Enchanted (2007)

My Rating : 3.5/4

MovieStudio Quote >> “The Transition between Real Life and 2D Animation was well made.”

With a fine cast and fun in-jokes, Disney’s ENCHANTED is sure to cast a spell over both children and adults. It begins with a 2-D animation sequence reminiscent of the company’s beloved past…. With a fine cast and fun in-jokes, Disney’s ENCHANTED is sure to cast a spell over both children and adults. It begins with a 2-D animation sequence reminiscent of the company’s beloved past. Surrounded by dozens of cute animals, Giselle (voiced and later played by Amy Adams) sings about her desire to find her one true love. Meanwhile, a handsome prince (James Marsden) overhears her, and they meet and fall in love. In many Disney movies, this is where the story ends, but ENCHANTED is just starting out on its journey.

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The prince’s wicked stepmother (Susan Sarandon) can’t stand to lose her throne, so she pushes Giselle down a well, and the beauty ends up in the real world. Gone is the animated fantasy, and a live-action Giselle lands in the middle of Times Square in New York City. Her optimism and perkiness put her at odds with the New Yorkers she encounters, but she gets help from a cynical divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) as she waits for her prince to rescue her. Fans of Disney classics from SLEEPING BEAUTY to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will be glad to see their favorite films referenced in ENCHANTED.

enchanted

Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel in THE LITTLE MERMAID) makes a brief appearance, and the evil queen threatens to kill Giselle with a poisoned apple à la SNOW WHITE. Though it reminds the audience of past favorites, ENCHANTED boasts its own script that is at once intelligent and heartwarming. But the true highlight of the film is the acting by the fairy tale couple. Marsden (HAIRSPRAY) couldn’t be funnier as the charming prince, while Adams (an Oscar nominee for 2005’s JUNEBUG) gives dimension to the heroine. As a result, ENCHANTED is a film that deserves to sit on a shelf with Disney’s classics.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

My Rating : ****

Based on the second novel in C.S. Lewis’s beloved CHRONICLES OF NARNIA series, PRINCE CASPIAN finds the four Pevensie children–Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)–once again whisked away from WWII-era England into the realm of Narnia, where the siblings once ruled as royalty.

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However, the Pevensies soon discover that 1,300 years have passed since they left, and the world is now controlled by the Telmarines, humans who long ago banished the magical creatures of Narnia to the wilderness. When the heir to the Telmarine throne, Caspian (Ben Barnes), survives an assassination attempt plotted by his scheming uncle, Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), the noble youth stumbles across Narnia’s exiled enchanted population, and decides to lead them in an uprising, aided by Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Considerably darker and more action-packed than THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE, this 2008 sequel, once again directed by Andrew Adamson, is driven by the struggle between the Telmarines and the banished Narnians, resulting in many fierce battle sequences.

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While the newcomer Barnes and the established quartet of Moseley, Popplewell, Keynes, and Henley are all in fine form, CASPIAN is largely enhanced by its supporting cast, which includes indie mainstay Peter Dinklage as the dour dwarf Trumpkin and revered British comedian Eddie Izzard as the voice of the swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep. Also briefly reprising their roles from the previous film are Liam Neeson, as the voice of Aslan, and Tilda Swinton, as the White Witch, actors who bring their familiar personas to this engaging and entertaining second chapter in the NARNIA saga.