Delayed Reaction: Disenchanted

Premise: What if Disney really wanted to make an Enchanted sequel but didn't have a great idea for it?

 

When Disney made Enchanted in 2007, it was a bit of a gamble. They were calling out and making fun of all the tropes that made the company so beloved. It paid off big, and ever since, it's been weird seeing Disney try to have its cake and eat it too. They've continued with the Princess movies, although often using them to check off representation they we previously missing. And they found ways to puncture the Disney image. I think specifically of Ralph Breaks the Internet and that princess scene in particular. There has always been a feeling of "Celebrities reading mean Tweets" though. It's hard to ever see Disney really being in on the joke. The gloves are always on to some extent. So, the idea of returning to Enchanted 15 years later didn't have me expecting anything too revolutionary.

 

I mainly watched Disenchanted because I wanted to see Amy Adams return to her star making role. Sure, she had an Oscar nomination before Enchanted. However, before Enchanted, she was namelessly guesting on The Office and after that, she was going toe-to-toe with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in films. The next biggest draw after that was that I'm a Black Check podcast fan excited to hear Griffin Newman as the voice of Pip.

 

Simply put, Disenchanted isn't very good. It doesn't justify its existence and convince me that Enchanted needed a sequel. Most of what made Enchanted so fun was Gisselle and company contrasting with the real world. Moving the character to a picturesque suburb then turning everyone into fairy tale characters gets rid of all the fun. At that point, I'm just watching an underwhelming fairy tale.

 

It's an easy enough watch though. I'm glad Amy Adams had fun playing dual roles of a sort. Maya Rudolph, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Jayma Mays certainly understood the assignment. Newman's Pip got a couple good lines. I just wish the movie would've realized what the strengths of the original film were better.

 

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend