LIKES:
Some musical Numbers Pack Emotion: It's Disney, so you know the music is going to pack a lot of emotion in the tracks. There are some of them that really do hit hard though, beautiful ballads capable of stirring goosebumps and tears, fun little numbers that you tap your toes, and cute numbers that will have kids singing for ages. Disenchanted has the emotion in the songs that is famous for the Walt Disney group and will certainly be for the Disney track lovers playing it on repeat in this age of music streaming. I give them props for several songs that have that wit, creativity, and stage command, and that's the positive factor I focus on.
The Characters Have The Same Familiarity: A world like Enchanted is all about knowing the characters to latch onto, something they did so well with in that first movie. Well, this movie does that decently well with most of the characters and brings that familiarity back. Giselle is the best example of this, still bubbly and enchanting, while also getting some expansion of charact that is a joy to tack onto her. Pip is hilarious and still the comic relief, with great attitude and writing to bring the charm back. Even the daughter Morgan, despite growing up, had elements from her past ringing through it that were welcoming. The point is that many characters have the familiar feel that brings the old back for the new to test and that was smart.
The Character Development To An Extent: Building from the last like, the development of the characters was much better than I anticipated with a straight to Disney+ mix. Giselle in particular works the best, the central character having a lot of great elements to work with and test the merit of the character. It may not be revolutionary, but... it really gets nods for what they did. Morgan's development was great too, but again a bit rushed, still it is touching and offers some great connections to help with the character development overall. Even Malvina the baddy has some decent work to extend her character past the typical antagonist, adding a little light and dark balance that coordinates so well with the theme of the movie. These touches were a smart extension to the movie and I was very happy with what they wanted to accomplish with this movie. If only it had been consistent.
The Cartoon Style Is Good: I'm a fan of the 2-d animation of the past Disney style. Enchanted started the movie with the style, while Disenchanted brings it in later on for the "meat" of the style. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed the trip down the memory lane and seeing just how good the 2-D can still be when animating a princess tale. It's a good comedy source at times, adds the heart that the live action still can't mirror, and offered a fun number or two for playing the heartstrings once more, if only we gotten more time with it.
The Acting Is Cute: This was the case for the first movie, but Enchanted's second movie took the performance a little more towards the cute level that felt like a DCOM. Disenchanted is the kind of acting you saw with sitcoms like Full House, though perhaps better quality most of the time, as they crafted the lessons at hand. Rudolph is tamed in this PG-film, but her attitude is there to help give the kid level sass that is entertaining. The look she sports is true antagonistic style, and the air about which she delivers her lines only further adds the magic to her role. Dempsey is fine, dropping much of the dramatic edge he wielded during his Grey's days and really becoming the Danny Tanner copycat that is noble, nice, and of course admirable as a father figure that Disney fans pine over. But it's Amy Adams who steals the show in what she brought for her own brand of acting to this part. Giselle is still happy and peppy, the annoyingly sweet and innocent role that charms to the point of making you laugh. That innocence is so good and such a strong platform to build on to which Adams executes nearly flawless. And then there is the twist they did with her addressing the dark nature of her character. She may not have killed it like Maya, but I loved the exchanges she does between dark and light that are certainly funny in the way they did it. Eventually the nature changes to give one of my favorite numbers character, and only wished there were more people to run this side with. The chemistry is there too, but the movie does lack a bit of the balance and sincerity of the first film.
The Setting/Costumes Work Well: Now we are getting into my favorites, the movie's look and feel. Disney knows how to make a setting and film location come to life, but also quite fun and immersive at the same time. Disenchanted is beautiful in these regards as the real world and fantasy life once more blend into a clever field to play in. Several things look like rustic fairy tale cottages and camps, with a castle motif that is stunning with the modern design inside. And if you pay attention, you'll see nods to various Disney movies to serve as a fan service to help liven up and maybe inspire you to rewatch other Disney movies in the process. Costumes are still those very visual designs, but able to be worked with during the dance numbers without losing the flow of the style. That was very fun to me and I absolutely loved seeing the costumes really used past just visual style, but actually telling a story beautifully in the changes done. A solid work making these world come together and inspiring future costumes for whatever party they could think up next.
DISLIKES:
Silly/Stupid/Preachy At Times: Like most things in the modern Disney era, the preachiness of the movie gets a bit out of hand with the writing in this movie. Disenchanted is a bit heavy on the qualities that make it kid friendly, and perhaps parent friendly as well. Gone are most of the adult jokes hidden in the kid presentation, instead replaced by very silly antics, over the top attempt to be funny, and a bit stupid at times. That level was fun for me when I was younger, and is perfect for the younger audience, but lost something for me in the transition that the first just did so much better. And as for the preachiness, either I've become too sensitive to it, or the writing has gotten that simplistic to rub it in your face. Certainly, it teaches things well, but, it just isn't that natural delivery hat yours truly likes to see in movies like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
Dempsey and Marsden Get Dipped in Quality: These characters were some of my faves in the first movie and now kind very much stinks in this film. Both male leads have been reduced to comical boobs, providing some small shreds of character nobility and love, but then swept under the rug for others to take center stage. I'm not saying anything political about this, but to lose such fun and good characters, and cheapen them to comedy props was not something I liked. Where were the quests of self-doubt and improvement/ Where were the interactions with the loved ones requiring reflection to get better? Where was just the characters we loved from the first one? Mostly gone was my answer and again a step down from the first.
