Enchanted (Film)

Enchanted is a 2007 American musical live-action/animated fantasy romantic comedy film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures with New York Academy Barry Sonnenfeld and Josephson Entertainment. Written by Bill Kelly and directed by Kevin Lima, the film stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey, and Susan Sarandon. The plot focuses on Giselle, an archetypal Disney Princess, who is forced from her traditional animated world of Andalasia into the live-action world of New York City. Enchanted was the first Disney film to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, instead of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

The film is both an homage to, and a self-parody of, conventional Walt Disney Animated Classics, making numerous references to Disney’s past and future works through the combination of live-action film-making, traditional animation and computer-generated imagery. It heralds the return of traditional animation to a Disney feature film after the company’s decision to move entirely to computer animation in 2004. Composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who had written songs for previous Disney films, produced the songs of Enchanted, with Menken also composing its score.
220px-EnchantedposterThe animation sequences were produced at James Baxter Animation in Pasadena. Filming of the live action segments took place around New York City. It premiered on October 20, 2007, at the London Film Festival before its wide release on November 21, 2007, in the United States. Enchanted was well-received critically, and earned more than $340 million worldwide at the box office. It won the 2007 Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Motion Picture, received two nominations at the 65th Golden Globe Awards and three Best Original Song nominations at the 80th Academy Awards.

Plot

In “Andalasia”, an animated fairy tale world devoid of problems, in which there are talking animals and “happy endings”, Queen Narissa frets that her stepson Prince Edward will soon find his true love, which means that Narissa’s position on the throne would be taken over. One day, Edward and Nathaniel, Queen Narissa’s henchman, successfully capture a troll, but Edward rides off to the cottage of a girl named Giselle after hearing her sing about “true love”. Knowing Narissa’s wishes, Nathaniel sets the troll free to get rid of Giselle, but Edward saves her just in time. When they meet, they instantly fall in love and plan to get married the following day.

However, Narissa had witnessed everything, so she meets Giselle while the peasant runs off to get wed to Edward. Narissa, disguised as an old hag, tricks Giselle and exiles her to the real world of Earth by falling through a portal that is under a sewer in New York City’s Times Square. Meanwhile, a divorce lawyer named Robert prepares to propose to his long time girlfriend Nancy, much to the dismay of Morgan, his young daughter. While Robert and Morgan are heading home, they see a confused Giselle trying to enter a brightly lit pink castle on a billboard which she has mistaken for the Andalasian palace. Luckily, Robert rescues her after she falls off, and he begrudgingly permits Giselle to stay at his apartment at the insistence of his daughter.

Pip, Giselle’s chipmunk friend from Andalasia, witnessed the events of Giselle’s fall through the portal and alerts Edward to it, so they embark on a rescue mission. Edward chances upon Giselle’s whereabouts via a TV news report of her being interviewed. However, he is unaware that Nathaniel, who had been dispatched to New York City by Narissa, is trying to eliminate Pip after the chipmunk discovered a poisoned-apple plot that Narissa and Nathaniel had concocted to kill Giselle. Meanwhile, Robert decides to keep Giselle close by, given her naivete and lack of means to survive on her own. Giselle questions the divorce lawyer about his relationship with Nancy, and decides to help the pair reconcile by sending flowers and tickets to the “King and Queen’s Costume Ball”. An angered Narissa, who has continued to spy on events, makes plans to come to New York City after Nathaniel failed twice to poison Giselle.

As they spend more time together, Giselle and Robert begin to develop feelings for each other while Edward continues to look for Giselle, eventually finding her at Robert’s apartment. While Edward is eager to take Giselle home to Andalasia and finally marry, she insists that they should first go on a date, still conflicted about her feelings. Giselle promises to return to Andalasia after ending their date at the King’s and Queen’s Ball, which Robert and Nancy are also attending. Giselle and Robert finally dance as if they were the only couple in the room. From afar, Edward and Nancy sense the attraction between Giselle and Robert, and also discover a mutual attraction between themselves. At the climax of the ball, Narissa appears as the old hag and offers the last poisoned apple to Giselle, who was so bereft at the thought of leaving her true love behind that she takes a bite and falls to the floor unconscious.

Nathaniel, sick of being manipulated by Narissa, reveals their plot. Robert realizes that true love’s kiss is the only force that will break the poison apple’s spell before midnight. After Edward’s kiss fails to wake Giselle, he prompts Robert to do so instead. Giselle awakens as the clock strikes twelve, but Narissa uses this moment of distraction to break free from Nathaniel’s grasp and transform into a giant blue dragon. When Robert shields Giselle after Narissa threatens to kill her, the evil queen takes Robert hostage instead. Giselle takes Edward’s sword then follows Narissa out the window and up to the top of the Woolworth Building. With Pip’s help, Giselle successfully defeats Narissa, who plunges to her death. After almost falling off the roof themselves, Robert and Giselle share a passionate kiss and embrace, while Edward and Nancy, finding themselves in love, depart to Andalasia via manhole.

A montage of the protagonist’s new lives follows, showing Edward and Nancy marrying, Giselle running a successful fashion business and forming a happy family with Robert and Morgan, while Nathaniel becomes a best-selling author on Earth, as does Pip in Andalasia.

Source : Enchanted

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