Disenchanted
Year: 2022
Rating: PG
Length: 119 minutes / 1.98 hours
It’s interesting how the “direct-to-video” sequel has changed now that streaming is the ubiquitous delivery method. Movies that studios still want to capitalize on but don’t want to spend money on putting in theaters. Disney has taken this route with many of its animated films in the 1990s, releasing multiple sequels to beloved classics. Even The Disney Channel used to be a place for them to put cheap movies. Now, with Disney+, we see movies like Disenchanted (2022) filling the space that used to be occupied by VHS releases. It’s unfortunate because these sequels could be much better than they are.
I loved the self-aware nature of Enchanted (2007). That Disenchanted held most of the same cast was encouraging, but clearly not the magic needed to recreate the energy of the original. The parody (and adherence to) traditional Disney princess stories in Enchanted made it a fun tongue-in-cheek film to watch. This sequel felt too adherent to the formula to make fun of it. Sure, it plays off the “evil stepmother” trope, which was entertaining for a bit. The songs and music felt uninspired and forgettable. Nothing clicked in this movie, and its “direct-to-video” status on Disney+ is well-earned.
The real problem with Disenchanted is how it had better potential. The “fish out of water” trope from Enchanted worked to highlight how ridiculous the Disney princess lifestyle was. Instead of bringing magic to the real world for the sequel, Disenchanted should have flipped the script and had the real world interacting with—and butting heads with—the fantasy world (akin to how WandaVision did it). To have real-world people react to how different the princess fantasy realm was to their normal life would have been much more entertaining. As it stands, Disenchanted was a disappointing mess for someone who loved the original.
A partly uninspired sequel to a fantastic self-aware princess story, I give Disenchanted 2.0 stars out of 5.
