Disenchanted

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Toky
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Re: Disenchanted

Post by Toky »

Ugh I thought it was really bad….I’m so so confused and sad how Disney can just trash their own property like this…

I really had high hopes since the trailer looked good….

It just looked cheap…Hallmark cheap… the camerawork, the set designs(i mean did they really re-used the BATB ballroom floor?), the effects, the script(what had Giselle been doing al these years?? Why is she still like that?), the animation...the costumes…. It just looked like a dress up party for the actors…

I re-watched the original yesterday…my BF who never saw it, thought it was really well made….but he also was shocked by this one…
And honestly, after HP2, Pinocchio, and this, I’m a bit done with the Disney of these days..there’s no love anymore in their recent projects….
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Re: Disenchanted

Post by PatrickvD »

I rewatched Enchanted as well and was struck by how well done the animation was.

The animation in the sequel is just atrocious. I agree it feels like the love that went into those movies feels missing.

Maybe direct to streaming really is the new DTV.
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Re: Disenchanted

Post by D82 »

The Rotten Tomatoes score did indeed end up being rotten, but it seems audiences are at least enjoying it a bit more than critics, which is the opposite that happened with Hocus Pocus 2.

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Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/disenchanted_2022

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Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hocus_pocus_2

Toky wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:49 pm (i mean did they really re-used the BATB ballroom floor?)
Now that you mention it, the dragons on the sides of the stairs look a lot like the ones in Beauty and the Beast. However, I found this post that proves they were built specifically for the movie. I suspect they reused the same designs, though. The ballroom in Cinderella also looks similar. And even Aladdin's throne room. Not the details, but the size and basic layout of the room. I wouldn't be surprised if they always use the same set for these scenes.

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Toky wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:49 pm (what had Giselle been doing al these years?? Why is she still like that?)
I had a bit of an issue with that too. I mean, I was glad she still retained some of the traits she had in the first film, like her positivity, sweetness or her singing, but after ten years living in our world I think she should be more familiar with things like sarcasm, for example. Although, I know people in my country that came from another, who even after many years here still struggle with our customs, language, etc., so maybe it's not that strange after all.

I also think the problems Giselle had didn't seem enough to make her make that wish. I liked some of the things they did, like Giselle trying to improve things with Morgan at the school and only making them worse, but I think they could've done a better job with that in general. However, Amy Adams' performance made all these scenes more believable, in my opinion, even though they weren't that well written.
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Re: Disenchanted

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I re-watched this movie, and still liked it. I will revisit it from time to time, but only because I like magic and fairy tales and good Menken songs, plus Amy Adams' good acting. I don't even watch the original that much. In fact, I kinda just watch a lot of Cinderella movies mostly lol. Blackcauldron85, I think it's possible the Cinderella transformation was rotoscoped for Morgan, like you said! But blackcauldron85 and D82, Giselle was not too weak to wish Malvina to lose all her powers in that moment she is threatened. It really seems that what happens is she is too shocked and, well, not thinking. Because a wish would have worked there, she was not too weak yet..

Also, Toky and D82, even though I was at first taken aback by Giselle not changing into more of a realistic woman, which was part of the point of the original film, I loved their decision. I prefer Giselle the way she stayed completely true to herself in this film. However, yes, couldn't they have written a better reason for her to make her wish? It came of a bit unrealistic Morgan would break her heart by calling her her "stepmother" for trying to get people to like her daughter! That was a bit ridiculous! And this is random, but I'm so glad you have a boyfriend Toky. Nice to hear a guy Cinderella fan like you has true love. Gives me hope.
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Toky
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Re: Disenchanted

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PatrickvD wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 4:12 pm Maybe direct to streaming really is the new DTV.
Yeah…sadly it feels that way.. o btw cool designs on your website..
D82 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 7:47 pm
Now that you mention it, the dragons on the sides of the stairs look a lot like the ones in Beauty and the Beast. However, I found this post that proves they were built specifically for the movie. I suspect they reused the same designs, though. The ballroom in Cinderella also looks similar.
They look a bit smaller…strange that they would make something so similar…

Also I was wondering…there were loads of pictures of a transformed Eniskerry, which looked amazing…however we hardly saw much of the transformed stores etc…did they just cut everything?
Disney Duster wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:57 am Nice to hear a guy Cinderella fan like you has true love. Gives me hope.
Thanks, thats so sweet :)
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Re: Disenchanted

Post by PatrickvD »

Toky wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 1:02 pm
PatrickvD wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 4:12 pm Maybe direct to streaming really is the new DTV.
Yeah…sadly it feels that way.. o btw cool designs on your website..
Thanks! :)
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Re: Disenchanted

Post by D82 »

John Pomeroy says he was responsible for animating Edward and that he worked on the film for almost a year in this video. He also shared a clip of one of his scenes of Morgan. According to IMDb, Tony Bancroft was also an animator on the film, so though the animation was outsourced once again, at least some Disney veterans were involved in it this time as well.

