Are we ever too old to be princesses? I was 'Enchanted'

By Maddie Wilson

December 3, 2007 | I have a confession to make: I have fallen into the Disney trap. More specifically the Disney princess trap. Whew. That feels better. I've been holding that in since I was a toddler.

The motivation for my confession happened during Thanksgiving break. That was when I realized I had hit rock bottom, and needed to do something about it. My sisters, our cousin, my husband and I saw Enchanted, and I was hooked.

I'm 21, and I believed everything the Enchanted moviemakers taught me about princesses just as much as I did when I was 6. Princesses are in fact related to Mary Poppins -- they're "practically perfect in every way." They have long, flowing, shimmering yellow, black, brown or -- as introduced by princess Giselle (Amy Adams) in Enchanted -- orange hair. Their eyes are bigger than their mouths, their eyelashes longer than their thumbs, and their waists small enough to fit just inside their princes' masculine hands. From this description they sound alien-like, but they are just the opposite. They are sweeter than my mother's homemade fudge with frosting flowers and sugar cubes sprinkled on top.

I learned from this movie that princesses are flawless. They sing more than they actually talk. And when they sing, they brighten even the orneriest person's day. Giselle and her future prince charming (Patrick Dempsey) -- although he was not very charming at this point in the movie -- strolled through Central Park when the princess suddenly burst out in the ultimate romantic princess song: "How does she know you love her?" Future prince charming, Robert, was awfully embarrassed and begged her to stop. He was stressed out and ornery, and liked to be around boring people. No worries, though. After only five minutes and half of New York City gathered dancing and singing along to Giselle's song, the grouchiest of grouchy bopped his head along with the music.

Disney princesses can do anything. They can make flowing gowns out of drapes and rugs. They can even talk to rabbits, chipmunks, rats, small bears, birds and even cockroaches. I never knew that if you sing to animals and insects you can get them to bake cakes, clean toilets and make clothing. I guess I would only know that if I were a real princess.

The key to the princesses' glamour lies in their positive, bubbly, pink-frilled attitudes. Princess Giselle could find something good in anything. As she went around telling people how wonderful they were and how bright their eyes were, she actually helped troubled couples looking for a divorce fall back in love with each other.

And princesses always have happy endings, the same endings they sing about in their songs. The happy endings usually come after conflict, however. For poor Giselle, the evil witch (Susan Sarandon) tricked her into eating a poisonous apple -- I remember this apple from somewhere else. Oh yes, it happened to Snow White also. Giselle fell into a deep sleep/death, looking as beautiful as could be. Like Snow White, she did not need any medical help, simply the kiss from her true love. And she got it from former Mr. Grouchy, who by this time had fallen under Giselle's happy spell.

The next part in the movie taught me something new and unexpected about Disney princesses. They are studmuffins. The evil witch captured prince charming, and suddenly-macho Giselle bravely climbed to the top of the New York skyscraper among the wind, rain and lightning and stabbed the witch -- which had by now changed into a ferocious dragon -- letting her plunge to her death. All with the help of Giselle's trusty chipmunk friend.

Two thumbs up for Disney. Way to make the princess the macho, but beautiful, hero of the movie. Disney princesses just got a whole new dimension.

So Giselle got her happy ending with her prince charming and his daughter. No fancy carriage, no glass slipper -- it was a purple plastic one, in fact -- no castle in the clouds. Just a happy little family in a New York apartment.

The modern twist on the Disney princess story was refreshing. It might seem pathetic that an almost graduated college student is gaga over this new Disney movie. But I think the entire family can enjoy this one. There is humor intended for the young and the old. I don't see how anyone could leave the movie not singing and dancing along with the songs.

Although Enchanted starts out with the way-too-cheesy script of the singing, flowing-hair, barely-there waist, carefree princess, it ends showing that princesses do exist in a big city, small apartment life. It gives me more hope than Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Cinderella ever did at achieving my lifelong dream of becoming a real princess.

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