Once upon a time when I was little, I believed that one day I would be a princess. Laugh if you will, but growing up surrounded by The Little Mermaid (which is still my favorite Disney movie) and Cinderella will set a child up for delusions of grandeur. Being a guy who knows all of these things, my boyfriend John mentioned seeing the new movie Enchanted. Naturally I was thrilled, especially since this meant I had an excuse to review the soundtrack for The Daily Vault.
Enchanted tells the story of Giselle, a princess from an animated world whose run in with a wicked stepmother (of her true love, Edward) causes her to end up in modern day
The movie and soundtrack opens with Amy Adams, the voice of Giselle, and James Marsden (yes, Cyclops) as Edward singing a song of "True Love's Kiss."
Naturally their plans go awry, and Giselle finds herself in
My absolute dream would be to live in a world where singing and dancing randomly occur on a daily basis. "That's How You Know" incorporates the typical Disney scene we all know, with the heroine beginning a song everyone in her presence magically knows and participates in. Menken designed this song as a bit of a parody on "Under The Sea" from The Little Mermaid and used this as the platform for a huge ensemble number in the movie. Led by Giselle, the whole of
Since every Disney movie has a classic ballad, Enchanted includes "So Close" by Jon McLaughlin as the "A Whole New World" type of moment within this fairy tale. It tells of how you are at the brink of a happy ending, waiting to fall and wondering if it will be safe. If you played this song to a group of middle school age girls, there would be a collective sigh at the end signaling the desire each girl has to be rescued, to be captivated.
If we were honest with ourselves I think everyone would admit they would love to live happily ever after. Because of this, Carrie Underwood's "Ever Ever After" gives some reality to the dreams in Enchanted, admitting "There is joy to be claimed in this world / You even might wind up being glad to be you." The upbeat, catchy track mimics other songs on the album and brings you that optimistic feeling that maybe it would actually be possible to have that happily ever after.
As usual, Menken's score is what brings the soundtrack and movie of Enchanted together. The symphony music is eerily similar to all the Disney movies I grew up with, while giving some variety and almost mocking itself in the process. In two of the tracks Menken features a minor version of "Beauty And The Beast," and the soundtrack ends with a version of "That's Amore" sung by Marsden.
As a whole the movie and soundtrack were delightful. I love the thought of a fairy tale coming to life, and the music is truly what made Enchanted enchanting. As in life, things are not always as they seem and though Giselle does not get all she thought she wanted, she still lives happily ever after.