Enchanted [DVD] [2007]

Greatly packaged arrived quickHaven’t watched this movie since I was a kid and my dad was around. Happy to have it again not scratched will be watching tonight

Fortunately for us in Australia, not just the USA, Walt Disney was forging ahead in leaps and bounds in both cinematic releases and television right up to his death in 1966.With television only being introduced in Australia in time for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, we were already starved for entertainment. The Disney Studios successfully exported the "Disneyland" and "Mickey Mouse Club" TV shows to Australia, where despite only having been made for 3 years, the "Mickey Mouse Club" shows were broadcast for 14 years!!! I even remember seeing the Mouseketeers when they toured here in 1959 and 1960, despite the fact that I was only 4 and 5 at the time... Yes I've been a Disney fan for almost 50 years! For those who need to catch up, see Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (Vintage)Walt Disney was a true visionary and was responsible for the public acceptance of many major innovations including respectable theme parks and even space travel and exploration. Walt's attitude of "keep moving forward" never allowed numerous instances of impending financial ruin to daunt his efforts to produce astounding improvements within the entertainment industry - from his innovations in animation techniques to the planning of Disneyworld and EPCOT in Florida. Fortunately since his death in 1966, the Disney Corporation has continued this approach of constant improvement, despite ruining Walt's true plans for EPCOT.ENCHANTED IS THE EPITOME OF ALL THINGS DISNEY. It pays homage to Walt's great early animated triumphs, "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty" and infuses Walt's love for the combination of live action and animated characters right through to the extraordinary CG-animation perfected by the recently acquired Pixar Studios. Some critics have failed to grasp the relevance to so many great Disney offerings handled so well under the clever writing by Bill Kelly and precise direction of Kevin Lima. In true Disney form, characters fall in love almost instantly and are not daunted by their apparent non-conformtiy in modern day New York, for example, James Marsden's excellent portrayal of the affected Prince Edward.To the uninitiated, the ending may appear to go a little off track, but again refers to the early Disney classics, including the poison apple and the transformation of the evil queen into an equally evil dragon. Followed by the clever use of the pop-up book technique which takes Disney animation a step further. These are made totally transparent and obvious in the Disney Blu-Ray DVD release.Amy Adams portrays a true Disney Princess, like no other before her, and is offset well by the very corporatised Patrick (McDreamy) Dempsey. Susan Sarandon also appears to have been born to play a Disney Evil Queen and Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew from the Harry Potter series) is a real life version of so many animated Disney sidekicks. Congratulations also to (Aussie) John O'Connell for his all-inclusive, interpretative choreography so befitting a true Disney classic!To sum up, I believe that Walt Disney would be EXTREMELY PROUD of this great offering which has been produced truly in his style 40 years after his demise. For those with a Blu-Ray DVD player buy that version to truly appreciate the references to Walt's genius!

This highly recommended film arrived yesterday from Amazon, and I'm delighted with the speedy delivery! I hate to state the obvious, but "Enchanted" is an enchanting treat for Disney fairy tale aficionadoes. It's already been hailed as "an instant classic"-- and deservedly so. "Enchanted" did extremely well in theatres in late 2007, and it will continue to enchant generations of audiences to come on DVD.Evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) transports incadescent Amy Adams as Princess Giselle from the animated world of Andalasia to real-world NYC. She is quickly followed by her stalwart Prince Edward. James Marsden is earnestly charming as the good-hearted Edward. Giselle, however, is befriended by Patrick Dempsey as Robert, a jaded and cynical divorce lawyer and his young daughter--and finds shelter in their apartment. Giselle comes to the real world with her fairy-tale sensibilities intact. Can she bring magic to a bitter and world-weary NYC and melt Dempsey's hardened heart? The plot outcome may be obvious, but the journey is delightful. The extraordinary thing about this film is how cleverly and affectionately Bill Kelly's script pays homage to the "classic Disney Princess" franchaise of "Snow White," "Cinderella," and "Sleeping Beauty" (in a nice twist, Adams saves Dempsey from Sarandon's fiery dragon)-- and several other non-Disney family-friendly classic films as well.Giselle's journey from a fantasy world to the real-world is Dorothy's journey in "The Wizard Of Oz" in reverse. When Giselle runs through a vibrant and lushly green section of Central Park singing "How Will She Know?" , the scene recalls Julie Andrews' joyous spin in the mountains at the beginning of "The Sound Of Music." Julie Andrews, of course, also starred in the Disney cash cows "Mary Poppins" and "The Princess Diaries", and she is heard here as The Narrator at the beginning and the end. Jodi Benson, voice of Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" appears as Dempsey's secretary. In a scene in Robert's office where Giselle looks at fish in an aquarium, the muzak playing extremely faintly in the background is "Little Mermaid" Ariel's theme "Part Of Your World." Paige O'Hara (Belle in "Beauty and The Beast") is briefly seen as Prince Edward watches a TV soap opera. Later, when Edward knocks on apartment doors searching for Gieselle, Judy Kuhn ("Pocahontas") appears as a pregnant lady surrounded by a bunch of kids. She takes one look at Edward in his fairy-tale Prince costume and exclaims, "You're too late."I've never seen Dempsey in "Grey's Anatomy", but with "Enchanted," he is 20 years removed from "Can't Buy Me Love," in which he played a high-school outcast who went "from Totally Not To Totally HOT." In "Enchanted", he is HOT once more. Dempsey and Marsden represent two very different types of Prince Charmings, but Amy Adams holds the entire magical enterprise together with her complete sincerity as Princess Giselle.