ENCHANTED - references to classic disney animated musicals

[henrybutler]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 12:37am

Saw the movie tonight and was sufficiently pleased with it. Amy Adams was flawless in my opinion! The songs were great too.
The coolest part about this movie, though, were the numerous references, homages, (sometimes teasing hints) to so many other disney animated movie musicals. I noticed SO MANY
obvious ones, like - Happy working song, being a direct reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and "That's how you know" resembling "Kiss the Girl" with amy and patrick in the boat and the sebastian-esque singer behind them.
but also subtle ones that you might have missed if you werent looking out for them and/or famil with the other disney musicals.
LIKE:
- During "happy working song," giselle's reflection in a bubble as she scrubs, just like cinderella singing "sing, sweet nightengale"
- Strains (just phrases of it, mixed up) of Beauty and the Beast songs played in the background of the soap opera that prince Edward watches
- FAINT strains of "part of your world" in the background while giselle looks into the fish tank
- the ANIMATED version of the character of nathaniel in the beginning looked A LOT like quasimodo from "Hunchback of Notre Dam," (especially his mouth and teeth) and the troll from the opening scene's face looked a lot one of the gargoyles from the same movie.


did anyone see any others? i'm sure there were more that i missed/am forgetting

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 1:25am

In the credits, all the characters are shown in silhouette.

The witch and the apple was clearly Snow White and the glass slipper was Cinderella.

Narissa managed to have a little piece of almost every Disney villain, which I loved.

Loved the cameos by Paige O Hara (voice of Belle), Jodi Benson (voice of Ariel) and Judy Kuhn (voice of Pocahontas)

[My Strongest Suit]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 2:34am

saw it this afternoon and i thouroughly enjoyed it. :) Sleeping Beauty is my favorite disney princess and so i loved the fact that the film started as a book on a pedestal just like sleeping beauty and the "evil queen" also turns into a dragon just like in sleeping beauty. great movie, enjoyable for all ages.

i did notice the "strains". that was so cool. :)

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 3:20am

It isn't playing here until Dec. 7th. Better check the bigger Cities. It looked good to me. I can't wait. How many theaters have it open now in NYC? If Disney can do it, they should open it as soon as possible in NY with both The Little Mermaid and The Lion King shut down at least that would be a treat for the kids who came all that way for a Disney show right now.

What great publicity! I should work for Disney!

[Eris0303]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 4:50am

This isn't a classic Disney film but the evil queen's entire look reminds me of Hera from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys".

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 11:49am

When Giselle runs into the meadow in Central Park in "How Does She Know", it's just like the Belle reprise from Beauty and the Beast.

I want to see this again so I can get every reference.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 12:13pm

carrymeorent, Judy Kuhn was her singing voice. Pocahontas was Irene Bedard

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 12:19pm

Ironicism:
PART OF YOU WORLD plays as Giselle dances by a FISH TANK as JODI BENSON who played Areil looks on.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST plays a Paige O'Hara, the voice of Belle, plays the soap opera girl.

Anyone else think when Disney stunt casts MERMAID that Amy Adams would make a great Ariel?

[henrybutler]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 1:36pm

i didnt think of that, bravesirrobin2. that's cool!
and popular, i love your connection to the "belle reprise"
also, when she goes through the transformation from animated giselle to real-life amy adams at the beginning, the star-like pieces that fall on her are similar to the beast's transformation from the movie BATB.

i vote yes for amy as ariel.

[Just_John]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 2:43pm

I thought the chipmunk sounded exactly like Abu, the monkey from Aladin.

[joniray]

Posted: 11/22/07 at 7:04pm

There was a restaurant named after a song from Lady in the Tramp (Bella Notte).

Grumpy in Times Square.

I felt the ballroom scene to be reminescent of Beauty and the Beast.

There was a lot of obscure references to names of characters and writers of different Disney classics.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 3:05am

Wait, who did Judy Kuhn play in the film? I didn't notice her.
I did love Tonya Pinkins but that's for a different thread.
Not an animated movie, but there is a moment in "How Does She Know" when Amy Adams runs up the hills and twirls that is a direct homage to Julie Andrews' first shot in THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
The book where the tale was written was a direct reference to SLEEPING BEAUTY as well as the witch-turned-purple-dragon.
The dream Giselle has about the prince and her telling the animals about it is a reference to CINDERELLA.

