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Enchanted is an extremely popular fantasy rom-com musical from 2007 from the house of Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Kevin Lima, the director of 102 Dalmatians, and the screenplay was written by Bill Kelly.
With stars like Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon, the film was an instant hit at the box-office. It went on to earn $340 million worldwide, along with multiple awards and accolades.
Enchanted managed to become a landmark movie among Walt Disney's database. With the use of multiple techniques of storytelling such as live-action, 2D animation and computer-generated graphics all together, the film got quite a lot of attention.
The film received critical acclaim as well as popular praise and collected multiple Saturn Awards and nominations at the Golden Globe and Academy Awards.
The film follows Giselle, a princess-to-be from the fantastical animated reality of Andalasia. She ends up lost and alone in New York City after passing through a well that connects both realities.
That's when Robert and his daughter take her in and they try to help her navigate her way through the city. Prince Edward, who is also on his way to look for Giselle, ends up in New York.
The rest is an exciting adventure that has all the essentials of a Disney feature - love, dance, songs, an evil witch and a happy ending. Enchanted also recently released its sequel, Disenchanted, on November 18, 2022 and is available for streaming on the Disney+ platform.
Cast, cameos and more - 5 fun little facts about the 2007 Disney feature Enchanted
1) Amy Adams almost missed the role of Giselle
Enchanted became a true hit at the box office, and part of the reason was Amy Adams' undeniable charm as Giselle. Her role as a conventional Disney princess in the real world has been an iconic performance in her career and marked her breakthrough as a lead actor in the film.
However, the role was very close to being assigned to some other A-listers in the industry.
Disney initially considered either Kate Hudson or Reese Witherspoon to play the character of Giselle, both accomplished actors in the genre. The casting call auditioned more than 200 actresses for the role, before finally fixing Amy Adams.
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, director Kevin Lima talked about how Adams made him forget about his fever with an amazing audition. We are all thankful that Adams did make the final cut, as she delivered an impeccable performance.
2) Disney did not do the animation
Enchanted is also famous for the use of multiple storytelling techniques to deliver the story. With the consolidated use of 2D animation, computer generated graphics and live-action filming, it was one of a kind during its release.
However, the Disney production did not actually do the 2D animation that we are all so familiar with.
Disney had, by that time, dissolved the team that would have been responsible for the animation. So the production relied on James Baxter and his company, who had previously worked on The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast, and was familiar with the Disney style of animation.
3) Multiple Disney princesses had their cameos
Anybody familiar with Disney films will instantly notice the relationship between Enchanted and everything Disney. While it is not the run-of-the-mill Disney story, it still does have many classic tropes and references to famous fairytales.
The film can almost be seen as making fun of classic fairytale tropes. In an interview with Crosswalk, Patrick Dempsey talked about it.:
"It’s a love letter to all things Disney, and I think that the fact that Disney makes fun of itself is great to see. I think it also changes the myth of the princess story."
The film also had multiple cameos from other Disney princesses hidden among the many characters in the film. Paige O'Hara, the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, played a soap opera actress on TV. Judy Kuhn, the singing voice of Pocahontas, played the character of Robert's pregnant neighbor. Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in The Little Mermaid, played the character of Robert's assistant, Sam.
4) That's How You Know was a logistical nightmare
Enchanted is an extravagant piece of production, but the most difficult sequence in the whole film has been hailed as the musical number That's How You Know. The piece took place in Central Park and posed a logistical challenge because of the huge number of participants needed in it.
The sequence needed 300 extras along with 150 dancers who needed to move perfectly to reproduce the director's vision. Lima described it as a whole ordeal which felt more like military training instead of a film production. The sequence also took 17 days to shoot, due to intermittent rainy weather.
"The hardest thing in a practical sense to shoot was there’s a huge song number in Central Park called ‘That’s How You Know'...It was gigantic. We shot it all through Central Park and we had to move through the park like this military operation."
5) James Marsden got hit by a bike
Most films have their own bit of crazy incidents that take place during production. Enchanted had its own similar incident during filming when James Marsden was hit by a bicycle. It was a part of a sequence where Prince Edward is looking for Giselle and upon noticing her jumps onto a cycle trail in Central Park. Edward is run over by a hoard of cycles and misses his chance to meet Giselle.
The sequence was initially decided to have the cyclist just bump Marsden which would cue him to fake the fall. However, the outcome was not that great and it was visibly fake.
Marsden decided to just get hit by the cyclist instead, to make for a more convincing shot. The one we see in the movie is Marsden getting hit by the cycle and falling. The fall did not hurt a lot as he had padding in front of him and also the suit which was like a soft armor.
The film's sequel, Disenchanted, is available for streaming on the Disney+ platform.
