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Enchanted

Blu-ray Disc Review

Michael Clayton
Disney Blu-ray Disc
Movie   ••••½
Picture   ••••
Sound   ••••
Extras   ••••½

In this inspired homage to (and satire of) all things Disney, everything is pitch-perfectly perceived — and then turned on its royal ass in priceless pastiche. Enchanted is also one of those rarest of things: a romantic comedy that works. Its premise — inside every man, there's a prince, and inside every princess, there's a woman — is suitable to both the Disney tradition and any modern movie, especially when the insanely optimistic heroine (Amy Adams) falls for a New York divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey).

The layered 2-D animation is very three-dimensional and impressively detailed, with a beautiful range of rich tones. The switch from these powerful images to the flatly lit live-action scenes is quite a comedown — but I guess that's the idea. Thankfully, once the romance blossoms, things improve, and by the time of the big musical number in Central Park, colors sparkle while contrast and depth flourish. And the Dolby TrueHD mix is surrounding without being overwhelming. Its constantly flowing score is suitably sweeping, with elements crisp, clear, and well defined.

In The D-Files, exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc edition, there are multiple-choice questions on the Disney films that are quoted in Enchanted. Answer correctly and you're rewarded with a featurette on the topic or, better yet, the animated clip referred to — in high-def! Providing a taste of treasures to come, this is the best Blu-ray extra so far, and it'll keep me coming back to Enchanted to see what I've missed.