Disney Duster wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:57 am But blackcauldron85 and D82, Giselle was not too weak to wish Malvina to lose all her powers in that moment she is threatened. It really seems that what happens is she is too shocked and, well, not thinking. Because a wish would have worked there, she was not too weak yet..
Yes, I agree about that.
Toky wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 1:02 pm They look a bit smaller…strange that they would make something so similar…
I think you're right. The stairs also look smaller, actually.
Toky wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 1:02 pm Also I was wondering…there were loads of pictures of a transformed Eniskerry, which looked amazing…however we hardly saw much of the transformed stores etc…did they just cut everything?
Yeah, I was also expecting to see a bit more of that. Only a few stores can be properly seen in the background, and I remember they transformed many more. It's a bit strange they didn't use them more. Maybe some of the footage in which they appeared was indeed cut.

Speaking of that, one sequence that was cut was the musical number "Hard Times for Heroes", as this Instagram post by one of the dancers reveals. It seems it was going to take place in a tavern similar to the one in Beauty and the Beast.

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Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJJfNvMxc4/

And if you notice, the song "Even More Enchanted" is longer in the soundtrack. A full verse and the first bridge were cut. I guess that's why Morgan is with Giselle in the garden at one point and suddenly is inside the house, which I found odd when I saw the film.
Sotiris wrote: ↑Tue Nov 15, 2022 2:47 pm I really do hope there's a love song in the film. A duet between Morgan and her love interest would be great and it would make perfect sense given the curse has turned her into a Disney princess.
It sounds like "Something Different This Year" was going to be that song, but it didn't make the cut.
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Re: Disenchanted

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Re: Disenchanted

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Farerb wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 1:10 am Kevin Lima throws some shade:
https://twitter.com/GoofyMovieDir/statu ... Prlnw&s=19
Haha, damn. There’s no going back after that tweet. We all know what he thinks now.
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Re: Disenchanted

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So... I have taken my sweet time to post my comments. I see a wide range of opinions on this thread: some I agree, some I don't... and surprised some things haven't been brought up.

First thought: I really liked it. I almost loved it... almost. It is not without it's flaws; a lot of them. The original isn't flawless either, but I think we all agree it is a superior film, by several notches. But watching the sequel... there was a moment I perplexedly asked myself "am I loving this?" That feeling ended around the 90 minute mark. But I would say this is a pretty good sequel, and (sadly) the best live action movie I have seen from Disney in a long time, which isn't saying much. And I do think this film is one I might revisit on occasion.

My comments will have spoilers, so stop here if you don't want to be spoiled.

One big disappointment: at the end of the first film, Giselle takes over Nancy's studio and turns it into a children's boutique. That was great, and completely dropped in the sequel. Like others here have said: what has Giselle been doing the past 10 years, other than getting pregnant a year or so ago?? Moving on...

The great:
- Amy-Freakin-Adams. What an incredible performance! Her body language, her vocal tones, her expressions... it's like she took the notions of the classic villains and built on that.
- Grabriella B. as Morgan... perfectly cast. I buy that she is a grown up version of the girl in the original and her eroding relationship with Giselle, now that she is becoming a cynical teen.
- The basic concept: turning Giselle into an evil stepmother felt like an organic direction to take the story, and bringing fairytale stuff into the real world through the wand from Andalasia I thought was brilliant (they didn't try to shoehorn that there is magic in our world). SADLY, like Fareb said, Giselle grew in the first film, and stopped singing as a consequence. Here she still sings, making it seem like something she has been doing for 10 years, and makes her seem a little deranged to me. Imagine how much more powerful it would have been if there had been zero singing until that first morning after she makes the wish!

The just-ok:
- The pacing. Some here have said they liked the beginning and the ending, but not the middle. I felt the opposite. To me, the sweet spot was between her wish coming true until the animated segment. Watching her dynamic with the town and with Morgan was really great to me. The beginning was too long... the wish doesn't come true until 35 minutes into the film. And the very beginning is pretty clunky: that super fast shot through Andalasia, the crazy expository narration from Pip and even more exposition in that awkward scene in New York. I will talk about the final 30 mins further down.

- The songs: they were ok, if not kind of unmemorable. But to me, what made the songs work so well in the original was that each song was a parody/reference to a very specific type of song in Disney movies (the wishing for a prince song, the cleaning song, the show stopper song)... the songs here had the occasional lyric reference, but the overall song itself was not a reference to specific KIND of Disney song. Unless I'm missing something... do tell!
Why didn't they give Morgan a proper "I want" ballad?? Really would have fit, since she is the "disney princess" in this movie.

