Enchanted : 4 of 5

I've been so excited to see this movie, mainly because as an animation fan, Enchanted is especially important, since it's the first 2D traditional animation from Disney on the big screen in years! Since Enchanted is designed to celebrate and spoof the "Disneyness" of classic features, I was totally in love with the opening animated sequences - all of the wonderful artwork, characters, and music was there right before my eyes, and it was so fantastic to see. But aside from keeping the animation geek in me happy, Enchanted is actually a hilariously clever film that anyone can enjoy! It's a great story about animated characters being transported to the real world, where they have to struggle with the harshness of New York, but end up showing people that fairy tales actually do have value. There are some fantastic laugh-out-loud moments, such as a pigeon eating a cockroach right after tidying up the house with it, and Prince Edward's line "Thank you for taking care of my bride, peasants" had me rolling (right when I was getting misty-eyed as Giselle was saying good bye!). Disney references are totally overflowing (such as cameos from princess voice artists, little animation details, and tons of plot moments), and I had lots of fun finding them. I really don't have anything bad to say about Enchanted, except that I thought it could have used a little more heart-tugging at the end, but I'm fine with the light-hearted tone of the story. Go see it both for a fun time at the movies, and to remember what real animation is supposed to look like!