Movie Review: Enchanted

Overview

The latest fairytale movie from Disney opens in the world of animation where we meet Giselle singing in the forest. Not far away from Giselle is Prince Edward, who is singing the same song and finds his way to Giselle, and what was two solos is now a duet. At the conclusion of the duet, Prince Edward decides that they must get married the very next day. It's the true fairytale story. Giselle is preparing for the wedding with the usual host of forest animals, lead by a very vocal squirrel named Pip. On her way to the wedding ceremony Giselle comes in contact with an old haggardly woman. The haggardly woman who is the evil Queen Narcissa in disguise pushes Giselle down a well. Giselle ends up coming out of a manhole in the middle of New York City -- leaving the animated world behind -- and is now a real live girl.

New York ends up being dramatically different from her fairytale land of Andalasia. Giselle quickly discovers that New York City is the complete opposite of her homeland. She wanders the streets asking people for directions to the castle only to be ignored and rebuffed until her crown is stolen by a homeless person.

We're introduced Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a divorce attorney, Giselle's true love, while he's in the middle of a hostile meeting between a divorcing couple. Robert is interrupted by a phone call from his six-year-old daughter, Morgan. Later Robert and Morgan are about to get into a cab when they see Giselle on top of a large billboard trying to get into the picture of the castle advertising the Palace Casino. Morgan believes Giselle is a princess and Robert thinks she's crazy. Won over by the prodding of his daughter, Robert brings Giselle home with them until he can find a place for her to go. Before he can get her a cab and whisk her away, Giselle falls asleep and ends up spending the night.

In the morning Giselle uses her fairytale princess powers and a little help from some rats, pigeons, and cockroaches manages to clean Robert and Morgan's apartment before they wake up. She also manages to make her own clothes from the curtains in the bedroom. Later in the day, Morgan and Giselle go walking through the city where they have a debate about the truthfulness of true love and if Prince Edward will really be there to rescue Giselle. Giselle helps Robert woo back his girlfriend, Nancy, who he has invited to a Royal Ball masquerade party. After some singing and dancing, we can see that Giselle and Robert are beginning to fall in love even though neither of them is willing to admit or acknowledge it.

Pip has told Prince Edward what has happened to Giselle and the two of them jump down the well in hopes of saving Giselle. Queen Narcissa, realizing that Prince Edward might just find Giselle and bring her back, she sends her sidekick, Nathan, to follow Edward and make sure that he doesn't find Giselle.

All the while Giselle is learning all about real life and how it both contrasts her beliefs and at the same time brings realness to her life. After some searching Prince Edward finally catches up with Giselle and Robert and intends to take Giselle back to Andalasia. However, no longer convinced that Robert is her true love, she insists that they go on a date. On their date, Giselle realizes that she is in love with Robert and not Edward. Knowing that Robert is at a ball with his Nancy, Gisele convinces Edward to attend the ball with her before they return to Andalasia.

Realizing Nathan's ineptitude has prevented him from keeping Giselle and Edward apart, Queen Narcissa has entered the real world in hopes to keep Giselle and Edward from taking the crown from her. Narcissa catches up with Giselle at the ball and entices her with a poisoned apple, which Giselle eats, casting her into a deep sleep. Using the logic of fairytales Edward and Robert realize that only with the kiss from her true love will awaken Giselle. Edward tries first but is surprised to learn that he is not her true love. Robert goes next and is successful.

Nathan tells everyone that Queen Narcissa is behind all the troubles, forcing her to show her true colors, which happen to be a blue dragon. Having turned herself in to a dragon, she whisks Robert to the top of the Empire State building. Giselle follows and together they vanquish Narcissa. Meanwhile Edward and Nancy discover an affection towards one another in the midst of a fairytale moment.

All that's left is the happily ever after, Giselle is a fashion designer and is together with Robert and Morgan living in New York City. Edward and Nancy run off to Andalasia to get married and they all live happily ever after.


Concerns

• Inappropriate Sexual Relationships
  Early on, we discover that Robert and Nancy are in a sexual relationship. Although there is no discussion of the relationship and no scenes of the relationship, it is clear.


