“Enchanted” will always be known as the movie that introduced most of the world to Amy Adams, whisking her from the darling of indie films like “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “Junebug” to one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors.
But a large part of the reason audiences fell in love with Amy Adams is because they fell under the spell of “Enchanted” as a whole. In director Kevin Lima and writer Bill Kelly’s 2007 film, Adams plays Giselle, a maiden of the mythical Andalasia who sings to forest critters and dreams of falling in love. She finds what she’s looking for in Prince Edward (James Marsden), but before they can go live happily ever after, his nefarious mother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) sends her flying through a portal to New York City. There, Giselle crosses paths with cynical divorce lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). Soon, her fairy tale past and big city present collide as everyone scrambles to help or hinder Giselle from getting her true love’s kiss.
Beloved for its musical numbers (by “Wicked” maestros Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz), mixture of live-action and animation and referential humor, it didn’t take long for fans to start rallying for a sequel. (It helped that the film grossed more than $340 million worldwide, four times its production budget.) After 14 years, they finally got their wish. In late 2020, Disney announced that Adams will reprise her role in a sequel called “Disenchanted.”
Like one of Narissa’s poison apples, information about the upcoming sequel has been bobbing to the surface in the year and a half since the announcement. Here, TheWrap rounds up everything we know about “Disenchanted” so far, from new cast additions to sneak-peek plot details.
What is “Disenchanted” about?
Set 15 years after the events of the original film, “Disenchanted” finds Giselle, Robert and Morgan living in the suburb of Monroeville, where they adjust to the challenges of living in a new home and creating their own version of “happily ever after.” But when trouble starts to brew in the form of a new nemesis, Giselle makes a wish to turn their lives into a fairytale – and it backfires catastrophically. Before the clock strikes midnight, she must race to undo the spell in order to save her family and the kingdom of Andalasia.
The official trailer opens with Giselle bidding her rat, pigeon and cockroach friends farewell as her family prepares to move out of the city. “If I learned anything from meeting a princess on a billboard, it’s that sometimes you just have to take a leap,” Robert tells her. Nancy (Idina Menzel) and Robert (James Marsden) show up to see their “fixer upper,” and it’s the prince who gives Giselle the idea to attempt the disastrous enchantment. Under the spell, Giselle takes on a split personality as an “evil stepmother” to Morgan, just like Narissa was to her in the original film.
Who will be returning from the original cast?
In addition to Adams, three of “Enchanted”s leads will return: Patrick Dempsey as Robert, James Marsden as Prince Edward, and Idina Menzel as Nancy Tremaine, Robert’s former fiancée who ends up marrying Edward and accompanying him back to Andalasia.
Just as importantly, Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken – the duo responsible for musical hits like “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Wicked” – are returning with brand new music for the sequel. (For “Enchanted,” they scored Oscar nominations for “So Close,” “That’s How You Know” and “Happy Working Song.”)
“Disenchanted” will reunite original producers Barry Josephson and Barry Sonnenfeld, though a new creative team is stepping up to the plate. You may know director Adam Shankman (who will also serve as choreographer) from “The Wedding Planner,” “A Walk To Remember” and 2007’s other musical hit, “Hairspray.” The writing team includes Shankman, Jessie Nelson (“Waitress”), Brigitte Hales (“Once Upon A Time”), Rita Hsiao (“Toy Story 2”), J. David Stem (“Shrek 2”), and David N. Weiss (“Shrek 2”).
Who is new to the cast?
“SNL” alum Maya Rudolph will play Giselle’s new adversary Malvina Monroe. Last month, Disney released a first-look image of the two side by side.
Kolton Stewart (“Locke & Key”) will play her son, Tyson Monroe. Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”) will play Rosaleen, with Jayma Mays (“United States of Al”) as Ruby and Oscar Nuñez (“The Office”) as Edgar. Details about these characters and their connection to Giselle are being kept tightly under wraps.
Lastly, Gabriella Baldacchino will replace Rachel Covey as Morgan.
What is the release date for “Disenchanted”?
“Disenchanted” is set to premiere Thanksgiving Day 2022, or Nov. 24. The film will be released directly on Disney+, its exclusive streaming home.
How long has an “Enchanted” sequel been in the works?
According to Patrick Dempsey, it took more than a decade to get the gang back together.
“Every year they were like, ‘We’re going to do this. It’s going to get done,’ but then no one could agree on the script,” the “Grey’s Anatomy” star told Us Weekly last April. “It’s such an important film for them and it’s a satire. It’s not a typical Disney movie.”
“To work with everybody again after 14 years is just really exciting,” he added.
What do we know about the musical numbers so far?
Though the tracklist has yet to be unveiled, Dempsey gave a sneak peek when he told Variety that he will be singing and dancing in the sequel.
“I’ve never ever sung publicly – for a reason,” he said. “So, bear with me.”
Also making her musical debut in the franchise is Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel, who somehow didn’t sing at all in “Enchanted.”
Dempsey confirmed that he and Menzel won’t be singing any duets – although Menzel and Marsden will share at least one song together.
The “Wicked” star also teased that she’ll be singing a solo that comes at “a really important integral moment in the story,” she told Us Weekly last August. “And I feel really lucky for [Menken and Schwartz] to have written something like this for me.”
While appearing on “The Tonight Show” the following month, Adams revealed that “Disenchanted” features “a lot more” singing and dancing, describing the experience as “humbling.”
Where was “Disenchanted” filmed?
“Disenchanted” was shot in and around Wicklow, Ireland, with the village of Enniskerry acting as the fictional suburb of Monroe. Glimpses of scenic locations can be spotted on Dempsey’s Instagram, as well as Adam Shankman’s. Last August, Shankman posted a snap of himself and Adams, confirming that the shoot had wrapped. He later shared a picture of the cast and crew commemorating the end of the shoot.
Dempsey and Adams were also photographed filming scenes in northern London as well as New York City.
