Enchanted is the latest in a long line of Disney princess movies based on the same tired premise: girl wishes for boy, girl meets boy, girl gets boy... and lives happily ever after. This time, however, the "twist" is that the cartoon characters come to life - and even showcase a smidgeon of feminist backbone - in this delightful (yet, be clear: still very Disney) film.

The story tells the tale of the beautiful Giselle (Amy Adams), a fairy tale character who is about to marry her handsome Prince Edward (James Marsden). Edward's mother-in-law, however - the evil Queen (Susan Sarandon) - is determined not to let Edward marry, for if he does, she will lose the crown. As a result, she sends Giselle far, far away - to a land where there is no happily ever after:

New York City.

Many delightful laughs ensue - primarily because of the absolutely darling Amy Adams, who plays the naive cartoon-princess-turned-real-life-woman to an absolute tee. Adams, in fact, is the sole reason for watching the film. You can't help but smile when witnessing her infectious charm. Even though the story relies on classic fish out of water comedy, Adams somehow manages to make it all seem fresh and new. Cute, cute, cute.

Of course, the plot doesn't quite end there... The Evil Queen sends her minion out to do away with Giselle - while, at the same time, the daft Prince Edward (the hilarious James Marsden) attempts to rescue her. In the meantime, Giselle is making new friends of her own - particularly with the dashing divorce attorney Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a single father who is seemingly trying to teach his six-year old daughter the value of being a strong, independent woman.

This would all be fine and good except... (Spoiler Alert!) when Disney attempts to create a feminist subplot, it can't help but internally combust upon itself. When in one scene Robert is giving his daughter  Morgan a book on remarkable women throughout history (instead of the fairy tale princess story she of course really wanted), and then later remarks how he teaches Morgan these lessons so that she won't grow up to be disappointed - it ends up falling upon Giselle to teach Robert that "dreams really can come true." The message? That strong, independent women don't get to have their dreams come true; instead, they end up rigid, loveless, and divorced... or even dead... (as they point out in the story: Madame Curie may have been a remarkable woman but her "fairy tale ending" was death).

All in all, I'm not sure what's worse: Disney's same old tired, gender clichéd storylines - or the fact that their attempts at being "feminist" are sadly transparent and somehow ingenuine. Yes, this is a delightful story - with fun music, funny performances, and somewhat of a new twist on princess stories. But don't expect Disney to have come to its feminist sensibilities just yet. After all, to do away with its happily ever after fairy tale princess storylines would be to shoot its own massive corporate empire in the foot. 

Enchanted starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, and James Marsden
Walt Disney Pictures, 2007. Rated PG. Available online at Amazon.com.

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