- Robert's Storyline: I get what they were trying to do, and it felt organic to the character. But it ended up keeping him isolated from the main plotlines of the film. And it didn't seem to have much impact on him as a character.

- Maya Rudolph: I know many of you liked her, but I don't think she was right for the part. She kept breaking character, and that made her far less threatening (can anyone here picture Lady Tremaine, or the Evil Queen saying "hilarious"? Or whining to the mirror when it won't answer right away?). Compare her to S.Sarandon in the original: she remained regal, dignified and threatening. Maybe they should have gone with an Ursula/Cruella inspired villain... since she is a realtor/salesperson.

- The animation: So... mediocre. Not quite as bad as a cheapquel, but definitely not worthy of Disney Animation (I know it was outsouced). It was mainly the humans that were poorly animated, the animals were pretty ok. And as for John Pommeroy... I always thought he was an overrated animator, and that link to him drawing Edward... um... that was a pretty bad drawing. WHERE WAS JAMES BAXTER?!?!?!

- Idina Menzel and James Marden. They were there. They didn't have much to do.

- Costumes were hit and miss. Sometimes they were ok, sometimes they looked like rejects from a Descendants movie.

The bad:
- The resolution to the story: that climax was way too long. And can someone explain to me why the torn memory tree sheet suddenly turned magic and started swirling around? Cause neither Giselle nor Malvina made it do that. All those thorned brambles covering the building seemed to be no impediment at all (why have them??) and the storypoint of Morgan being choked by the branches gets dropped almost immediately. I also found Morgan making a wish being the resolution to the whole film very underwhelming.
And... did any character have an arc? Did anyone change after this whole adventure?

- Malvina's minions: those two women were superfluous, irritating and unfunny. And barely added anything to the story. Couldn't they have been replaced with a raven that could have been sent to retrieve the wand (both an Aladdin and SB reference).?? Jayma Mays or whatever her name is, with her squeaky voice and airhead attitude... good lord.

- The baby: an element that seemed to be dropped half way through the movie. Maybe Malvina could have cursed her in an attempt to escalate things?

So the film was pretty good, not great. In the realm of sequels, it's actually pretty decent (and vastly superior to HP2).It's worth rewatching just to enjoy Amy Adams... but it's a shame. I think working on the story/script a little more could have made this a much better film.

Anyone catch the obscure (audio) Aladdin reference in the marketplace?? hahaha.
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Re: Disenchanted

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Marce82 wrote:Anyone catch the obscure (audio) Aladdin reference in the marketplace?? hahaha.
Yes, the "get your sugar dates, figs, pistachios!"
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Re: Disenchanted

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Watched this last night. Amy Adams was really selling what was there, and Maya Rudolph was enjoyable to watch. Their song together was, I suppose, the highlight of the movie. Liked the costumes as well. But otherwise, I was underwhelmed by most of this. I thought the songs were all pretty bland or forgettable. A lot of people on this board worship Menken (and I understand why, due to his output in the 90s, 2000s) to the point of being pissed when others are brought in to work on his projects, but this movie didn't make a good case that he still has the magic touch. The melodies are forgettable, I can't hum any of them less than 24 hours later. And the lyrics?? Jeesh! It's like they went with the first draft of everything. Idina's song felt extremely shoe-horned in, you can tell it was "we have Idina" not "what would Nancy from the original sing". The 2D animation was distractingly bad. And how obvious was it that (spoilers) James Marsden wasn't available for the filming of the climax? "No, I'm going to stay here" is the best they could come up with? I was also genuinely confused at what was going on during most of the final battle. The lack of budget was evident everywhere, the dragon hiding in the cave being a particular example.

I don't mind this being a simpler movie than the first given the budget, but they didn't work around the limitations very well. I thought Hocus Pocus 2 didn't feel nearly as limited by the smaller budget. Despite all of my gripes, I didn't hate it or anything, just a lot of missed potential given what they were working with.
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Re: Disenchanted

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I always thought Susan Sarandon was awful in the first film. But even if she hadn't been a clunker in the role, I wasn't crazy about the design of the character either. The weird gloves that make her look like a mad scientist always irked me (maybe it was a reference to Yzma though?), and overall she looked like something out of Star Wars than Disney. I greatly prefer Rudolph to her, although I wasn't crazy about her costume.

