Imagine if the royal couple from a classic Disney animated fairytale adaptation traveled accidentally into modern day New York. This basically give us the company's own take on that exact concept and it's pretty clear that they were careful to not go so far that they alienate their fan base. It's playing it very safe and basically improving the brand without actually changing all of the aspects that led to the backlash that was in full swing around this time. Some of the jokes are the exact same as everyone was making in memes already. It even reinforces some of the regressive values and features some of its own.
With that said, it's near impossible to not be won over by this. The idealistic view of romantic love that Giselle believes in with her entire being is genuinely infectious. It's no wonder that this led the world to embrace Amy Adams as a star. It wasn't the first time she played a well-meaning naive optimist. She nails that in Drop Dead Gorgeous as well; though here, she does walk an even finer line. Almost everyone around her is expressing jaded cynicism and yet she manages to not just be obnoxious. The same is true for her seeming polar opposite Robert who is the straight man to her shenanigans. A divorce lawyer and single father, of course his heart is not very open.
This truly does deliver everything that was expected from the type of film that it is playing with the tropes of, and does actually function quite well as an entry not only a satire. That is one of the reasons it has been referred to by a number of people as Shrek without the bite, another excellent movie. This has absolutely amazing live action musical segments that actually reach the level of the original Blues Brothers in parts. Not quite at the same amount. Huge crowds of people dancing and singing you just wish you could step through the screen and join them. The costumes are stunning, props, creature design, depiction of magic. It's tense and exciting, funny, cute with marketable animal sidekicks. The CG doesn't push it too far with extremely few exceptions; it's not always photorealistic but it's meant to be somewhat stylized. It rarely feels like there's just nothing there. 7/10.
With that said, it's near impossible to not be won over by this. The idealistic view of romantic love that Giselle believes in with her entire being is genuinely infectious. It's no wonder that this led the world to embrace Amy Adams as a star. It wasn't the first time she played a well-meaning naive optimist. She nails that in Drop Dead Gorgeous as well; though here, she does walk an even finer line. Almost everyone around her is expressing jaded cynicism and yet she manages to not just be obnoxious. The same is true for her seeming polar opposite Robert who is the straight man to her shenanigans. A divorce lawyer and single father, of course his heart is not very open.
This truly does deliver everything that was expected from the type of film that it is playing with the tropes of, and does actually function quite well as an entry not only a satire. That is one of the reasons it has been referred to by a number of people as Shrek without the bite, another excellent movie. This has absolutely amazing live action musical segments that actually reach the level of the original Blues Brothers in parts. Not quite at the same amount. Huge crowds of people dancing and singing you just wish you could step through the screen and join them. The costumes are stunning, props, creature design, depiction of magic. It's tense and exciting, funny, cute with marketable animal sidekicks. The CG doesn't push it too far with extremely few exceptions; it's not always photorealistic but it's meant to be somewhat stylized. It rarely feels like there's just nothing there. 7/10.