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'Enchanted' sounds fundamentally flawed as a Disney release

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:08 pm
by BWSmith
But what the above bare-bones outline really doesn't do is reveal how sweet & smart this Barry Sonnenfeld production is. How cleverly it takes those fairy tale conventions that we've seen in Disney's "Snow White," "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty" and then reuses them in new & clever ways.

Take -- for example -- what happens when Giselle decides to show her gratitude to Robert by cleaning up his filthy apartment. She starts out as every Disney princess does when she faces a situation like this. By bursting into song.

And -- of course -- Giselle's singing voice is so beautiful that it automatically lures all of these creatures out of the forest. And they immediately pitch in and start to help the princess clean up Robert's apartment.

But let's remember that this is New York, folks. And there are no forests nearby. Just a somewhat dingy inner city park. So who comes to Giselle's aid but rats, pigeons and roaches.

Still, this Disney Princess isn't bothered by the somewhat shabby assortment of creatures who come to help her. She's just grateful that they're there. So Giselle just keeps singing as this sea of roaches come swirling up out of the drain and then remove all of the soap scum from the tub. And as a dozen or more rats jump into the kitchen sink and begin scrubbing the dirty dishes.

And throughout this effects-laden sequence, Giselle dances around the apartment singing "The Happy Working Song." Which is one of the five new tunes that Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz have written for "Enchanted." Though "The Happy Working Song" may eventually receive special recognition from musical theater fans. Given that it's the very first uptempo number (To my knowledge, anyway) that rhymes "determine" with "vermin."

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/ ... esday.aspx
If the above accurately characterizes the thrust of 'Enchanted', rather than the thrust of one of its throwaway gags, then this movie is destined to bomb at the box office.

I predict this not because this concept isn't funny on paper (it is), but rather that this is not the kind of story that people will want to pay $8 a pop to see in a theater, and least of all one made by Disney.

Rather, people pay $8 a pop to immerse themselves in a story that affirms their own positive values.

Stated simply, every brick in the Magic Kingdom and every frame of every feature made during the Walt era was assembled with a strong understanding between Disney and its audience of the importance of story and the place that stories hold as the building blocks that give our lives meaning, identity, and purpose.

(The canon of Disney's films forms a coherent, consistent story-world through which certain larger themes emerge that reflect the values of the man (and the staff he assembled) as he understood them through the lens of a patriotic American and non-denominational Christian.)

That is the difference one feels when watching a Disney film vs. a Dreamworks film or when walking in the Magic Kingdom vs. Busch Gardens or one of the Paramount parks. Disney fills its audience with the sense that the whole picture has a larger meaning driving the show, and the audience is invited to experience it, make it a part of themselves, and allow that story-world to guide our lives in the "real world".

Hence, when one watches a Disney movie about a princess in rags who is oppressed by a murderous queen or her wicked stepmother but is vindicated through good divine and regal forces, the audience understands that this story is a projection of themselves in the present backward into the world of story as a message about the role of ourselves in the struggles between good and evil.

However, due to fears about the potential "political incorrectness" of the Disney story world, as well as a lack of conviction in the whole enterprise of telling any kind of story at all, the corporate executives at Disney are perpetually tempted to follow the safer route and reduce the Disney stories to a sequence of bare elements that can be marketed.

(Hence, in the context of the "Disney Princesses" line of products, Cinderella is no longer the timeless embodiment of oppressed good at the hands of powerful forces of evil, but she's nothing more than one pretty girl in a blue dress among a host of other pretty girls in pretty dresses, Disney or otherwise.)

It is in this context that we get the (apparent) basic message of 'Enchanted':

a) The Disney story world is not the world of timeless values in narrative form through which our lives are lived with meaning, but rather an actual, physical parallel universe that is separated from our rat-infested, gritty urban existence by a great divide.

b) If one could bring characters from the story world universe to our universe and put them in real situations, we would see what lovable but ridiculous buffoons the characters really are (and not particularly worthy of the attention of serious-minded people).

c) Hence, the only use that people living in "the real world" may have for princes and princesses is that, through their attractiveness, we might be able to "make the rats and roaches dance" every once and a while, but beyond that, we are better off accepting the primacy of our grimy, jaded "reality" and not imagine that it carries any sort of moral authority.

There is certainly nothing wrong with telling this kind of story about the silliness of storybook values and characters, (versus those geniusus who don't fool with cartoons), and I'm sure lots of people are jaded and grizzled enough to have that kind of attitude to where this movie will appeal to them.

However, those kinds of movies are not the ones that do well at the box office. If Disney wants to capitalize on its legacy, the path better taken is not cowardly self-parody (and the fast bucks that come with it), but having the vision and character to put together a solid story that touches the hearts of its audience and challenges them to believe that our world is guided by a higher ethic and higher meaning to it all.

Comments?