The Villain Direction is Interesting, but Lame In Execution: The title should give you the idea of the direction they took with it, or the trailer if you watched it with anyone. And while this concept was realistic, motivational, and character depth heavy it just lacked the bite that our first villain of this series did so much better. Both villains have elements that work, with a song or two that hits hard, but they just don't have the menacing and manipulative nature that we saw other wield so well. Given all the stakes, the fates of characters tied in, and even the rivalry to make an interesting chess match, Disenchanted's bad guys really didn't feel the most threatening. I wanted the edge, I wanted the strategy, and I wanted the older audience theatrics to get a bit more time in, rather than the filtered mess we got.
The Music Was Too Much and Felt Cheap: Another heavy dislike, Disenchanted did the Frozen method and not to the same level of success. What do I mean? Simple, it feels like the movie was more a soundtrack with a story built around than the opposite case like other films. Disenchanted has some great songs, I mentioned that earlier that they still can craft great tunes and powerful songs for the new generation. However, they are haphazardly strewn about, becoming far too frequent and comedic with little meaning or timing for the perfect song to break out.
The VERDICT: Disenchanted is okay for me in the books, especially when it comes to a direct to streaming flick. It's got some of the charm of the first, building on a few characters to craft a semi touching story, with fun laughs for the family to enjoy. The acting helps brighten up the movie and really make this fairy tale feeling come to life, alongside songs that also do the job of giving the movie feeling. For me, it's the setting and visual effects, alongside the style of 2-d that is the best part, and a few quirky characters to mix things up in the process. However, I agree with other reviewers that the movie feels very kiddy compared to the first, lacking the finesse of Giselle's first adventure. The movie is a bit sillier, much more in your face, stupid at times and really struggles to bring that magnificence to the twist. It also does not help that the character balance is off and they focused more on the music that stepped on the story for more music to sell. As such, this sequel gives you a semi-entertaining story, but it's not my favorite thing to bust out of the Disney+ platform workshop. Certainly worth the family night in, but in terms of the movie score, my thoughts are:
Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.5.
Some musical Numbers Pack Emotion: It's Disney, so you know the music is going to pack a lot of emotion in the tracks. There are some of them that really do hit hard though, beautiful ballads capable of stirring goosebumps and tears, fun little numbers that you tap your toes, and cute numbers that will have kids singing for ages. Disenchanted has the emotion in the songs that is famous for the Walt Disney group and will certainly be for the Disney track lovers playing it on repeat in this age of music streaming. I give them props for several songs that have that wit, creativity, and stage command, and that's the positive factor I focus on.
The Characters Have The Same Familiarity: A world like Enchanted is all about knowing the characters to latch onto, something they did so well with in that first movie. Well, this movie does that decently well with most of the characters and brings that familiarity back. Giselle is the best example of this, still bubbly and enchanting, while also getting some expansion of charact that is a joy to tack onto her. Pip is hilarious and still the comic relief, with great attitude and writing to bring the charm back. Even the daughter Morgan, despite growing up, had elements from her past ringing through it that were welcoming. The point is that many characters have the familiar feel that brings the old back for the new to test and that was smart.
The Character Development To An Extent: Building from the last like, the development of the characters was much better than I anticipated with a straight to Disney+ mix. Giselle in particular works the best, the central character having a lot of great elements to work with and test the merit of the character. It may not be revolutionary, but... it really gets nods for what they did. Morgan's development was great too, but again a bit rushed, still it is touching and offers some great connections to help with the character development overall. Even Malvina the baddy has some decent work to extend her character past the typical antagonist, adding a little light and dark balance that coordinates so well with the theme of the movie. These touches were a smart extension to the movie and I was very happy with what they wanted to accomplish with this movie. If only it had been consistent.
The Cartoon Style Is Good: I'm a fan of the 2-d animation of the past Disney style. Enchanted started the movie with the style, while Disenchanted brings it in later on for the "meat" of the style. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed the trip down the memory lane and seeing just how good the 2-D can still be when animating a princess tale. It's a good comedy source at times, adds the heart that the live action still can't mirror, and offered a fun number or two for playing the heartstrings once more, if only we gotten more time with it.
