expat works at a pet store, vaping her pain away during breaks — and Belfast , where she’s been tasked with delivering a golden parrot to a customer.

Don’t go out after dark. Never wander too far into the woods. Stay away from the burrows where the creatures sleep during the daytime, and always do what you can to put on a good show for them at night. Shyamalan’s adaptation is extremely faithful to the plot and tradition of the 2022 A.M. Shine novel on which it’s based, but only in a way that leaves you wondering how much his book might have borrowed from “The Village” in the first place.

Where the elder Shyamalan’s movie adopted the look and language of a 19th-century Pennsylvania commune, Ishana’s decidedly modern take riffs on the panopticon-like voyeurism of reality TV. Mina’s voiceover describes the forest around the Coop as a place that “draws in lost souls like moths to a flame,” and the same could be said of “Love Island” (or the “Love Island” knock-off that Mina is forced to watch over and over again on DVD as her time in the Watchers’ domain stretches on), which similarly encourages people to indulge in their worst selves for a viewing audience that loathes and envies them in equal measure.

Shyamalan is far more interested in exploring the woods than she is in fleshing out any of her characters (Daniel ran away from an abusive dad, Madeline used to be a teacher, Ciara likes to dance… the end), but her film is well-served by playing to its strengths, and “The Watchers” is at its most grippingly tense whenever Mina goes looking for trouble. The mystery of the forest is unraveled with the patience and precision of a storyteller who inherited her father’s belief that what we don’t see is always scarier and more interesting than what we do, and while the nerve-shredding sequences where Mina spelunks through the burrows or stays out of the Coop all night can be overly reliant on jump-scares, those jolts are rooted in a solid foundation of well-earned suspense (and further supported by the inviting flatness of Fanning’s devil-may-care affect).

But it does. Fast. And with a maddening disregard for why the first half of this movie was intriguing in ways that had nothing to do with its central mystery. After carefully teasing out breadcrumbs of information over the course of an hour, “The Watchers” flies the Coop before it convinces to care about the people caged inside of it — only to waste its stockpile of intrigue on a labored and nonsensical series of info dumps that confirm your worst suspicions at the same time as they deny viewers the chance to entertain any new ones.

If Shine’s novel suffered from a similar problem, Shyamalan doesn’t make any effort to smooth it out. The sudden onslaught of exposition displaces whatever mild investment this movie has earned in its characters until that point, and the decision to resolve the main conflict after only 75 minutes or so makes it all too obvious that “The Watchers” is saving time for its big twist, blunting its impact even as Shyamalan teases the reveal — and a sequel! — at the expense of fleshing out what any of this could mean for our heroine.

Warner Bros. will release “The Watchers” in theaters on Friday, June 7.

