Enchanted

My gut feel here is that poking fun or Disney should be left to non-Disney writers. Let the professionals do what they do best. Not that Bill Kelly isn't a pro, don't misunderstand me. I like his other work (see Blast From The Past).

This is a very form-fitting predictable Disney princess story. The twist is it starts out and finishes up animation. In the middle the characters are live. It's done is classic Disney fashion and flare, but that is not the problem. Actually there isn't so much a problem as there is an annoyance.

The good news is that the animated characters STAY in character through-out the movie. That is also the bad news however, in my opinion.

Patrick Dempsey is the only main character who is not animated. That too is a bit of a worry. His performance is pretty wooden, but perfect for his character. But, a little more emotion would have made the stark contrast between his characters and the others less annoying. Perhaps had I watched this with a child I would have appreciated it more.

Having said that, please let me also say that you SHOULD watch this with any princess in your life, regardless of her age. The little ones will most likely appreciate it most. But older ones may pick up a few new tricks too.

The quality of the animation and live action match was not quite as good as it was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but is was still pretty good.

Susan Sarandon showed how perfect she can be as a villain. Her work is perhaps the brightest light in this movie. I totally enjoyed all the fun she with this role.

Julie Andrews was a welcome voice for narrator, but sadly, there was not much to her part.

Timothy Spall (Wormtail for you Harry Potter fans) did a splendid job of playing both sides of the street in this story. The poor guy is type cast so often it fun to see him do something slightly different.

All in all, this is basically another in the long line of Disney princess machines. If that is your thing, then you'll like this. If it's not, you should most likely skip it.

But, if you can, watch this movie with a little princess and watch her imagination go into over-drive.