The Acting Is Cute: This was the case for the first movie, but Enchanted's second movie took the performance a little more towards the cute level that felt like a DCOM. Disenchanted is the kind of acting you saw with sitcoms like Full House, though perhaps better quality most of the time, as they crafted the lessons at hand. Rudolph is tamed in this PG-film, but her attitude is there to help give the kid level sass that is entertaining. The look she sports is true antagonistic style, and the air about which she delivers her lines only further adds the magic to her role. Dempsey is fine, dropping much of the dramatic edge he wielded during his Grey's days and really becoming the Danny Tanner copycat that is noble, nice, and of course admirable as a father figure that Disney fans pine over. But it's Amy Adams who steals the show in what she brought for her own brand of acting to this part. Giselle is still happy and peppy, the annoyingly sweet and innocent role that charms to the point of making you laugh. That innocence is so good and such a strong platform to build on to which Adams executes nearly flawless. And then there is the twist they did with her addressing the dark nature of her character. She may not have killed it like Maya, but I loved the exchanges she does between dark and light that are certainly funny in the way they did it. Eventually the nature changes to give one of my favorite numbers character, and only wished there were more people to run this side with. The chemistry is there too, but the movie does lack a bit of the balance and sincerity of the first film.
The Setting/Costumes Work Well: Now we are getting into my favorites, the movie's look and feel. Disney knows how to make a setting and film location come to life, but also quite fun and immersive at the same time. Disenchanted is beautiful in these regards as the real world and fantasy life once more blend into a clever field to play in. Several things look like rustic fairy tale cottages and camps, with a castle motif that is stunning with the modern design inside. And if you pay attention, you'll see nods to various Disney movies to serve as a fan service to help liven up and maybe inspire you to rewatch other Disney movies in the process. Costumes are still those very visual designs, but able to be worked with during the dance numbers without losing the flow of the style. That was very fun to me and I absolutely loved seeing the costumes really used past just visual style, but actually telling a story beautifully in the changes done. A solid work making these world come together and inspiring future costumes for whatever party they could think up next.
DISLIKES:
Silly/Stupid/Preachy At Times: Like most things in the modern Disney era, the preachiness of the movie gets a bit out of hand with the writing in this movie. Disenchanted is a bit heavy on the qualities that make it kid friendly, and perhaps parent friendly as well. Gone are most of the adult jokes hidden in the kid presentation, instead replaced by very silly antics, over the top attempt to be funny, and a bit stupid at times. That level was fun for me when I was younger, and is perfect for the younger audience, but lost something for me in the transition that the first just did so much better. And as for the preachiness, either I've become too sensitive to it, or the writing has gotten that simplistic to rub it in your face. Certainly, it teaches things well, but, it just isn't that natural delivery hat yours truly likes to see in movies like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
Dempsey and Marsden Get Dipped in Quality: These characters were some of my faves in the first movie and now kind very much stinks in this film. Both male leads have been reduced to comical boobs, providing some small shreds of character nobility and love, but then swept under the rug for others to take center stage. I'm not saying anything political about this, but to lose such fun and good characters, and cheapen them to comedy props was not something I liked. Where were the quests of self-doubt and improvement/ Where were the interactions with the loved ones requiring reflection to get better? Where was just the characters we loved from the first one? Mostly gone was my answer and again a step down from the first.
The Villain Direction is Interesting, but Lame In Execution: The title should give you the idea of the direction they took with it, or the trailer if you watched it with anyone. And while this concept was realistic, motivational, and character depth heavy it just lacked the bite that our first villain of this series did so much better. Both villains have elements that work, with a song or two that hits hard, but they just don't have the menacing and manipulative nature that we saw other wield so well. Given all the stakes, the fates of characters tied in, and even the rivalry to make an interesting chess match, Disenchanted's bad guys really didn't feel the most threatening. I wanted the edge, I wanted the strategy, and I wanted the older audience theatrics to get a bit more time in, rather than the filtered mess we got.
The Music Was Too Much and Felt Cheap: Another heavy dislike, Disenchanted did the Frozen method and not to the same level of success. What do I mean? Simple, it feels like the movie was more a soundtrack with a story built around than the opposite case like other films. Disenchanted has some great songs, I mentioned that earlier that they still can craft great tunes and powerful songs for the new generation. However, they are haphazardly strewn about, becoming far too frequent and comedic with little meaning or timing for the perfect song to break out.
The VERDICT: Disenchanted is okay for me in the books, especially when it comes to a direct to streaming flick. It's got some of the charm of the first, building on a few characters to craft a semi touching story, with fun laughs for the family to enjoy. The acting helps brighten up the movie and really make this fairy tale feeling come to life, alongside songs that also do the job of giving the movie feeling. For me, it's the setting and visual effects, alongside the style of 2-d that is the best part, and a few quirky characters to mix things up in the process. However, I agree with other reviewers that the movie feels very kiddy compared to the first, lacking the finesse of Giselle's first adventure. The movie is a bit sillier, much more in your face, stupid at times and really struggles to bring that magnificence to the twist. It also does not help that the character balance is off and they focused more on the music that stepped on the story for more music to sell. As such, this sequel gives you a semi-entertaining story, but it's not my favorite thing to bust out of the Disney+ platform workshop. Certainly worth the family night in, but in terms of the movie score, my thoughts are:
Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.5.