Enchantment

So we finished watching "Enchanted" this afternoon.

I say finished because we made it a two-part affair. We watched the first half last night but stopped short of watching all of it because it was past Phoebe's bed time. We watched the second half today after finishing lunch -- and then put Phoebe down for her nap. Which was a near-hour-long process of prompting, tears and agony -- but that's a whole different post.  

Depending on your perspective, it's easy to think of the film as a corny fantasy film chock-full of Disney-isms that could roll your eyes on to the floor.

Your perspective changes quite a bit when your almost-3-year-old daughter is cuddled between you and your wife.

We recorded the film on our DVR when it was on the Disney channel several weeks ago. When the timing finally seemed right last night*, we played it up to Phoebe as a special family movie. ... She was transfixed almost the moment we pressed play.

*I spent the entire day working on our taxes -- which, unfortunately, has become a Valentine's Day weekend tradition in our household -- so I was desperate for a diversion last night. We've grown accustomed to filling out two state forms each year because of our work in Illinois and Wisconsin. This year we added Missouri to the mix -- three state forms. ... I'll be thrilled next year when we have to complete just one form for Missouri.

At its core, "Enchanted" is a clever concept that mixes classic Disney animation with live-action to tell the story of the beautiful princess, Giselle, who is banished from the animated fairytale land by the evil queen to the reality of New York City -- a land where there are no happily-ever-afters.

There's Edward, the prince who Giselle is promised to; Nathaniel, the evil queen's bumbling partner; a cadre of animals, led by Pip the chipmunk, who come to Giselle's aid whenever she sings a sweet little tune -- along with the poisonous apples, colorful dresses, a ball, an abandoned slipper and a true love's kiss.

Check out the trailer ...



Amy Adams is immediately charming as Giselle, who is clueless about her new world once she's dropped in Times Square. Adams is over-the-top, but so sincere. She plays the part to perfection, never once giving off a sense that her character -- or the plot -- is just plain crazy.

Between the mix of catchy songs, colorful dancing and some comical turns, Kates and I could hardly stop smiling. Parts of the film reminded me of "The  Princess Bride," while others, however strange this may seem, reminded me of "Godspell" -- and other parts reminded me of the dozens of Manhattan-based chick flicks.

Seriously. Kates and I were tapping our feet to this one and then humming it to ourselves the rest of the night. ...



Seeing the wonder on Phoebe's face made watching the film more worthwhile. And like so many things we do with her these days, she shouted afterward, "I wanna do it again!"

We won't be deleting it from the DVR anytime soon.