Disenchanted

Featured art by Bhernn Saenz.

After over a decades’ long wait, in 2022, Disney released Disenchanted, a sequel to the 2007 film Enchanted, directed by Adam Shakman and written by Brigitte Hales based on a story by Richard LaGravense. The story continued after Giselle, played lovingly to throngs of many fans of the original, Amy Adams, found her happily ever after in Robert, (Patrick Dimsey), and they are living happily with Morgan (Gabriella Baddacchino) and their new born Sophia.

However, life in New York is becoming less magical, so Giselle and her family moved to Monroeville, a suburban town. That is when their life begins to become more difficult. Morgan reaches teenage years and loses interest in Andalasia; she also begins to lose her relationship with Giselle. But Giselle found a way to make her life more like it used to be; she wishes to live a magical life, and this is when conflicts flared up.

What makes this sequel good is that the original characters continue to portray their characters so well, Idina Menzel (Nancy) deserves the spotlight that she has been given in this movie because she never got to sing in the first movie, and the song “Love power” provides the magic that we always long for in a Disney film. Although James Mardsen (Edward) didn’t have any twists or anything in his character, he portrays Edward so well that the fun that his character had in the first film remains. Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey remained excellent in portraying their characters.

The songs Written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz also play a huge part to the film’s magical quality, which is exactly what everyone needed. The duet of Amy Adams (Gisselle) and Maya Rudolph (Malvina Monroe) in the song “Badder,” which is one of the best musical moments in the movie, is one of its most key facets, a duet of two villains in one movie. The film’s production, costumes, and overall set design are all commendable.

Despite its uniqueness, its story, and excellent production, what Disenchanted could have improved on are minor details. For one, the boutique that they owned in the previous film, which was not mentioned in the sequel, or a bit of an elaboration of why they moved in Monroeville to understand the gravity of this displacement that the characters felt in the first place. However, the film retains the magic that we have always desired in a Disney film; it will make you laugh, sing, and cry all at the same time.

But more than what is to be expected in a Disney film, with all the production and expected polish it had, every family can relate to the story Disenchanted brings. The challenges of a growing family, the conflict between a teenager and their mother, even of commuter life, all represented in the train scene. It demonstrated the hard truth that until we pass away, life is like riding a train repeatedly.

The narrative also demonstrated that life’s realities are frequently different from our expectations. It’s not always possible to have a magical life filled with music, laughter, and fun. It is not always like a Disney movie, after all. We can’t go back to how things were; all we can do is make the most of the life we have right now, no matter how challenging it may be. There’s something comforting in bursting one’s bubble that not everything about life can be postcard-worthy and it does not mean it’s all bad. It makes the good moments more noteworthy.

Tell us what you think. Disenchanted is available for streaming on Disney+.