Disenchanted ★★★

Adam Shankman

Starring Amy Adams, Maya Rudolph, Patrick Dempsey, Gabriella Baldacchino, Idina Menzel

A glimmer of old-school Disney can be found in the far reaches of Disney+, as Adam Shankman blows the dust off of the long awaited sequel to 2007's Enchanted with Disenchanted - everything you'd expect the sequel to be.

Giselle (Amy Adams) leaves New York behind in search of the perfect fairytale life she always envisioned; travelling to the village of Monroeville with her family. When things don't quite go to plan, she uses magic to Disney-fy the real world with deadly consequences that must be rectified before the clock strikes twelve (of course).

It's worth noting that Enchanted was always a parody of itself when it first came out. The very essence of bringing the overly sweet cringe of Disney's animated classics into the real world meant the original plot had a safe netting which meant no one could take it too seriously. The same can be said for Disenchanted which works just as well in both, adapting and poking fun at various fairytale tropes across an extensive runtime.

Adams continues her playful portrayal of Giselle with the same charisma and charm as she did 15 years ago, whilst Patrick Dempsey takes a backseat as Robert to allow room for a smattering of newcomers hamming it up as much as possible. James Marsden receives special praise as Prince Edward for being as over-the-top as humanly possible and embracing everything that makes Disenchanted what it should be.

Personally, I thought the plot was exactly where a sequel of Enchanted was always destined to go. Whereas Giselle was a fairytale character in the real world, bringing the fairytale world with her seemed like a logical evolution and offers an insight into what life might be like when Disney finally conquers the Earth.

Fans of the original will praise Disenchanted as another trip to and from Andalasia, but if you didn't enjoy it the first time round, you certainly won't again. By the end of the third song you can almost hear previous fairytale parody icon Shrek scream "STOP SINGING" in your head...but that's also the point.

Disenchanted available now on Disney+