Ahead of the release of Disney's new movie Disenchanted Filmhounds attended the Global Press Conference to hear all about all the movie magic that brought the new film into real life.
Disenchanted is the long anticipated sequel to the 2007 film Enchanted, and follows former princess Gisele (Amy Adam) as she adjusts to life in the real world and her search for a new ‘happily ever after' in suburbia.
Attending the press conference were original and new cast members Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Idina Menzel, Gabriella Baldacchino, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays, Oscar Nunez along with producer Barry Josephson, director Adam Shankman and composer Alan Menken.
The producers began by discussing their return to Andalasia.
“Amy really was our starting point of wanting to play Giselle again.” says Barry. “And sort of all pivoting around what is Giselle's new character? What is her dilemma? How do we progress from the original movie?”
With Gisele's story taking centre stage, director Adam had one goal. “I want to make a movie not with Amy, but for Amy as well.”
The sequel revolves around the growth of the characters and the need to make something that was “definitively a new movie, a fresh new start for her character and the other characters that everybody loved from the first movie.”
Amy builds on this, highlighting Gisele's growth.
“Taking that evolution of who she might be after spending 10 years, but also making sure we keep her grounded in sort of the truth of her feelings, without losing that joy and that naivety and innocence and purity that makes Giselle so special.”
All the original cast members were keen to comment on this evolution, with Idina Menzel noting that balance was important for her character Nancy. “How much of my New York accent do I still have coming from Andalasia, and how much has this idyllic, romantic, beautiful perfect place rubbed off on me?”
Patrick Demsey, who plays Gisele's true love Robert, noted a different balance, “He's kinda trying to balance life between his new baby and his other child, and the conflict between the stepmother.” Demsey was also glad to play around a bit more in this film, “getting into larger than life was completely freeing and really fun. So for me, it was a fantastic ride.”
The new cast members all echoed this deep sense of fun on set.
Maya Rudolph (Malvina) described her expereince singing in the film as “truly almost like a life fulfillment.
Like I was training for the marathon I'd been training for my whole life. And that's what it was every day.”
Gabriella, who plays the grown up version of Morgan (Robert's daughter from the first film), reiterated:
“Honestly, dream come true is the best way to put it. I mean, when I was little, and even growing up, Enchanted was my favorite movie. So, being able to join all these people was surreal to me. … little Gabby would probably faint if she knew where we were now.”
Jayma, playing newbie Ruby, said, “So, when I got this job, I was like, ‘Great, I can retire now. I did it. I did it. Done.' And it was a dream.” while Yvette (Rosaleen) piggybacked “I was a huge fan of the original Enchanted.”
“My friend, Marilyn Sue played the bus driver in the original Enchanted. And I remember, you know how you're happy for somebody and just feel bad in your soul 'cause it's not you.
And then, 15 years later, for the call to come my way. I'm pinching myself that I'm looking at all your faces because each of you beyond this movie, I've loved in a thousand different ways in everything you've done before.”
Another exciting addition to the cast is Oscar Nunez, who appears as Edgar. He reminised on his first time working with Amy Adams on the Office “(like) 35 years ago” and described how she would sing on the Disenchanted set.
“You were so happy just hanging out. And you wouldn't stop singing, and with a big smile on your face. So, there was a lot of love there.”
Yvette elaborates: “In between takes, Alan played music and Amy and Jayma and Maya would always sing. And we'd do harmony. And it was just a warm hug.”
Oscar's appearance in the film is brief but he jokes around about his best scenes being cut.
“I don't wanna be over exposed. There's a scene where I'm dancing and, like I don't wanna say acrobatics, but I do some but we didnt want to overshadow.”
Adam adds amongst laughter: “We're gonna use all of those deleted scenes and do, like, a spinoff movie… Cut in some stuff fom the office etc.”
Oscar even sings his supposedly cut ‘song', “Cap-cap-cappuccino, la-la-latte, You want hibiscus?” with Alan Menkens adding some improvised piano accompaniment. Idina suggests: “I heard it was too good for the film.”
There clearly was a lot of love, fun and joking amongst this fairytale gathering.
The cast and crew were particularly keen to gush over their time filming together in Ireland, bonding in a covid bubble back in 2021.
Adam described “It was so beautiful to be attached to this group of people doing this thing in such really complicated times.”, while Yvette thanked the group for their support when she lost her mum during filming.
“Everyone enveloped me in love and I felt like the toughest time of my life, there was nowhere else I would've rather been than with all of you.”
Amongst the tough times, the cast apparently learned about Irish butter, Ireland's rich history, the roots of its music and the kindness of its people.
Maya said; “(they) were genuinely loving people who were so welcoming and kind of did create a little world for us. (We) got to be in a beautiful place when the world felt unsafe.”
Returning to what fans can expect to see in the movie itself – the music and disney easter eggs take centre stage.
Alan Menken, whilst sitting at his own piano, described the song writing process “Stephen (Schwartz) and I, write for the characters and the storyline.”
“You start from the first Enchanted… And the score kind of grows up with (Gisele) as she begins to adapt to this world. Well, in the new version, she longs for (Andalasia).”
One specific aim was to ensure Broadway star Idina Menzel actually got to sing in the sequel.
“It was just superfluous (in the first film) because you were trying too hard. And I really appreciate that. But now you made up for it in so many ways, I'm singing a song I could barely sing live if I tried.”
She continued: “To have somebody like (Alan and Stephen Schwartz) write for you, for all of us, it's such a gift. They know our voices and they can write for our strengths. And then, we can really shine.”
Menkens adds, “It's a wicked song… pun intended I guess.”
But the easter eggs don't end there. The first film is particularly famous for its making fun of itself. “It's the first time Disney ever winked at itself.” Adam says.
And the sequel of course continues the Disney allusions, from subtle shop signs and hidden disney villains, and the not-so subtle nods in Morgan's ‘I Want' song.
“It is floor-to-ceiling. There is, everywhere you look, you're gonna hit a trope.” Adam says.
All this talk of Enchanted touches on a huge amount of nostalgia for the cast, as the 15th anniversary approaches on November 21st.
Amy remembers: “The first time, we were taking like, a big leap. I knew how much I'd loved Giselle and how much I believed in her spirit.”
She describes being unsure of how audiences would react, “I remember after ‘Happy Working Song', there was a shift in the energy where the audience sort of started to go on the journey with us. And it was really overwhelming feeling for me. It was a very special moment.
“Coming back, I feel like Giselle never left me.”
Touching on a significant theme of every fairy tale the cast discuss their own understandings of Happily Ever After.
Adam jokes: “Happily ever after is a lot of people watching this movie.” before elaborating “Happily ever after sort of says like time stops. Which is not how life works. To be able to move through life with the joy and the love and the support in good and bad with my friends, this group included, that is happily ever after for me.”
On that joyous note, the conference wraps up. As the cast continue their virtual hugs and Amy Adams wipes away tears is safe to say that Disenchanted will bring a little bit of ‘happily ever after' back for everyone.
A magical menagerie of comedy, disney easter eggs, and storybook songs Disenchanted is casting spells fit to transport fans young and old back to this ‘enchanting' world on November 18th, streaming only on Disney Plus.
Disenchanted releases only on Disney+ from November 18th
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