Enchanted is probably the biggest surprise hit of the year. For every girl who’s ever envisioned her perfect fairy-tale-inspired fantasy transforming into reality, she’ll take great pleasure in watching her dream come true in Walt Disney’s latest romantic comedy.

At first thought, the idea of a princess jumping into reality from the animated world may reek of a cliché Space Jam and Who Framed Roger Rabbit-wannabe stench.

But Enchanted is splattered with such a bubbly collection of a glittery, fun-filled adventure, gleeful twists and turns, gut-wrenching humour, a stellar Amy Adams and supporting cast, and whimsical, explosive song-and-dance scenes that collectively call for a new level of magical experience from Walt Disney.

Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) leaves no space for mercy towards the gorgeous Giselle (Adams) when her stepson Prince Edward (James Marsden) rescues her from the tower and plans to marry her, putting the queen’s throne at risk.

Narissa sends Giselle to “a place where there are no happily ever afters”s down the well from fairy tale land, Andalasia, to the bustling, fast-paced streets of New York, where she becomes a real live girl. Prince Edward follows soon after, together with a chipmunk buddy, but loses track of his true love.

Giselle chances upon Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a divorce lawyer, who doesn’t believe in fairy tales and is sure not to allow his 6-year-old daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey) to be brainwashed by them. But Giselle changes that in time and settles in well with father and daughter. This pleases Narissa, who does what it takes to separate prince from princess.

It’s pure entertainment to watch a naïve little princess from a magical, musical fairy tale land be traumatised by the gritty reality of a world that does not work on a ‘happily ever after’ basis –a concept that she and every single fairy tale character live and wait for. Amy Adams embodies the character of Giselle beautifully, boosting every fray of her understanding of what a Disney princess character is, and owns every warble and twirl.

Dempsey, Marsden and Sarandon make for a stupendous supporting cast, the first living true to his McDreamy status from Grey’s Anatomy and emitting the right dose of charm that his character needs to complement the storyline that follows, and the second dazzles with his comical portrayal of the ignorant, fool-of-himself – yet innocent and fetching –prince who climbs on buses like he does on horses and regards television sets as magic mirrors.

Sarandon, with her high-collar, raised eye-brow image, is deliciously fun to watch. The Oscar winner pulls off the villain character of Queen Narissa brilliantly with her deep, mystifying voice, her versatility with facial expressions, and the natural presence she draws when she comes on screen. Partner those with a blue, black, and purple outfit, layers of dark makeup and a silver crown and it’s Maleficent from Walt Disney’s 1959 adaptation of Sleeping Beauty come alive.

Much of what Disney fans loved about the studio’s classic animated films is revisited in Enchanted. Accomplished and award-winning songwriters and composers, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who worked on a number of Disney films like Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), The Little Mermaid (1989), The Prince Of Egypt (1998) and Beauty And The Beast (1991), collaborate to bring the delightful feel classic Disney animated films usually instil in viewers to the real world in Enchanted, with originals, “Happy Working Song”, “True Love’s Kiss” and “That’s How You Know”. Director, Kevin Lima, who brought us Tarzan (1999) and 102 Dalmatians (2000), adds to that with his deep understanding of Disney’s culture, bringing to the streets of New York massive song-and-dance numbers that remind you of classic scenes like Aladdin’s “Prince Ali” and The Lion King’s “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King”.

The ending, however, doesn’t bring out the essence of ‘happily ever after’as much as one would hope for it to. What writer, Bill Kelly, does to the personality of Giselle is unsatisfying as she loses the flightiness and optimism that made her so lovable to watch for the first 3 quarters of the film. Instead, the princess becomes a human being internally and in a way that is almost sad and definitely unsettling.

Nevertheless, there’s much about Enchanted for viewers to fall in love with. There may be an almost endless collection of seen-before Disney elements incorporated into the film – the typical poisoned apple, the concept of true love’s kiss, the elaborate, fluffy gowns, adorable animals which never fail to trigger “awww’s” by lending a hand or two in desperate times and a gathering of who’s who in the Disney world. But beneath the classic fairy tale elements that define our childhood imaginary friends and fantasies is a beaming bundle of bubblegum-like fun, love and laughter.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie Details:

Opens: Nov 22

Running Time: 107 mins

Language: English

Cast: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Susan Sarandon

Director: Kevin Lima