• Inappropriate Sexual Moment
  There is a scene where Giselle is taking a shower and Robert comes into the bathroom. Giselle comes out of the shower with no thought of her nakedness. There are no body parts that show since some birds have a towel ready to cover her as she walks out of the shower. Robert has no reason to be standing there staring at a towel covered Giselle. This scene is continued and climaxes with Giselle falling on Robert and ending up on top of him in the hallway as Nancy and Megan look on.

For the most part, the movie is clean and innocent, much like the traditional animated Disney fairy tales. I think there is one "*itch" word used, I didn't catch it but my daughter did, or it was the *utt word. All I remember is her saying that Narcissa used the "b word".


Teachable Themes

• The Value of Innocence
  For the majority of the movie we see how the innocence of Giselle's character makes her stand out. She is kind and caring towards all, with a positive and optimistic attitude. While somewhat naive towards the things of the real world, her innocence is a refreshing contrast to the self-centered, pessimistic, and negative attitude of the real world. Robert comes to value and respect Giselle's innocence, which rings of truth, honesty, and love. The image of Giselle amongst the chaos and darkness of NYC is reminiscent of the imagery of Christians standing out among the world. Like a city on a hill cannot be hidden, so the brightness of innocence cannot be extinguished by the darkness of evil. When we live a life of innocence, freedom from sin, we contrast ourselves against the darkness of the world we live in, which shines a light on Jesus and brings glory to God.


• Love is Real
  In the Robert's opening scene there is an interaction between him and a receptionist where he profess his disbelief of true love. Instead, he believes that people stay together because of mutual interests and taking the time to get to know one another. Later in the film we discover why Robert doesn't believe in love, his last wife (Morgan's mother) left them. We're not left with much else to tell the story but the intent is that she just up and left one day. By the end of the film, Robert comes to realize that love is real through the budding relationship and strong feelings he has for Giselle. Just as we can struggle with this present world, we are reminded that love does exist and is found complete in a relationship with Jesus Christ.


• Never Stop Looking
  Giselle's rock solid belief that Edward will come to rescue her is one of the ribs that keep this movie together. Edward indeed does come for Giselle searching high and low for her, refusing to give up. Giselle believes that Edward will never cease looking for her and will be triumphant in his quest to find her. The theme in the movie matches up nicely with the biblical imagery of God's tenacious searching for us and our reunion with him.

Biblical References

• The Value of Innocence:
  • Matthew 5:13-15 - "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (NIV)
  
  
  • Daniel 1:8-19 - "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."
    
    Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
    
    To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service." (NIV)


• Love is Real:
  • 1 Peter 1:22 - "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart." (NIV)
  
  
  • 1 John 3:17-19 - "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence." (NIV)
  
  
  • Ephesians 2:4-5 - "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved." (NIV)


• Never Stop Looking:
  • Ezekiel 34:11-12 - "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness." (NIV)
  
  
  • Luke 15:3-10 - "Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
    
    "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (NIV)

Discussion Questions

• The Value of Innocence:
  1. What do you think Innocence is? What if we said that innocence was when we lived a life that made God please with us, that would mean not doing things that He says are wrong. Do you think you would look and be different from others?
  2. Salt and light make things stand out, do you think that people who are innocent stand out? Do you think that when people when people really love God that they stand out?
  3. The story in Daniel 1 is amazing. How do you think Daniel and his three friends felt being different from the others? Was it good for them to do what was right? Why?
  
  
• Love is Real:
  1. 1 Peter 1:22 says that if we live our lives by the truth of God's word that we will be able to show true love towards others, do you think this is true? Why?
  2. According to 1 John 2:17-19 what can we do to show true love to others? Have you ever done this? What do you think you could do to show true love to others?
  3. How did God show us that He loves us? How does God continue to show us that He loves us?
  
  
• Never Stop Looking:
  1. If God is the shepherd in Ezekiel 34:11-12, where will he look for his sheep? Who are the sheep that God is referring to?
  2. Have you ever lost something that was really important to you? What did you do? When Edward lost Giselle, did he forget about her? What did he do?
  3. Reading the parables in Luke 15 what do they tell us about God's desire towards us? What happens when God finds us?

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