Enchanted is Certified Fresh and It Should Be

Taken from my Rotten Tomatoes blog: A 20-Something Guy with the Entertainment Taste of a 14 Year Old Girl

Twelve days and $70 million later, it looks like much of the world agrees with the 93% and RT Certified Fresh stamp given to the latest effort from The Mouse factory.

Baaaallinnnnn'

I was in line buying tickets to Enchanted on its November 21, 2007 release date at 10:45AM (who knew theaters opened that early?) in a theater filled with parents and excited pre-teen girls who already knew the whole plot of the movie from Intarweb spoilers before they even stepped foot in the theater.

Cha-ching!

In comparison, I knew that the movie mixed live action and animation, looked funny, starred a hot Amy Adams, was Disney's next great hope for a franchise (that Zac Efron can't stay in High School forever... I won't get started on Vanessa Anne Hudgens), and featured my favorite celebrity hottie Carrie Underwood ("Ever Ever After") on the soundtrack.

Animated Carrie...

Meet tanned and underexposed real-life Carrie...

Sorry, just one more.

Let me just say that it's been years since I've loved an animated movie that came out of the Disney studios. I didn't like fellow Certified Fresh fraternity member Ratatouille (97%)because I didn't feel like anything happened (and I thought the rats should sing a number or two, to which everyone says "THERE'S NO SINGING IN PIXAR MOVIES, STUPID!!!" It makes me sad when they say that). And while it was good, I really wasn't crazy about another Certified Fresh ballerific film The Incredibles (97%), though I attribute this to the fact that I saw it on an airplane and wasn't able to give it my full attention due to the narcolepsy I experience the second I snap on my awkward airplane seatbelt. The last Disney movie that I can remember really liking was Finding Nemo (98%), even though it had no singing fish.

Why the long intro? Because I think many dismiss people who enjoy Disney movies as being Disney fanboys who cannot live without sleeping with cuddled up next to our Pumbaa doll, listening to "Be Our Guest" a couple times a week, while wearing our Ariel-replica shell bikini top made out of two pieces of purple construction paper that resembles an elementary school Thanksgiving hand-turkey. I am not one of these fanboys.

Watch me be awkward and watch you love it.

However, after seeing Enchanted, I will admit that I have turned into an Enchanted fanboy. While any Disney fanboy could rattle off reason after reason why they thought the movie was "fab," I present reasons why the common man might find The Mouse's latest franchise worthwhile.

1) Amy Adams - At this point, this is a no brainer. Critics and movie watchers alike have been raving about Amy Adams' performance as Giselle, the new hottest Disney princess (dethroning Beauty and the Beast's Belle). At a time when the word "awkward..." is a favorite amongst college girls and awkward humor, situations, and silences are some of the most popular and well-received gags in television and movies today, Amy Adams personifies the idea of being lovingly awkward as Princess-to-be Giselle.

You got nothing, Belle. Get back to your books. There's a new hottie in town.

From her hilarious interactions with real life animals to her disgustingly sweet nature taking on the streets of Manhattan in a flowing princess dress, everything about Giselle is awkward and for that reason, everything about her is great. She is exactly what you would envision when you wondered, "What would happen if Cinderella/Belle/Ariel/Nala/Jasmine/Snow White ever really existed in real life?" on many a sleepless night while lying in your bed trying to figure out this mystery. Her acting is spot-on and they play with the gag just enough that it doesn't get old.

2) Eye Candy - We're done talking about Amy Adams and how I think she is hot along the same lines as Jenna Fischer from The Office (ok, tough to promise).The kind of eye candy that I'm talking about is how the musical portions of Enchanted come to life and bring all the choreographed and synchronized dancing magic of a Disney movie together in a way that is as irresistible as it is a visual feast.

Much less cheesy than this picture would indicate.

Picture all the magic of a "Be Our Guest" or a "Just Can't Wait to be King" (minus the large animals) brought to life and that is many of the scenes of Enchanted. Pair the dancing and choreography with some catchy songs and the confused expressions of those humans not participating in the Giselle-led dancing fun and you get a fantastic display of Disney showing that it really is possible to bring animation to life, instead of pseudo-life through its Pixar tag-teamed animated films. If you've ever seen Wicked, or any other musical that has some pretty big dance numbers and props, and couldn't help but smile at the spectacle of it, that's what I would compare my feelings toward many of the numbers in Enchanted.

3) Disney Poking Fun at Itself - In a way, Enchanted does its own version of B. Rabbit's final freestyle in 8 Mile by taking all the jokes and ribbing that people throw at its films and using them before anyone else can use them toward its latest effort. From the disgustingly sweet princesses to the lavish wardrobes and talking animals, Disney weaves them all into the story in a way that doesn't feel forced, nor obnoxious at any time. While you know that Disney values its franchises and wants them to remain pure (Little Mermaid boners and "SEX GRASS" from The Lion King aside), it's a lot of fun to see The Mouse making fun of itself in an upbeat way that didn't have any attitude behind it. Even if you hate Disney movies, you'll like the way that Disney addresses the idea that its movies aren't really for everyone.

4) Susan Sarandon's Refusal to Age - While this list can go on and on, this last one couldn't go without mention. The well-decorated actress plays the role of the "The Evil Stepmother" in this one and seems to have somehow gotten younger. It's weird to say it, but not only did her face look great, but her boobs looked great.

On that note, I'm out. Go see Enchanted. It's Certified Fresh and it should be.