Calaidescope World

Amy Adams may not be the prettiest girl around, but seems to have been cast perfectly as Giselle. She did a great job! James Marsden as Prince Edward was absolutely hilarious! He was a lot like Beauty and the Beast's Gaston and was over the top. I just can't remember if he was wearing Prince Philip's costume from Sleeping Beauty or Prince Eric's from The Little Mermaid. Susan Sarandon as the Evil Stepmother/Queen Nerissa was simply amazing! Oh, and Patrick Dempsey has definitely improved with age ;) I wonder, though, why Idina Menzel (Rent, Wicked) wasn't given a song to sing.

Enchanted is a must-see for Disney fanatics. I was able to catch references to Snow White, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. I know I'm missing something that my sisters are sure to catch. The opening sequence was so Sleeping Beauty (I was half expecting someone to sing "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream..."). I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of Bambi, and I think Todd from The Fox and the Hound was there. Ratatouille prepared me for the clean-up scene. I really liked that shot of the dragon over the city. It wasn't Malefacent (my all-time favorite Disney villain), but it was beautiful. From afar. I mean, up close, Queen Nerissa as a dragon was too Dragonheart for me (not a very well rendered dragon face, in my opinion. The best dragons were in Reign of Fire - bad movie, great dragons).

I want to see Enchanted again just to look for the Hidden Mickey and all the other Disney movie references. A lot of the nods are subtle like the clothes that the characters wear, and the names of places that they pass by. The kids won't get all of it, but they're likely to enjoy. Us big kids really had a blast! And that number in Central Park is a Disney parade in the making! I can't wait to see the real thing.

If you're off to the movies this weekend, check out Enchanted. It's not everyday that we're treated to well-produced mindless entertainment.