***Spoilers for Disenchanted and Enchanted***

Enchanted was one of my favourite movies as a kid. As someone who hyper fixated on Cinderella and family movies in general, it was a wonderful showcase of nostalgia. Sure, the movie had its flaws (the biggest being hiring Idina Menzel, a woman with the voice of an angel, and not allowing her to sing). But because it was viewed through the lens of a child, and softened by nostalgia, it never received the same harsh criticism I now direct at its sequel.

Unfortunately, Disenchanted came out too long after the original. Had it been made only a few years after the original, it would’ve been treated with more kindness. It might have also been softened by the gentle eyes of a child. But, unfortunately, many of the children who watched Enchanted are all grown up now.

I, myself, was six when Enchanted came out and I’m now 21. This sequel is definitely not for me. And I can’t help but compare it to the original because the original was such a big part of my childhood. That means that whatever criticism I have is going to be much harsher.

And I think that’s the main reason why so many die hard fans of Enchanted have issues with this movie. They’re so wrapped up in nostalgia that they can’t appreciate this movie for what it is. A different movie. I actually have a theory that the more you liked the original, the more you’ll dislike this one. The same thing happened with the Frozen 2 movie, despite being well-written and beautifully produced, it received harsh criticism from fans of Frozen (including me).

In saying all that, I’m still going to criticise this movie. Because yes, while it was good, there are still flaws.

It Should’ve Been A Longer Movie

While the nostalgia aspect definitely didn’t help this movie, the pacing just made things worse. We spend way too much time in the real world and not enough time in the fairytale world. I think the writers were so concerned with establishing how dissatisfied everyone is, they forgot to explore the wish world.

The thing is, I did cry at points. I cried when Giselle had a falling out with Morgan and I cried when Morgan lost her mum (or thought she did). They were emotional scenes. But they were also very rushed. I felt that they only slowed down for the beginning and the end and they rushed the middle. Giselle should’ve had more time to be a villain, she should’ve spent more time fighting herself and Morgan should’ve spent more time in Andalasia before finding the solution.

Even the best concept is ruined by rushed writing. If this movie was only 30 minutes longer, it would’ve produced an infinitely superior story.

The Performance Was Flawless

I better not hear anyone criticising the actors. The acting, singing and dancing was phenomenal. I particularly enjoyed finally hearing Idina Menzel sing. Despite the subpar lyrics, her voice is phenomenal. I still had issues with the fact that she wasn’t given room to show her full potential. Despite this, there were still moments when her true prowess came through.

And obviously, I adore Amy Adam’s voice but again, I feel as though she wasn’t able to showcase her real talent. There were points where the singing was switching to speaking and it really took me out of the scene. The best thing about the first movie was how like a fairytale character she sounded and yet, here, I think they tried to ground her too hard. While Giselle may not have belonged in Andalasia, she still had Andalasia in her heart. And trying to take that out is a mistake.

And can we talk about how James Marsden just hasn’t aged? That man looked exactly the same as he did in Enchanted. And I suppose that was mostly intentional. He is supposed to embody a fairytale character but it’s still very impressive.

And finally, Morgan’s recasting is flawless. She looks like a grown version of child Morgan. In fact, if you had Rachel Covey and Gabriella Baldacchino stand side by side, they could be sisters. It’s amazing. Even though this isn’t everything, when a team recasts accurately, it’s always more enjoyable.

The Costumes And Sets Were Great

I LOVED the costumes within this movie, especially Giselle’s outfits. I HATED Giselle’s purple dress because of how it tried to shoehorn her character into a modern woman when that was never the point of her arc. Whereas, Disenchanted’s Giselle is a perfect mix of fairytale and real world. She still acts like a fairytale character but she has adapted to the real world. Her clothing perfectly reflects that at the beginning. And her transformation into a villain, is again, perfectly reflected through her clothing. And she looks absolutely gorgeous in red. She truly is the prettiest character in the movie.

I also loved all the other costumes, though they weren’t as noticeable to me. I, will however, concede that Malvina’s villain outfits didn’t really fit her figure. They looked a little awkward, to be honest. But I guess that was probably the point. Malvina was never the true villain of this movie, that was Giselle’s role.

And finally, to no one’s surprise, I absolutely HATED Morgan’s blue dress. It wasn’t even ugly, it was just bland and lazy. It was way too short, first of all. And the biggest mistake was the sleeves. They should’ve just made it a strapless gown, then at least it would just look like a formal gown. We could’ve at least just pretended that it was a sign of Morgan’s attachment to the real world. But this was an insult of a dress, especially considering it’s meant to be inspired by Cinderella’s iconic ballgown. It also didn’t have enough volume. They should’ve added a petticoat to flare out the dress. Honestly, I was glad when Giselle ripped it up. That thing was not suitable for a princess. And she had so many good options too.

And the sets were just gorgeous. I don’t have a single complaint about them. Mondalasia was beautiful, New York was suitably dull and the backdrops were so gorgeous. And even the special effects were great. I especially enjoyed when Giselle turned Melvina’s spell into glass birds.

Final Thoughts

While I did find myself comparing Disenchanted to the original and criticising it unnecessarily, I still enjoyed it as a whole. There are definitely flaws in the writing but this is more than made up for with the flawless acting, costumes and sets. It truly is a good movie but you need to be able to forget the original. Just don’t fall into the trap of comparing the two movies. You’ll never enjoy a movie if you’re overly critical of it.

I also love watching movies that draw on nostalgia. This movie was clearly inspired by iconic Disney fairytales and I love that for it. Sometimes, we all want to escape the pressures of adulthood and remember simpler times. This is definitely the movie for that. (But also, go rewatch Enchanted).