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COMMENTS

Enchanted Movie Review
Parents need to know that Enchanted is a mostly live-action Disney fairy tale that will appeal to kids -- even very young ones. Like most Disney flicks, the romance is chaste (a few kisses), the violence is mild (though the climactic battle with a dragon at the end could scare some sensitive little ones), and….
Enchanted Movie Review for Parents
The PG rating is for some scary images and mild innuendo.Latest news about Enchanted, starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Susan Sarandon. and directed by . ... Family movie reviews, movie ratings, fun film party ideas and pop culture news — all with parents in mind. About Us. About Parent Previews; Making the Grades;
Enchanted movie review & film summary (2007)
She's so lovable, in fact, she starts life as an animated princess in a Disney-style world. The birds, flowers, chipmunks and cockroaches even love her and do her bidding. Listen, if you could employ the roaches of the world, you'd have a hell of a work force. The princess is named Giselle, she has a beautiful singing voice, and although she ...
Parent reviews for Enchanted
It's a good little movie that is meant for older children, teens, and adults. It's filled with references to past Disney movies and has some cleverly written witty humor. Most of the humor is saved for the adults but kids will definitely enjoy the songs. Just a really fun movie that isn't supposed to be taken seriously.
Enchanted
Rated: 4/5 Dec 10, 2014 Full Review Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal Like the Cinderella figure she plays in Disney's Enchanted, Amy Adams spreads a contagion of delight. The movie is great fun ...
ENCHANTED
ENCHANTED is a story of real love and real marriage. It contains tremendous musical numbers, flights of fancy, wonderful humor, heart-rending moments, and everything that a great movie should have. The evil stepmother is very scary and there is lots of action violence with funny cartoon moments, so MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for very young ...
Enchanted (2007)
8/10. That good old story with a modern twist. Jay_Exiomo 21 November 2007. Combining elements of modern day Manhattan with romanticized fairy tale settings, "Enchanted" tells the story of Giselle (Adams), your typical Disney leading lady living in a cottage, singing with innocent creatures, awaiting the day she would meet her prince charming.
Kid reviews for Enchanted
Giselle and the prince are great inspirations for children. Things parents should be aware of is that children may be scared of the witch but most of it is okay. 1 person found this helpful. Cinematography/Visuals: 4/5 Special Effects: 4/5 Acting: 4/5 Dialogue: 5/5 World-Building: 5/5 Humorous Moments: 5/5 Emotional Moments: 4/5 Soundtrack: 4/5.
Enchanted (2007)
Enchanted: Directed by Kevin Lima. With Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall. A young maiden in a land called Andalasia, who is prepared to be wed, is sent away to New York City by an evil Queen, where she falls in love with a lawyer.
The Movie Review: 'Enchanted'
Hollywood serves up something to be thankful for this holiday week with Enchanted, Disney's endearing story of a cartoon princess thrust into modern-day, live-action New York City.The movie opens ...
BBC
Enchanted (2007) Reviewed by Neil Smith. Updated 14 December 2007. Contains mild scary scenes and innuendo. Disney takes a pop at its own back catalogue in Enchanted, a sprightly spoof on fairy ...
'Enchanted' Review: Movie (2007)
November 18, 2007 8:00pm. Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures/Photofest. Enchantment only goes so far in Disney's "Enchanted," a sometimes clever, other times grating mix of live action and ...
Enchanted
Enchanted. NYT Critic's Pick. Directed by Kevin Lima. Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance. PG. 1h 47m. By Manohla Dargis. Nov. 21, 2007. The movies like to promise girls and ...
Enchanted
Unlike the more heavily slimed Shrek movies, then, Enchanted emerges an endearingly gentle riff on past princess tales that is equal parts parody of and homage to Disney's classics. Elevate family time with our parent-friendly entertainment reviews! The Plugged In Podcast has in-depth conversations on the latest movies, video games, social ...
Enchanted Review
As close as you can get to a family-friendly, live-action satire of Disney animation, made all the better since Disney itself made the film. No, Enchanted isn't usually the sort of movie we review here on Screen Rant, but you know what? It's a great, funny film and if the more "macho" among you can set aside your testosterone, you just might find yourselves enjoying this.
Enchanted a Healthy Mix of Reality and Fairy Tale
Rating: PG (for some scary images and mild innuendo) Genre: Drama/Adventure. Run Time: 94 min. Director: Kevin Lima. Actors: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Rachel Covey ...
Enchanted (2007) Review
Enchanted (2007) IMDB: Link. Premiere Date: 21/11/2007. Runtime: 107 min. Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy. Cast: Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden. MPAA Rating: PG. Review Score: 8. I ...
The Independent Critic
A mere one week after "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" set out to be the 2007 holiday season's most enchanting and magical film for children and families alike, Disney Studios sweeps into the picture with "Enchanted," a vibrant, electric, sweet-hearted and, yes, enchanted movie that is easily Disney's best live-action outing in recent years.
Enchanted
Enchanted - Metacritic. Summary A classic Disney fairy tale collides with modern-day New York City in a story about a fairytale princess from the land of Andalasia who is thrust into the heart of New York City by an evil queen. Soon after her arrival, Princess Giselle begins to change her views on life and love after meeting a handsome lawyer.
Enchanted
Enchanted. Details: 2007, USA, Cert PG, ... Our reviews. Mark Kermode. ... An overhyped family movie covered in a cellophane shrink-wrap of corporate Disney plastic-ness.
Movie Review: Enchanted (2007)
A review of the 2007 family comedy starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. A review of the 2007 family comedy starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. Pages . ... Movie Review of Ella Enchanted (2004) A review of the 2004 movie starring Anne Hathaway as a woman with the gift/cu... Movie Review: Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939) ...
Ella Enchanted movie review & film summary (2004)
"Ella Enchanted" is enchanted, all right. Based on the beloved novel by Gail Carson Levine, it's a high-spirited charmer, a fantasy that sparkles with delights. A lot of the fun is generated because it takes place in a world that is one part "Cinderella," one part "Shrek," and one part "The Princess Bride." It even stars the hero from "Princess Bride," Cary Elwes, who has grown up to become ...
ENCHANTED LAKE PHYSICAL THERAPY
Start your review of Enchanted Lake Physical Therapy. Overall rating. 16 reviews. 5 stars. 4 stars. 3 stars. 2 stars. 1 star. ... Enchanted Lake Physical Therapy is located in by the 'affordable' movie theatre on Keolu Street behind Safeway. They are part of a little strip mall. ... The therapy is a family friendly environment which includes a ...
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Cuckoo: Directed by Tilman Singer. With Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens, Jessica Henwick. A 17-year old girl is forced to move with her family to a resort where things are not what they seem.
'The Watchers' review: A mystery box with limited payoff
The film's first-time director, Ishana Night Shyamalan, has a family history of summoning genre menace — and also, unfortunately, ... Movies. Review: 'The Strangers - Chapter 1' is a rote ...
The Watched film review
The family brand was built on eerie high concepts meant to get the head scratching. Here, your first puzzled squint may come with the set-up around Mina (Dakota Fanning), an American expat in ...
Unsung Hero movie review & film summary (2024)
Helen, in a rare show of anger, even explodes at David at one point. "Unsung Hero" could have used more of such emotional honesty. But it ultimately must deliver a broad uplift that's palatable for the whole family, so it tends to skim the surface. And aside from the parents and Rebecca, the characterization is woefully lacking; the other ...
Disenchanted Movie Review
Parents need to know that Disenchanted is the mostly live-action sequel to 2007's hit Enchanted.Stars Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey reprise their roles, and Maya Rudolph joins the cast. Potentially upsetting or scary scenes involve characters turning evil and treating one another cruelly. Lives, including those of kids, are threatened by dragons, giants, sleeping potions, falls, fires, fights ...
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