How about something...Enchanted?

So, today I went to see Enchanted and there was so much stuff going on in that film I could barely keep it straight. But, I'll try my best =)...

The movie was a combination of many fairy tales, both Disney and non-Disney. Parts of Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty all made an apperance in this tale about a princess-to-be that takes a nasty fall and ends up in New York City.

Giselle started out as the usual maiden in a fairy tale who wants to find her one true love, and does when Prince Edward hears her singing from her hollowed out tree. Giselle, in the beginning, is the typical damsel in distress however takes a turn and becomes the heroine and kills the evil stepmother that tries to kill her new true love Robert who takes her into his home when she pops up in NYC with no clue of what to do but wait for Prince Edward to come and save her. Giselle isn't the typical maiden one would expect, she's actually very smart and ends up with her true love, happily ever after.

Queen Narissa (similiar to narcissus-yeah she's vain too) is indeed a stepmother, however she is the stepmother to Prince Edward and the loss of her throne is her motive to murder Giselle. She does turn into the ugly old hag and poisions Giselle with an apple like in Snow White. However, she also turns into a dragon like Malificent in Sleeping Beauty. She's very manipulative and sneaky, and admits herself as being "vindictive and spiteful". She ends up being slain by Giselle who saves Robert.

Prince Edward is really the total and complete opposite of what a Prince is in the other fairy tales. Normally Princes are brave, strong, smart, and handsome. Unfortunately for Prine Edward, he only ended up with three of the four. He was very brave, strong, and handsome, but he lacked in the brain department. He was completely oblivious to what his stepmother was doing and couldn't take a hint from Pip, the helpful chipmunk sidekick. He too ends up happily ever after with Roberts ex-girlfriend Nancy.

So, after all of this what has been observed?

Well...Nowadays, the Princess isn't the one who needs to be saved, she's the one who is doing th saving. She has grown throughout the years and doesn't need a Prince, but wants true love. She has gotten brighter, I mean after a hundred or so years of being hunted down don't you think she would catch on to the same tricks?

That Prince isn't what he seems to be and isn't needed by the Princess anymore suggesting that the Princess is more independent. The fact that Giselle fell in love with a man and not with Prince Charming displays the idea that society is getting away from the idea of Prince Charming and that there is something special in everyone. Plus, Robert had everything Prince Edward had and more.

The Stepmother in fairy tales just keeps getting more and more evil. The fact that Queen Narissa wasn't Giselle's stepmother but wanted to kill her anyway becuase she didn't want to lose her throne shows that the stepmother has become more ruthless and evil. And, as she said it herself, "vindictive and spiteful". She should have just tried to murder Prince Edward instead of Giselle because then there would never be a chance of her losing her throne to Edward's bride.

And, the best part of this movie is that it contains the meaning of a bunch of fairy tales, such as destiny cannot be overcome and what needs to happen will like in Briar-Rose (Giselle ends up with Robert even though she thought and tried to fall in love with Edward), evil will suffer in the end just like in Snow White (Narsissa dies), and working towards something will give you results like in Cinderella (true love).


Nicole =]