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The Delightfully Subversive and Entertaining Enchanted

As the family and I strolled up to the local cinema to watch the latest Disney film, Enchanted, I cast my mind back to the numerous ‘Saturday Matinees’ my Dad would take me to every weekend afternoon. Looking back now, these were a mix of classic films, lots of action, and just the sort of male family fun the world needs more of. Films like Star Wars and Superman, mixed in with more ‘B-rate’ live action Disney stuff like ‘The Black Hole’ and ‘The Cat From Outer Space,’ sort of fayre. And it’s those Disney ones that Enchanted reminded me of.

Heck, these are the Disney films I’m tracking down right now. Back then, ‘The Cat From Outer Space’ was the most amazing alien stranded on Eath, the might of the Military, espionage from foreign agents, deadlines, danger and popcorn fun I could imagine. Looking back, the espionage was a hapless Roddy McDowell sliding down roofs, the deadline was incredibly contrived, and the might of the military that Jake (the Cat) and his friends stared down was actually Harry Morgan, the second C.O. in MASH. And Jake’s friend was MacLean Stevenson… the first C.O. in MASH… Now I see why it was amusing to adults as well, and why my Dad and I were at the pictures over many many weekends.

All of this is to put Enchanted into a perspective of feeling like a classic Disney live-action movie from the 70s, working on kid and adult levels. The sort of thing that High School Musical singularly fails to carry out. Let’s face it, the plot here is not a huge stretch. It opens in a traditional cell animated Disney Princess world (in 16:9-ish ratio) with our heroine, Giselle, finding her Prince (ehrm Prince Edward…) and his evil step-mother who can;t let him marry him or she looses the crown. So she transforms into a n old hag, pushes her down a well, and she ends up in New York. Now played by actress Amy Adams. And the cinematography switching to 2.35:1 Cinemascope.

And while it stays true to the Disney formula, it takes every chance to actually parody the Disney formula – such as Giselle tidying an apartment by calling on the local animals, which in New York means pigeons, rats, cockroaches and other nasties, but she’s got that Disney innocence to carry it off.

While it’s not setting anything alight, it’s an amazing 8/10 movie that had me smiling, and nodding along with the scriptwriter’s irony. And that’s good enough in my book.

An Oscar nomination from Soundtrack should be odds-on, but I’d expect one for best make-up as well. Susan Sarandon as a hag must be giving Tim Robbins nightmares!

December 27, 2007; Family, Personal Posts;

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