Some stories are meant to stay untouched; this is how the movie Enchanted should have remained. Released on November 18, 2022, Disenchanted was available for viewers to stream on Disney+, luring the fans of Enchanted to watch. Admired stars Patrick Dempsey, Amy Adams, James Marsden, and Idina Menzel reprised their roles, stirring excitement among fans for what to expect.

Unfortunately, the sequel was far from amazing compared to the original. Morgan Phillip, daughter of Robert Phillip, was portrayed as an irritated teenager, growing weary of Giselle because of her cheesiness and her parent’s decision to move from New York to Monroeville. As tension rose, Morgan referred to Giselle as her “stepmother,” resulting in her wishing for her life to be like a fairytale. Giselle’s wish came true but resulted in terrible consequences as she became evil in her desired land of fantasy. 

Ultimately, Morgan — the stepdaughter she adored — became someone she lacked care for. The storyline was undeniably similar to that of Disney’s Cinderella since Morgan wore filthy clothes while living in a dark, messy room. Giselle, on the other hand, wore outfits that exemplified her new villainous character, striving for the title of queen of Monroeville. Giselle’s behavior resembled that of Lady Tremaine since she became rude and controlling, not allowing Morgan to attend the Monroelasia festival until she had finished all sorts of chores.

The movie grew dull as it progressed since it lacked the overall ambiance of Enchanted. Disenchanted brought the audience back into a fairytale land, directly going against the conclusion of the original movie; this undos the theme that portrayed love as more complicated and layered than just “happily ever after.” 

The sequel heavily focused on the bond between stepmother and stepdaughter. However, the storyline was stereotypical since Giselle became the villain in her stepdaughter’s story. Despite the remarkable costumes worn by the actresses and their portrayal of the characters, the movie was poorly executed. The characters sang songs that lacked catchiness, which led the nonstop singing to become rather dull than pleasant. The new character additions, Malvina, Ruby, and Rosaleen, lacked depth since their actions were all too predictable. 

Morgan, one of the movie’s main characters, fulfilled the stereotypical role of a teenager, lashing out at her parents. Her issues at the beginning of the movie were not necessarily resolved since she appeared to be jealous of the new baby in the family. Viewers were left questioning why her behavior dramatically changed from being captivated by Giselle in the original film to ultimately being fed up with her. 

Even though the sequel was expected to be different from the original, Disenchanted did not meet the high expectations set for it. Giselle’s character did face an incredible transformation, bringing complexity to her shallow character in Enchanted, but it lacked any comedic effect. Morgan’s act of saving the day was anticipated from the beginning of the movie since she was the reason Giselle cast the wish that led to madness.