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© DSFC 		ELLA ENCHANTED
HELLA ENCHANTING
By Shawn

Children's films that don't suck are few and far between. Usually the ones that escape through that unbearable cheesiness that goes hand in hand with a film related to the PG audience are either established books like Peter Pan and Harry Potter, or kid films made by adult filmmakers like the Spy Kids trilogy or The Princess Bride. In-between we're stuck with insufferable flicks like Agent Cody Banks or Big Fat Liar (okay, I wasn't looking to beat on Frankie Muniz, but those are the two most recent examples I can think of) that play dumb and rest on autopilot to their target audience of prepubescent. When I think of the flicks that stuck with me as a kid, I look to things like Labyrinth, Neverending Story, and of course The Princess Bride. These are timeless stories that don't talk down to their audiences. Sometime in the 90's (probably right around the third Neverending story movie and the bazillionth ET rip-off), someone in Hollywood decided that making movies that adults and kids could both enjoy was just not cost efficient. Just take a failed Nickelodeon pilot and stretch it out to 90 minutes. Add one or two Teen Beat stars, and MAGIC! A cheap flick that will make a profit. Forget making classics, just give 'em Saved By The Bell-caliber jokes so we can make the $12 we need to make the next one.

So yeah, Ella Enchanted. I liked this movie a lot. If it's going to be compared to any recent kids flick, I'd imagine that it would be SHREK. Unlike SHREK, it actually has some potential for some staying power. Enjoy the big green guy as much as I do, most of the jokes in the flick were dated before it even came out. Although ELLA does make some contemporary jabs (Shopping Malls, Teen Magazines, Pop Music), none of them are so dated as to be irrelevant when watching the movie ten years down the line. Sure, Ella does some kung-fu fighting, but it's not pumped with techo and bullet time to make it a Matrix reference.

The story itself is fairly simple. We are introduced to this world by a narrator (Eric Idle) who explains to us when Ella (Anne Hathaway, who if she can break away from Disney has some real potential) was a baby her fairy godmother (Vivica A Fox) gave her the "gift" of total obedience as a child. Luckily, none of her friends or family know this secret apart from her house fairy (Minnie Driver, who I didn't realize how much I missed seeing on the screen), and mother. Unfortunately around the age of ten her mother passes away, leaving her with a uncomfortable curse to have as a teenager. Adding to the injury, her dad remarries the requisite evil stepmother (with the traditional mean stepdaughters in tow). The stepsisters (Lucy Punch and Jennifer Higham) discover Ella's secret, so Ella goes off on a mission to find her fairy godmother and have the "gift" taken back.

Of course this wouldn't be a fairy tale without a prince. Prince Charmont, or just "Char" to his fan club (of which the stepsisters are the presidents of) is about to be made king. This is much to the chagrin of his uncle Edgar, who has been micromanaging the kingdom (after killing Char's father), and putting all non-human creatures into slavery. Ella is established early on to be a protester of the mistreatment of these creatures by the kingdom, so of course she must end up with the prince by the end of the flick so she can change things for the better good and piss off her stepsisters.

On her journey she is partnered up with a book that contains the spirit of Minnie Driver's boyfriend (she's not very good with magic). Along the way she also meets an elf that wants to be a lawyer (Elves are forbidden to do anything but entertain... very funny use of pop songs here that for some reason didn't bother me as much as it did in A Knights Tale), and has various encounters with ogres, giants, and the prince. Throw in a musical number or two, a decent villain (Cary Elwes), an even better villainous sidekick (Steve Coogan as Elwes' pet snake), and an ending that is sweet without being condescending and you've got the perfect recipe for a new kids film favorite.

Though not as perfect as Ever After or Princess Bride, Ella Enchanted is enchanting enough to keep the parents entertained while the kids enjoy a non-offensive afternoon at the movie theaters. I can totally see myself watching this again ten years down the line. The director (Tommy O'Haver) is starting to build a solid resume of kid and teen flicks (I admit it, I liked 'Get Over It') that buck mediocrity. While he still hasn't made a new classic yet, this flick gives us hope that he has it in him.
"This magical spell of yours makes the casting couch SO much easier"
I DOUBT THEY HAD SCAFFOLDING AND LADDERS BACK THEN

"I'm sorry, I thought that was MY ass. My bad."
SO, COME TO THIS ENCHANTED FOREST OF DOOM OFTEN?

"I can totally see my house from here."
CRAP, WE ENDED UP IN THE MYSTICAL LAND OF NOD AGAIN

"So THAT'S how orcs are made!"
THE CAST COULDN'T HELP BUT STARE AT ELWES' SNAKE