When I wrote my
theatrical review for
Enchanted I think I tricked myself into giving it a better grade than it really deserved thinking it might not actually find an audience. Then it went on to make $127+ million at the box-office and it earned three Oscar nominations even though Amy Adams did not receive a nomination, which many were pulling for. I am not here to say this film is not as good as the "B+" I gave it. I enjoyed it. However, it isn't good enough for the majority of folks to actually buy it. In my review I said it was a great film for mothers and daughters, and I hold to that. I also believe mothers and daughters are really the only people that would truly enjoy this movie multiple times, because the more you watch it the worse it actually gets.
The interesting thing about Enchanted is that it is Disney heading back to the days when their stories were well told. They even toss in some of the fantastic 2-D animation that made the studio famous. Surprisingly enough the studio continues to make CGI-animated films in lieu of supposedly understanding that 2-D animation is still a viable option. Weird.
The pic centers on a fairy tale princess banished to real world New York where she obviously doesn't fit in and soon earns the friendship of a New York lawyer played by Patrick Dempsey, who upon first viewing didn't bother me all that much, but after watching this disc twice he really seemed to get on my nerves. The princess is chased by her fairy tale prince as well as those meaning to do her harm. It's traditional Disney stuff and it’s a pretty good story. It's not classic, and it's not iconic, but it is enjoyable as a once over.
As far as this Blu-ray disc is concerned, Disney continues to prove (almost more than Blu-ray creator Sony) that they are gung-ho for the HD format as they have preview after preview for the new media as well as the highly anticipated Blu-ray release of Sleeping Beauty later this year, which is going to be a must own for any Disney guru. A Blu-ray catalog of classic Disney animated films is going to be a treasure to own.
The disc certainly has superior picture and sound, but outside of that the features are extremely lacking. There are three making-of featurettes focusing on three separate scenes (generic), a gag reel (boring) and some deleted scenes (who cares about these unless they are story changing?). Nothing to talk about there.
The original content includes a pop-up animated side-story featuring the film's chipmunk Pip. It's cool for the young ones, but I didn't get any enjoyment out of it. Then there is the Blu-ray exclusive "D-Files" feature, which could have been SO much better than it is. As it is, this is a terrible feature.
The "D-Files" feature is meant to point out all the homages Enchanted pays to classic Disney animated films, but instead of just pointing it out as it comes along, it is treated as a multiple choice test as the movie plays. This is awful. No one wants to take a quiz, just give us the information and let us enjoy the comparison. Sorry, this was an absolutely wasted opportunity.
Moms and daughters should go buy this movie, you are sure to enjoy it. Everyone else, give it a rent and send it back. You will maintain fond memories of the film, without attempting to watch it twice and ultimately end up disappointed as I now am.
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