(2007) Little girls especially will enjoy this Disney fare, and their mothers might appreciate the spoofing, with tunes by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. In the animated realm of Andalasia (an enchanted land with an admixture of characters from various fairytales), the evil Queen Narissa attempts to keep her stepson Prince Edward, with the help of her dumpling sycophant Nathaniel, from encountering the beautiful Giselle; but when they do fall into each other's arms, she arranges for Giselle to fall into a deep well, the bottom of which empties out of a manhole into modern-day New York City.

Giselle (Amy Adams) emerges as a flesh-and-blood woman in a frilly, flouncy white gown (that later transforms itself unaccountably into a hoop skirt) lost in a world she can't comprehend. Standing in the rain, knocking on a casino named The Palace, she's rescued by Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey), a divorce lawyer, and his six-year-old daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). Himself divorced and in a five-year affair with Nancy Tremaine (Idina Menzel), Robert attempts to provide Giselle with limited, temporary shelter and assistance; but, of course, Nancy arrives and misinterprets a very compromising scene.

Giselle's singing puts a spell of enchantment over rodents, fowls, and creepy crawlers, who invade Robert's rooms to tidy up the bachelor's messy quarters. Later her bursting into song transmogrifies the city into a carnival of music. Against his best intentions, Robert gradually becomes smitten by Giselle's seemingly inexhaustible sweetness and charity; his daughter is much taken by the newcomer as well.

Meanwhile, Prince Edward plunges into the well, along with Pip the chipmunk, in pursuit of Giselle as does Nathaniel at the queen's urging. Sanitation workers are treated to unexpected surprises ushering from the sewer; Prince Edward (James Marsden) mounts a beastly bus and stabs it through with his sword. Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) receives three poisoned apples with which he is to dispatch Giselle.

The prince relies upon the magic mirror of a television set to locate his hoped-for future princess. When an explosion startles Pip, who repeatedly saves the day, he ejects a small pellet from his posterior amid the shards of glass. After Nathaniel's repeated failures to get an apple past Giselle's lips, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) realizes that if something has to be done right she will have to do it herself.

At a costume ball with Robert and Nancy in attendance, as Giselle lies unconscious while the clock begins to strike midnight, Prince Edward attempts to revive her with the most powerful force in the world, the kiss of true love. But nothing happens when their lips touch.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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