Disenchanted Unfortunately Lives Up To Its Name (Disenchanted review)

Giselle and company return for the long-awaited sequel of the cult classic, Enchanted where we finally see what happens after Happily Ever After. 15 years since the original, Disenchanted brings back its original cast (except Rachel Covey who was recast) for an all-new magic-filled adventure with new original songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schaefer. As a fan of Enchanted, hearing news of this sequel being developed was one I didn't think possible. Yet here we are and this sequel was not worth the wait. 

The premise revolves around Giselle now, married to Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and stepmother to Morgan (Gabriella Baldachinno), feeling like her Happily Ever After was not what she expected. So, she decides to uproot the family to the suburbs, a town called Monroeville, owned by Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph). Once again, moving there isn't the fairy tale it claims to be with Robert struggling to commute to his firm via train back and forth while Morgan has to settle in a new school with no friends. 

As a gift given by Edward (James Marsden) and Nancy (Idina Menzel) -- now King and Queen of Andalasia -- to Giselle's new daughter, Sofia, Giselle possesses a wand that can grant any wish. Of course, she uses it to transform her life to one that resembles the one she had in Andalasia, where magic was everywhere, dragons and trolls were the only threats, and Happily Ever After was an actual thing and not a naive concept. However, the reality of fairy tales starts to take root as Giselle is forced to play the role of the wicked stepmother as her wish grows more permanent and it's up to the rest of the gang to stop Giselle's wish-turned-curse. 

You'd think with a premise as compelling as that would interest fans of the predecessor. That is true but Disenchanted sadly lives up to its name. Disenchanted peaks interest minimally as it is drowned by a weak script and cheap-looking VFX. With films like Hocus Pocus and Netflix's School for Good and Evil fresh in mind, Disenchanted is exponentially inferior when it comes to nostalgia as well as being yet another attempt at twisting the fairy tale genre in realistic ways. 

Despite the lackluster choices made for this film,  the only entertaining parts are when Giselle's indistinguishable optimism is challenged as she slowly turns into the villain she strives not be. Keep in mind that Giselle's only knowledge of a stepmother is Queen Narissa who tried to kill her in Enchanted so, you would understand her reluctance in ever being known as one. With that, Adams brings a hint of Andy Serkis' performance as Smeagol when switching between Good Giselle and Darth Giselle that should remind you that Adams has become quite the actress and household name since her breakout role in Enchanted. 

Everyone else is not given a chance to shine this time around. Unlike most sequels recently that provide bigger arcs for their supporting characters, Disenchanted does the opposite. With everyone having so little to do, you question their relevance to the plot. This can be easily seen with Marsden, Menzel and surprisingly, Dempsey which is achilingly disappointing. Baldachinno is a talent in her own right but even her fresh-face ingenuity couldn't save this anticipated sequel. 

Unlike the predecessor, Disenchanted's songs are downright unmemorable. Despite its kooky lyric choices and strong vocals provided by Adams, Menzel, and Baldachinno respectively, this might be Alan Menken's worst contribution to a Disney movie in his career which is surprising considering since he is the House of Mouse's secret weapon when it comes to their fairy tale musicals which include Enchanted where three of the songs were Oscar-nominated. 

It would have been better if Disney hadn't made this sequel but it is our (the fans) fault for asking for it in the first place because we never thought it would be handled this carelessly.  There's nothing to salvage here and Disechanted, like most Disney sequels that didn't have a major theatrical release, will be forgotten.