The original 'Enchanted' is a fun melding of Disney Fairytale mixed with modern RomCom, and it works well. It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it has a smile-inducing charm of its own. Amy Adams is superb, and James Marsden steals the show as the classic Prince, whilst Susan Sarandan and Timothy Spall have fun with their roles.
Given Disney's horrendous track record in recent years, I didn't have much hope for this sequel, and fully expected something as weak as Hocus Pocus 2 (which whilst not awful, was certainly mediocre and lacked the originals charm).
Having watched the original 'Enchanted' and this sequel back-to-back, I was quite pleasantly surprised. This was fun, and lacked any shoe-horned agendas. They also did something different with the story, rather than repeating the original with a few changes.
Amy Adams is once again excellent (and appears to be pulling a Tom Cruise. She even somehow manages to look more attractive!), and James Marsden steals every scene he's in. Idina Menzel also has a bit more to do this time around and gets to exercise those vocal chords.
As for other supporting cast, Maya Rudolph isn't quite up to Susan Sarandan level as the villain, but she's a different kind of villain anyway. Patrick Dempsey once again does what he needs to, but is a little under utilised, as if they're not quite sure what to do with him, but at least he aids in saving the day and his family.
The only other (very minor) complaint I might have, is that the 2D animated portions just aren't up to the same quality as the original, but I suspect this is more down to Disney no longer having those skilled artists and animators they once had.
It's also worth noting that, shock of shocks, Disney shows an essentially happy and stable family that have stayed together and fight to stay together, as though families are a good thing. The husband is supportive of his wife, the daughter loves her step-mother (despite the issues that trigger the story), and the mother wants to make a happy home! I know, this is from modern Disney! Who'd have thought it?!
Overall, it's fun, magical and, most importantly, leaves you with a smile. Even the songs work well (of which there are more) and feel like a slice of old-school Disney (they're significantly better than any of the current-era Disney animated movies).
It definitely gets a thumbs-up from me!
Given Disney's horrendous track record in recent years, I didn't have much hope for this sequel, and fully expected something as weak as Hocus Pocus 2 (which whilst not awful, was certainly mediocre and lacked the originals charm).
Having watched the original 'Enchanted' and this sequel back-to-back, I was quite pleasantly surprised. This was fun, and lacked any shoe-horned agendas. They also did something different with the story, rather than repeating the original with a few changes.
Amy Adams is once again excellent (and appears to be pulling a Tom Cruise. She even somehow manages to look more attractive!), and James Marsden steals every scene he's in. Idina Menzel also has a bit more to do this time around and gets to exercise those vocal chords.
As for other supporting cast, Maya Rudolph isn't quite up to Susan Sarandan level as the villain, but she's a different kind of villain anyway. Patrick Dempsey once again does what he needs to, but is a little under utilised, as if they're not quite sure what to do with him, but at least he aids in saving the day and his family.
The only other (very minor) complaint I might have, is that the 2D animated portions just aren't up to the same quality as the original, but I suspect this is more down to Disney no longer having those skilled artists and animators they once had.
It's also worth noting that, shock of shocks, Disney shows an essentially happy and stable family that have stayed together and fight to stay together, as though families are a good thing. The husband is supportive of his wife, the daughter loves her step-mother (despite the issues that trigger the story), and the mother wants to make a happy home! I know, this is from modern Disney! Who'd have thought it?!
Overall, it's fun, magical and, most importantly, leaves you with a smile. Even the songs work well (of which there are more) and feel like a slice of old-school Disney (they're significantly better than any of the current-era Disney animated movies).
It definitely gets a thumbs-up from me!