Fairytale Wisdom in ‘Disenchanted’ [Movie Review]
By: Reel Dialogue
With three daughters in our household, we had Enchanted (2007) on a regular loop for years.
The endearing reimagined fairy tale of the young girl from Andalasia, Giselle (Amy Adams), who was transported to New York City where she finds her Prince Charming, Robert (Patrick Dempsey). Fifteen years later, they brought the original cast together with Adam Shankman (Hairspray) as director and Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz as songwriters. Needless to say, you could hear an audible scream of giddiness at our house and worldwide.
Giselle and Robert are still living in New York City ten years after their initial meeting at the Manhattan billboard. They have a good life with their daughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino), and they choose to add a new addition to the family named Sofia. The four begin to feel cramped in the city and Giselle yearns for more space for their growing brood. This inspires them to move to the suburban lifestyle of Monroeville.
Even though the house is not quite in move-in condition, they try to make the best of their new home, except for Morgan, who misses life in the city. Until King Edward (James Marsden) and Queen Nancy (Idina Menzel) visit from Andalasia and give a wish-granting wand to baby Sophia as a present. This leads Giselle to wish that life would be like a fairy tale for her family in Monroeville, which seems idyllic until things do not turn out as planned.
As the years progressed for this production, the creative team attempted to capture the original film’s magic while explaining how things have changed in the world. Shankman and the composers manage to do this by capturing the magical elements from the first film while gracefully ageing each character and maturing the story. Not to say that both young and old can appreciate this fairy tale chapter, but this outing is more for aging fans and their parents. Amy Adams and the cast still have the same whimsy and good-naturedness while showing how they need to adapt to the realities of this harsh world in their lyrical manner. Albeit predictable at times, overall, the ride will appeal to those devoted followers from years ago while also satisfying the new viewers.
Maya Rudolph (Licorice Pizza) as Malvina Monroe and her entourage are perfectly cast as the antagonistic villainous “queen.” While the audience will desire more of Marsden and Menzel as the Andalasian influence throughout this version. They are all set in a Disney-like atmosphere with many references to the production house’s back catalogue. Still, it is all done in good fun and will make for an enjoyable game of trying to find the connections with the beloved stories that they are sending up from the past. All the while, this tale centres on Amy Adam’s talents, who proves once again that she can carry this storyline through to the end. A task that will allow generations to be reintroduced to and to fall in love with these characters as a means of escaping into this magical world one more time.
Reel Dialogue: Be Careful What you Wish For in Life
Disenchanted shows us that sometimes the best intentions may not make the best choices. Human or fairy tale wisdom is shown to come through magic wands, animated chipmunks, and fairy tale royalty. The only problem with these sources is that even though they may be innovative in a movie, they may still need to make the best choices.
That brings us back to the niggling issue of seeking wisdom. Can it be found in this life?
The first step is finding the source of all wisdom and who holds these insights. The Bible says that the beginning of knowledge begins in the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 1:7) This means the first place to go for insights is to God, who gives out his wisdom freely to all who seek after him and listen.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” – James 1:5
This revelation is a ground breaking concept, that all knowledge and wisdom can be found in the God of the Bible. It is there for the taking, but there is a catch. Belief.
To access this infinite pool of enlightenment and salvation, a person has to believe in the source. You must make your first ‘good choice to gain the universe’s wisdom.’ Believe in the God of the Bible.
Article supplied with thanks to City Bible Forum.
Feature image: Movie publicity
About the author: Russ Matthews is a film critic at City Bible Forum and Reel Dialogue. He has a passion for film and sparking spiritual conversations.
