Disenchanted - A Disney+ Movie Review

I wish life could be a fairytale. That wouldn’t be so bad.

Disenchanted is a 2022 sequel. Fifteen years after Giselle’s happily ever after with Robert, the family decides to move to Monroeville. Questioning her happiness, Giselle makes a wish that turns the lives of many upside down.

Enchanted was a movie that I went crazy for as a kid. As soon as the release day came I watched Disenchanted in a heartbeat. Disenchanted is a film that makes you chipper. Matching the spirit of the original, there was something missing from the sequel.

Like no time has passed, Amy Adams returns to the role of Giselle with exuberant energy. Now in the role of a stepmother, Giselle worries that she’ll turn into a wicked villain just like in the fairytales. Spontaneously switching from her bubbly personality to menacing behavior in seconds, Adams is a very talented actress.

Familiar faces and new faces appear in Disenchanted. Patrick Dempsey is back as Robert. Filling in for the role of Morgan, Gabriella Baldacchino was great. Writers didn’t focus enough on certain relationships. Giselle has most of the limelight. I adored the family dynamic from the original so I’m confused why writers overlooked it. It’s what this film is all about.

Introducing a new member to the family, baby Sophia (Mila Jackson) is ignored. Is there a reason why she had to be a baby and not 5? She could have been involved in the story more, especially in Morgan’s storyline.

That goes for Dempsey, too. Aside from (finally) hearing him sing, he’s not given much to do. We’re treated to watching Robert run about attempting to slay dragons. Was there a point? Does he feel unworthy? That could have been explained better.

Why give Idina Menzel and James Mardsen small roles? They were the best part of both films! Mardsen is hardly in it at all. We needed more of Edward. Menzel treats us to an outstanding song number. But it sounds too much like her famous song Let it Go from Frozen.

Maya Rudolph made an excellent villain as Malvina. Adams and Rudolph rock it out an in epic villain song number. Like the rest of the characters, Malvina is not used to her fullest potential.

Speaking of which, there are more songs in the sequel. Ensemble members rehearsed long hours for upbeat dances. As excited as I was for them, there were too many. The song numbers took away from the story and character development.

Eyecatching locations were designed, matching a fairytale-like world. Oh yes, and we return to Andalasia. So, here’s a question. If Giselle wanted a fairytale life, why not make the whole film animated?

I get that it's live-action and budget conflicts, but I wanted to spend more time in Andalasia. The animation didn’t match the first film. The animation of the characters was flat, not matching emotion.

I get the feeling that Adam Shankman had a lot of ideas and wasn’t sure which idea to focus on. Disenchanted is overloaded. Not only did it deserve more originality, but Shankman didn’t care to fill in the numerous plot holes. Shankman presented a lot of interesting ideas which he piled over with the usual Disney cliches.

That doesn’t stop Disenchanted from selling its morals. Make life your own fairytale. Change is not always easy but we should always stop to recognize what we’re happy about.

I’m surprised that a lot of viewers weren’t impressed with Disenchanted. I really liked this film. It was fun and it had good a message. Disenchanted is worth your watch on Disney+.