Enchanted ***1/2
Ever since Bambi Meets Godzilla ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXCUBVS4kfQ ), we have been living in a post-Disney world where saccharine sentimentality in children's cartoon's just doesn't do it for anybody. The three Shrek features put the final nails in that coffin. Enchanted proves that even Disney lives in a post-Disney world. No one has skewered the princess-fantasy genre the way this film does -- with broad satire and genuine affection for the decent (if sometimes sexist) values the genre represents. A princess, her prince, an evil stepmother queen, and her bumbling retainer are transported to Times Square, and all sorts of mischief breaks out. And, oh yes, one very frustrated chipmunk makes his appearance too.
There is a romantic love story at the center of the film, but that alone doesn't make it a "chick flick." I asked Max, my grandson and 10-year-old critic of kids' films, what he thought of the picture. He's at that "kissing-is-icky" stage and, so, I thought he might pan the film. But he didn't. He thought "it was really funny." Is this a new genre? Kid's films with chick flick components? Nanny McPhee was one.
My favorite part occured when Princess Giselle, finding herself in a cluttered, dirty Manhattan apartment, summoned all available New York critters to assist her a la Snow White in the dwarves' cottage. If you've seen Joe's Apartment, you know animated dancing cockroaches can be endearing.
Definitely take the kids to see this one, and, if you don't have kids, go anyway. It's that good.
Ever since Bambi Meets Godzilla ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXCUBVS4kfQ ), we have been living in a post-Disney world where saccharine sentimentality in children's cartoon's just doesn't do it for anybody. The three Shrek features put the final nails in that coffin. Enchanted proves that even Disney lives in a post-Disney world. No one has skewered the princess-fantasy genre the way this film does -- with broad satire and genuine affection for the decent (if sometimes sexist) values the genre represents. A princess, her prince, an evil stepmother queen, and her bumbling retainer are transported to Times Square, and all sorts of mischief breaks out. And, oh yes, one very frustrated chipmunk makes his appearance too.
There is a romantic love story at the center of the film, but that alone doesn't make it a "chick flick." I asked Max, my grandson and 10-year-old critic of kids' films, what he thought of the picture. He's at that "kissing-is-icky" stage and, so, I thought he might pan the film. But he didn't. He thought "it was really funny." Is this a new genre? Kid's films with chick flick components? Nanny McPhee was one.
My favorite part occured when Princess Giselle, finding herself in a cluttered, dirty Manhattan apartment, summoned all available New York critters to assist her a la Snow White in the dwarves' cottage. If you've seen Joe's Apartment, you know animated dancing cockroaches can be endearing.
Definitely take the kids to see this one, and, if you don't have kids, go anyway. It's that good.
No comments:
Post a Comment