I agree about the songs not really "referencing" anything the way the original's did. They should've made Malvina's song like PUS considering that's the most famous villainess song Disney has.
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Re: Disenchanted

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lord-of-sith wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:31 am It's like they went with the first draft of everything.
Which is why I think they didn't have much time to work on them properly.
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Re: Disenchanted

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Disney's Divinity wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:34 am I always thought Susan Sarandon was awful in the first film. But even if she hadn't been a clunker in the role, I wasn't crazy about the design of the character either. The weird gloves that make her look like a mad scientist always irked me (maybe it was a reference to Yzma though?), and overall she looked like something out of Star Wars than Disney. I greatly prefer Rudolph to her, although I wasn't crazy about her costume.
I actually agree with this. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say Sarandon was "awful" but the character/performance was very under-baked compared to what the role could have been. Considering classic Disney Villains are usually more compelling screen presences than the heroes, I thought Sarandon was blown off the screen by Adams/Marsden/Spall/etc. Rudolph had a different vibe in the sequel, and I think it worked better even if she had worse material.
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Re: Disenchanted

Post by singerguy04 »

I watched this a few days ago and have been sitting in my thoughts on it since. I agree with almost every point Marce82 made, and I found myself really enjoying the film overall.

The first film came before the live-action remake madness we're suffering now, but I found it interesting how the remakes influenced this film. There seemed to be more reference to the newer films than to classic animation... which I guess make's sense, but seems to miss the mark.

While watching it, it was also obvious that this film was always going to be a Disney+ exclusive. I'm not sure the budget, but I'm certain there would've been more money thrown into some of the aesthetic if it were ever in the running for a theatrical release. As some have remarked, it looks like a Hallmark movie. Can you imagine how awful some of this would look on a big screen?

I like the songs overall, but I can't hum a single tune for you now. So they served their purpose well, but nothing is stuck in my head.

The animation didn't bother me. Full knowing that it wasn't a WDAS project, I had low expectations and it met them just fine.
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Re: Disenchanted

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Farerb wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 1:10 am Kevin Lima throws some shade:
https://twitter.com/GoofyMovieDir/statu ... Prlnw&s=19
Wow, that wasn't subtle at all. I'm not surprised he's upset, though. He was very responsible for the success of the first movie and I think Disney should've asked him to direct the sequel. However, the other day I remembered he did the same Adam Shankman has done now when he directed 102 Dalmatians, so he should understand that's how Hollywood works. Though, maybe the situation was different in that case. Perhaps, the director of 101 Dalmatians was for example busy or didn't want to come back to direct the sequel.

In a new article by The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Lima has also opened up about how he felt about not being asked to work on Disenchanted:
A decade and a half later, the film has spawned the sequel Disenchanted, premiering this month on Disney+ with all the leads reprising their roles — but Shankman replacing Lima in the director’s chair. Lima tells THR that he was “shocked” to not get asked to be involved in the new film, which currently holds a 39 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as opposed to Enchanted’s 93 percent rating.

“A perfect storm of a change of executives and Hollywood politics made it so that I was uninvited to the party, unfortunately,” he says of Disenchanted. “It was a very, very sad turn. I haven’t seen the movie; I haven’t read the script. So I’m going to experience the characters that I helped create, grow and live on as the audience does.”

Regardless, Lima remains proud that Enchanted has joined the list of fan-favorite Disney-princess films: “Because we paid homage to those movies in a loving way, Enchanted has become timeless.”
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235265430/
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Re: Disenchanted

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Blackcauldron85.... YES! That reference! Hahaha.... I guess whoever wrote this script knows their Disney. Doesn't mean they put together a good story.

Not sure why people didn't like S.Sarandon in the first movie. Are you guys taking into consideration the animated segments of the character as well? (you should... it's all the same character)

Still hoping someone here will explain the memory tree thing: " And can someone explain to me why the torn memory tree sheet suddenly turned magic and started swirling around? Cause neither Giselle nor Malvina made it do that"
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Re: Disenchanted

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Marce82 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 3:33 pm Not sure why people didn't like S.Sarandon in the first movie. Are you guys taking into consideration the animated segments of the character as well? (you should... it's all the same character)
I just don't like Susan Sarandon, not as a person and not as an actress. I didn't have major issues with Narissa until she became a dragon and started spewing one liners like:

- Come along, Giselle. I don't want you to miss this ending.

- Keep up with me, dear. It's time to take our tale to new heights!

- We're coming to the end of our story now. Are you at the edge of your seat, Giselle, just dying to know how it ends?

I mean, save something for the video game, will you?
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Re: Disenchanted

Post by Marce82 »

Oh Fareb, I 100% agree with your opinion of her as a dragon. It should have never spoken.

But that is a writing issue, not an acting issue...

I could still take her more seriously as Narissa than Maya s Malvina...
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