Enchanted

The answers to those questions are pretty predictable; it’s a Disney fairy tale, after all, but getting there is tremendous fun. Adams is a joy as Giselle, all wide-eyed and idealistic, but rock solid in her certainty that true love will triumph. Dempsey is just right as Robert, who finds himself unwillingly being drawn deeper and deeper into Giselle’s view of the world.

All of the leads do a marvelous job of embodying the kinds of stock characters you’d never think to see outside an animation cel. There are great laughs here, and also some lovely, quieter moments, particularly a scene where Giselle and Morgan go shopping with Robert’s credit card. Covey’s Morgan asks wistfully at one point if this is what it’s like to go shopping with your mother, and it’s enough to make you shed a tear.

Enchanted is truly special, and Disney’s given it the full special features treatment. There are several deleted scenes (one in particular, with Marsden and Idina Menzel, who plays Robert’s girlfriend/almost-fiancee, Nancy, that helps to explain something that happens later in the film), a fun blooper reel, a three making-ofs that show how key scenes were developed, and even a separate story for the kids told in pop-up form. (The latter’s a little lame, but, then, I’m not a kid. Now, if the story featured Patrick Dempsey instead of Pip, the chipmunk, it might be a different story.)

Two of the songs from Enchanted were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song (neither won), and while this isn’t a song-every-minute Disney film, the soundtrack is very good. Sound options are DTS 5.1 Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and a choice of French or Spanish language tracks. There are also French and Spanish subtitles available.

If you’re looking for some good old fashioned escapism, told with a new twist, Enchanted is definitely a winner.