Okay, just hear me out. I know what most people tend to think of Enchanted, if they think of it at all, is as an inconsequential crowd-pleaser that likely propeled Amy Adams to stardom. I think it deserves a lot more recognition and not just for effectively working between animation and live-action story telling. With a solid story, plenty of comedy, many strong performances (not just Adams), and a few truly great scenes, it belongs among Disney's best films. And that's not even mentioning the music, which was the only part to get recognition from the Academy (three songs, who all lost to "Falling Slowly" from Once... which deserved it).
The intentionally cheesy animated intro plays as an homage to old-school princess movies, in particular Sleeping Beauty, Walt's personal favorite. Both Giselle (Adams) and Prince Edward (James Marsden) are happy with their lives but know they are bound for better days. Why? Cause it's a cartoon, you moron. They meet and plan to get married without so much as a complete conversation. No one is surprised, even Edward's enraged stepmom. (His parents are never mentioned... who would marry this woman? Another common fairy tale trope.) Queen Narissa is played by scenery-chewing Susan Sarandon and goes a little over the top. Not enough to derail the film. She sends young Giselle to the real world and thankfully it's New York City and not the middle of the Pacific. Small miracles.
The movie makes no effort to explain how the inter-dimensional travel works or how powerful Narissa really is. Probably because they know the target audience doesn't much care. Giselle has to react to a completely new environment and soon runs into single father Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his delightful daughter Morgan. It goes without saying that Robert already has a love interest and that others will come from cartoon-land to find Giselle, for whatever reason. In this case, though, predictability isn't a problem.
There are no weak links among the cast. I'm leaving out a few supporting characters in the interest of wrapping things up. Adams and Dempsey are incredible together - her generosity of spirit and his guarded demeanor offset nicely. There is a scene at a pizza restaurant where he explains their circumstances and his desire for Morgan to see things as they are. Giselle still believes in magic but doesn't try to convince Robert to do anything. Only to believe that life can change for the better. It might be the best scene in the movie.
The final act is also fairly predictable, but no less effective. Edward returns, Giselle says goodbye to her new friends, everyone gets reunited, and then... it doesn't take too much imagination to determine the rest. There is much to enjoy. The "So Close" dance scene is incredibly poignant (and I get bored easily with dance scenes) and the way loose ends are tied up will likely leave people smiling. It's a feel-good movie, dammit, and they want to make sure that's how you leave.
I probably won't convince anyone that Enchanted is any more than a minor Disney triumph. And I'm not really trying to - I loved the film immediately and still enjoy watching it ten years later. It never had to "grow on me." It's so vibrant, positive, and all-around fun. It treats its characters in both worlds with respect (unlike the mean-spirited Shrek, to which it is often compared) and doesn't force any conclusions. I also believe this film got Disney some of its audience back, making future hits like Frozen more likely.
Welcome back, Disney.