Review: Enchanted

Enchanted
Cast : Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey
Direction : Kevin Lima
Rating : ***

We all know the quintessential fairy tale princess --- simple, sweet and perennially pining for true love.

Enter yet another moony maiden, then, in the tradition of such bedtime classics as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Book-ended by a few minutes of conventional hand-drawn animation, this live-action romantic comedy from Walt Disney Pictures is worthy of the studio’s pedigree. Brimming with vibrant visuals, colourful characters and refreshingly good humour, Enchanted is a cut-above-the-commonplace fantasy.

The plot hinges on a princess (Adams) who’s banished from her animated kingdom by an evil queen. Transformed into flesh-and-blood, she is rescued from the mean streets of Manhattan by a harried divorce attorney (Dempsey).

To add to the mayhem, she’s pursued into the real world by her royal suitor (James Marsden), his wicked stepmother (Susan Sarandon, ludicrously camp), not to forget a cartoon chipmunk (delightfully dubbed by director Kevin Lima himself).

The narrative is enlivened by a finger-snapping music score as well as amusing moments like a bout of spring cleaning undertaken by mice, roaches and pigeons. The extended ballroom finale is the piece de resistance. On the other hand, the confrontation with a computer-generated dragon is unwarranted.

Whether she’s leading old folk through a toe-tapping tune in the park, or trying to reconcile an about-to-be-divorced couple, Amy Adams is captivating. So go ahead, be Enchanted.