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:35 pm
by SpringHeelJack
I just find it curious that you are basing the income of the entire movie on one joke. I mean, you don't have anything else about the story, or what Giselle goes through as a character, how she is developed, and based on this, you automatically assume it will bomb. That seems like a fairly hasty conclusion.

Likewise, I don't think people go to see movies like "Billy Madison", "Twister", and "Austin Powers" for "a story that affirms their own positive values". It can be simple entertainment. Not that I'm saying "Enchanted" will go this route, mind you, I'm just saying that I don't think that's an accurate assumption.

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:10 pm
by Poody
Well, I completely disagree.... I thought the scene sounded really good. But hey, the movie isn't opening for what? Seven months! So how about we wait until the film is released.....

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:02 pm
by PatrickvD
I think you're missing the point of the movie entirely.

Also, you are seriously underestimating the appeal of the involved talent, Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, Idina Menzel, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

also, it's not just one "gag", it's an homage to classic Disney films. I think you'd be surprised by how many people are longing for classic Disney. Since Disney hasn't been Disney in a LONG time.

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:56 pm
by bradhig
Sounds like it might end similar to Anastasion with her not being a princess anymore :(

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:10 pm
by Disney's Divinity
To above posters: You must comprehend before you can understand.
If the above accurately characterizes the thrust of 'Enchanted', rather than the thrust of one of its throwaway gags, then this movie is destined to bomb at the box office.
I agree that if this turns out to be the theme of the movie, then'll it become what Rapunzel Unbraided was originally planned to be.

:roll:

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 5:04 pm
by Marce82
Oh, I completely agree. And the kind of prody that we are talking about can be expected from Dreamworks, but not from the studio that has been fostering timeless values of ethics and fantasy for the past 70+ years.
As for the entertainment issue...true..Billy Madison and Austin powers arent there to affirm anything. The difference is, nobody will be watching Billy Madison in 50 years. People WILL be watching Beauty and the Beast for sure.
That's were the line is drawn. And the parody may bring in a quick buck, but God knows they will not be making money off of it in 50 years. In 50 years, Shreck will be a piece of Nostalgia. Not a classic. That's for sure.

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 5:11 pm
by Jules
bradhig wrote:Sounds like it might end similar to Anastasion with her not being a princess anymore :(
Will you please stop moaning about Anastasia not ending the way you want it to? I think it ends fine, and I like it. I respect your opinion, but seriously, there's more stuff do discuss on UD than just Anastasia's ending ... and you've been doing only the latter since you joined the forum. I hope I don't sound too unpleasant ... I don't mean to be. It's just that now it's getting a little bit over the top. OK? :wink:

Now back to the topic...

I totally disagree with your philosophy BWSmith, especially as like PatrickvD said, the movie is still 7 months off. Please! Let's give it a chance!

Besides, don't you realize that that "joke" is a homage to the "Whistle While You Work", from Snow White? :|

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:27 pm
by UncleEd
I keep an open mind about this film but to me it sounds A LOT like the concept of Will Ferrel's ELF. You're going to have a naive adult from a fantasy world running around a cruel real world New York City. I hope it's more original than that but I'm not holding my breath. I do hope there isn't all that PC crap in it though. Some of the character names sound like they're trying to appeal to the PC crowd. For example, Gieselle is a Jewish name and there hasn't been a Jewish princess yet. She doesn't really look Hebrew though so that might get some bad PR. Anyway, given how Disney seems to be gearing characters for these franchises I hope that there will be more to this and Frog Princess other than "We need a character to appeal to this group of girls. Cha -Ching!"

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:41 pm
by bradhig
Just as long as she gets back to her world and away from New York. I don't wanna see Disney make a big mistake here.

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:45 pm
by myr_heille
UncleEd wrote:For example, Gieselle is a Jewish name and there hasn't been a Jewish princess yet. She doesn't really look Hebrew though so that might get some bad PR.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Giselle is a French name. (Not a very pretty one at that... at least without the English accent!) There's even a French ballet going by that name :)

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:00 pm
by bradhig
Anastasia's ending makes me burn with anger and the thought of Disney going that stupid route does the same. If Anastasia ended the way I would like there would be tons of peoople complaining. I can't help it the thing just won't go away it continues to haunt me.

Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:24 pm
by UncleEd
Okay, I stand corrected. But there are a lot of Jewish girls with that name, more so than any other group.


The problems I have with Anastasia is that Vladimir just vanishes from the story. He needed to be in that final scene with the Queen and Sophie and is written there in the script. Budget cuts I guess...


I also think they got Rasputin wrong. He needed to be dark and sinister and they made him so unfunnily silly with his rotting body parts "jokes" that he lost all the power he had. They just got that character so wrong.

Other than that I like the film.

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:02 am
by Harbinger
Dude, McDreamy's in it. It's going to be a hit. Patrick Dempsey could be the new Denzel (no matter what movie he's in, people come to see it).

I think the scene sounds amazing and if done right, could be a really funny gag.

Plus I'm a guy who rarely goes to see romance movies even if Disney makes it, and I am really psyched for this movie.