In Search Of True Love In Disney's Enchanted

Introduction
Movies produced by Disney are some of the highest grossing movies on the planet, and for a good reason. The characters are well developed, musical numbers are choreographed to a tee, and the animations (when there are any) are vibrant and realistic. Enchanted, released in 2007 (The Internet Movie Database), is no exception. What sets Enchanted apart from other princess movies of the genre, though, is the juxtaposition between Giselle, the fair maiden, and the “real world” she becomes immersed in, courtesy of the Evil Stepmother. Enchanted defies the “Disney princess” norms set by the industry by setting the film in the very-real New York City as opposed to a fictitious fairy-tale land.

Doe-Eyed Damsel in Distress
For the majority of the film, Giselle is a standard Disney princess. She has a beautiful singing voice, she talks to animals, and she blissfully lives her life in search of true love. This is first shown in the opening song, “True Love’s Kiss”, in which she explains to her woodland friends that “[she’s] been dreaming of a true love’s kiss, and a prince [she’s] hoping comes with this” (Enchanted, 2007). Her prince hears her and joins in to “finish [her] duet” (Enchanted, 2007). Without a moment of

hesitation, the prince proposes to Giselle, proclaiming that they “shall be married in the morning” (Enchanted, 2007). This first musical sequence perfectly describes what the audience expects from a Disney movie: singing, romance, and the prince saving the princess. To complete the fairy-tale picture, the Evil Queen sees them through her magic crystal ball and decides that Giselle is the enemy, even though Giselle did nothing to directly harm the Evil Queen. As a result, the Evil Queen decides to send her “to a place where there are no ‘happily ever afters:’” New York City (Enchanted, 2007). It is at this moment that the film turns from animated to live action, as Giselle falls down the well that brings her to the “real world.” The first scene serves as a reminder of what a traditional fairy-tale is supposed to be like, so that the contrast between Giselle and the “real world” is more clearly defined. While Giselle does lose her two-dimensional appearance, her fairy-tale personality and outlook on life do not change.
This fairy-tale ideal is further portrayed through the differences in Giselle’s personality compared to the average New York women she comes across.

Even back in Andalasia she believed everyone was good, and did not have preconceived notions about anyone based on their role in society. A good example of this is when she speaks about the character the audience has seen as the Evil Queen. “It's not true what they say. I have met so many kind and wonderful stepmothers. Edward has a stepmother. I've never met her, but I hear she's just lovely” 
(Enchanted, 2007). Even though in fairy-tales, stepmothers are characteristically bitter and evil, Giselle does not have this impression, and instead is trusting and kind towards a woman she has never

met.
Giselle’s innocence, which seemed to fit her environment back in the fairytale world of Andalasia, gets her into trouble in the “real world”. She attempts to befriend a homeless man, and does not have any negative feelings towards him until he steals her wedding tiara. Even then, all she says is that he “is not a very nice old man”, rather than a New Yorker’s presumably crass response in the same situation (Enchanted, 2007). This innocence also translates into ignorance when it comes to events that are seemingly common in the “real world”, such as divorce. When confronted with a situation where she sees a divorcing couple, she does not hesitate to speak her opinion to Robert, the man who took her in. ”Of course they're in pain. They're separated forever. Married one day and the next they're not. What sort of awful place is this?” (Enchanted, 2007). These elements of her personality are considered endearing when placed in a harmless environment such as Andalasia, and the audience is conditioned to empathize with the princess and aspire to be as fair and as beautiful as she. In the real world, however, her innocence and apparent ignorance shock the people around her, and leaves them questioning whether or not she is for real.
Giselle also has a very fairy-tale-esque perception of love and how one should show their love, described in the song “That’s How You Know”. The song takes Robert and Giselle around Central Park, where they encounter a plethora of groups of people who join in on her song in an attempt to show Robert what he should do to profess his love to his girlfriend Nancy, to whom he wishes to propose. At first Robert is skeptical, but after a visit with Nancy, he realizes that Giselle was right.
Giselle had been looking for this fairy-tale love all her life, and thought she had found it in Prince Edward, but she realizes that maybe he’s not what she’s been looking for when he ventures into the “real world” himself to rescue her. The ending to this movie is predictable in the sense that it puts a spin on the quintessential fairy tale. Yes, the young maiden does win over a prince, but in this case it is not the same prince as the one that initially saved her. By doing this ‘different but not so different’ ending, the movie stands out from the rest of the genre while still sticking to the overall requirements of a movie in the fairy-tale genre. This is mostly done through the development of Giselle’s character and personality, which is usually not done in a Disney princess film.

New York City’s Influence
Giselle’s interactions with New York City change her perceptions on life and love, and change her personality to become a more well-rounded person. She feels anger and sadness for the first time in New York City, which turn into happiness because she finally feels angry. “You make me so…  so… angry!” (Enchanted, 2007). Her innocence and trust, however, remain a part of her personality, as she still trusts the Evil Queen (dressed as an old beggar woman) in the “real world” when she is given a poison apple. By experiencing different and unpleasant emotions, Giselle’s character goes beyond the bland eternally-blissful princess character and into someone with more substance.
Being exposed to relationships that did not work out, and the loss that comes with them, have also changed Giselle. When Prince Edward rescues her from New York City, she does not feel as comfortable with the idea of marrying him as she had three days previously. Instead of rushing back to Andalasia and becoming a princess, she proposes that she and Prince Edward go on a date, even though he does not know what a date is for, or what happens on one. While on her date, she tries to prolong it as long as possible in order to stay in New York City. “Oh, well... They can go as long as you want, really. They can just keep going and going, just so long as you keep thinking about activities that you can do” (Enchanted, 2007). Comparing Giselle’s initial interactions with the prince to her interactions with him in the “real world”, it is obvious that her heart has changed. This too is not ordinary behaviour for the general Disney princess, which makes Giselle a more well-rounded and relatable character than one who just sings about her true love and waits for him to rescue her.
In the end Giselle does get her Prince, though not the Prince she had originally thought she would be getting. To Giselle, Robert is her Prince because in a sense he rescued her from the dangers of New York City, both literally and figuratively. From catching her after she falls off a billboard advertisement to saving her from her ignorance about the “real world”, Robert turns out to be her real Prince Charming. This is a perfect end to the movie as it shows that people in the “real world” can have their happily-ever-afters just as a princess can, but they may come in different ways than conventional fairy tales.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Enchanted defies the cultural norms of a fairy tale Disney movie by setting Giselle in the “real world” as opposed to keeping her in her fairy tale world of Andalasia. By doing this, the audience is shown the contrast between fairy tales and reality, but is also shown ways to bring magic into the ordinary. Giselle’s innocence gets her into situations most people would not find themselves in, but it is how she learns about the “real world” that builds her personality and character. At the beginning, she is a stereotypical Disney princess, but proves herself to be much more than the bland reactionary character of fairy-tale films past.