Since the release of Disney’s “Enchanted” more than 14 years ago, fans have been yearning for a sequel, and now they have it. But the crucial question is: Is the sequel as good as the original? Let’s find out if “Disenchanted” was worth the wait.
Disney Plus’ “Disenchanted,” which debuted on Nov. 16 and was directed by Adam Shankman, takes place 15 years after Giselle (Amy Adams) gets her happily ever after. However, Giselle starts to question the happiness of her life, which she shares with her husband, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), her stepdaughter, Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino), and her newborn. As a result of her concerns, she unintentionally upends both those in Andalasia and the actual world.
You might be wondering how this all started. There aren’t any major spoilers here, so don’t worry. It all began when Giselle and her family moved into a neighborhood controlled by Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), who had ill intentions for the family from the beginning. Giselle, however, sensed that something was lacking in her life but was unable to identify what it was. But it’s not until their friends from Andalasia, Edward (James Marsden) and Nancy (Idina Menzel), visit their new house and present a gift that Giselle finally understands what is missing.
Unexpectedly, the gift is a wishing wand. So when Giselle wishes her and her family’s lives could be a flawless fairy tale when difficulties occur, she forgets that magic always comes with a price. Will Giselle save her family and the falling Kingdom of Andalasia just before the clock strikes midnight?
It seems that the main concern among viewers is if “Disenchanted” has leveled up to “Enchanted.” To refresh your memory, “Enchanted,” which was released in 2007, recounted the tale of a terrible queen named Narissa (Susan Sarandon), who banishes Princess Giselle from her delightful, musical, animated realm and sends her to the gritty reality of contemporary Manhattan’s streets.
While Giselle is stranded in a chaotic world that desperately needs enchantment, she is left shocked by this weird new environment that doesn’t run on a “happily ever after” foundation. But the chaos doesn’t stop there. Giselle is already engaged to Edward, a perfect fairy tale prince back home, but she soon begins to fall in love with Robert, an imperfect divorce lawyer who has come to her aid. This brings her to an essential question: Can a romance fairytale endure in the real world?
Now that your memory of “Enchanted” has been somewhat restored, the question of whether the sequel was as good or even superior to the original now arises. The original movie only had three significant songs: “True Love’s Kiss,” “Happy Working Song” and “That’s How You Know,” the iconic flash mob song. According to the New York Post, however, “Disenchanted” has “a solid 10 pastiche tunes that do nothing more than imitate better Disney hits and drag on too long.”
Another critic at Roger Ebert simply put that “Disenchanted” failed to “truly rekindle the magic or the biting wit of its predecessor,” and that “like most things stamped Disney these days, the film feels just like the mass-produced bobbles for sale at the Disney store.”
Additionally, viewers didn’t get enough screen time with Patrick Dempsey’s character, who in the film’s predecessor, was one of the main characters. But the part that really irked me, and I am sure other viewers as well, was when Robert was sent off on a pointless side quest. The plot is also colorfully decorated with life lessons while being absolutely incoherent. It’s safe to argue that this sequel lacked the epic quality of the original film.
And to put it simply, it seems that watching “Disenchanted” doesn’t necessarily give us the same sense of nostalgia that we experienced after watching “Enchanted.”
You can now stream “Disenchanted” on Disney +.