[SahDu]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 3:21am

I believe the outfit Robert wears to the ball is the same as the outfit the Beast wears when he dances with Belle in the movie.
Updated On: 2/15/14 at 03:21 AM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 3:29am

I'm pretty sure too, SahDu.

[BroadwayBenny]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 4:24am

Judy played the grumpy pregnant woman with all those kids when the Prince was knocking on various doors in the apt building. Her line was hysterical, as was Paige O'Hara's as that soap star.

as for Jodi Benson, I was just grinning from ear to ear. How I love that woman. The fish tank and the Part of Your World music playing in the background was just the perfect touch.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 9:14am

why hasn't the Cinderella shoe thing been mentioned yet?

ETA: my bad... never mind the above...

Updated On: 11/23/07 at 09:14 AM

[joniray]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 9:15am

"Not an animated movie, but there is a moment in "How Does She Know" when Amy Adams runs up the hills and twirls that is a direct homage to Julie Andrews' first shot in THE SOUND OF MUSIC."

I took that as a reference to "Belle (Reprise)" in Beauty and the Beast.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 10:44am

ashbash, look at the second post.

I forgot to mention Bella Notte! And since "Belle (Reprise)", where Belle runs around in the grass, is a homage to THE SOUND OF MUSIC, you could say that the part of "How Does She Know?" is really a tribute to both.

And ray-andallthatjazz86, the book at the beginning isn't just a reference to Sleeping Beauty - that happens in many old Disney fairy tales as well (Snow White, Cinderella, etc).

[wicked91]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 11:15am

Best part of the movie. . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRYU4cqUAUs

[Kristeliz]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 11:19am

Oh good this is my FAVORITE reference:

The two characters getting divorced were "Mr. and Mrs. Banks(Tonya Pinkins.) Total play on the Mary Poppins parents.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 12:05pm

I just made the instant connection with THE SOUND OF MUSIC since Julie Andrews was the narrator and the scene is such an icon in film history.
And you're right about the book, SLEEPING BEAUTY is my favorite of the classic Disney animated movies so that is why I took that as a reference to that movie.

[Kristeliz]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 12:15pm

A few more:

“Beauty and the Beast” — When the Troll tries to grab Giselle in her treehouse home, on the right is the bell jar with the rose in it.

“Mary Poppins” — On a bus is a woman with a bag of birdseed in an homage to the earlier film’s “Feed the Birds” woman.

"There's the moment when Paige O'Hara [voice of Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast'] shows up on the TV screen in the soap opera," Menken told MTV News. "And the soap-opera music is 'Beauty and the Beast' rearranged." Look for O'Hara when Robert (James Marsden) is in a motel room watching TV.

Some of Lima's favorite references are throwaways in the background, tiny nods to past Disney films. "Like the law firm is called Churchill, Harline and Smith," he said. "And those are the three songwriters from 'Snow White'!"

[Kristeliz]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 12:17pm

Double post-- but found this

EXT. ANOTHER PART OF FOREST: Edward and Nathaniel hunt trolls. Edward sings. He hears Giselle’s singing.
• Troll is wearing remnants of past Animated Disney Princess dresses as a loincloth: Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. He also wears Ariel’s shells as earrings.

INT. GISELLE’S TREEHOUSE: Pip and Giselle talk. Troll appears and tries to grab Giselle.
•You can see the bell jar with the rose in it, from Beauty and the Beast, clearly on the right as the camera pushes towards Giselle and Pip sitting on window seat.

EXT. TREE HOUSE: Troll chases Giselle. Pip tries to ward off troll. Giselle falls into Edward’s arms. The two ride off into the sunset, singing.
•The troll yells the Goofy scream as he is flung in to the next kingdom.

EXT. CITY STREET: Giselle lifts herself out of the manhole cover. She gets stuck. She sees Times Square. 2 CARS CRASH. She runs from the scene.
•Times Square is filled with many references to Disney or the individuals in the film. None of this was done on purpose, it just was there on the day we shot. – Tarzan, the Broadway Musical posters – Disney film and directed by Kevin Lima. – Wicked poster – Stephen Schwartz is the composer/lyricist, Idina Menzel was the original Elphaba.

RB-30INT. CHURCHILL, HARLINE AND SMITH: Robert’s office with Banks.
•The last name of the divorcing couple is Banks, based on the troubled parents in Mary Poppins.
•The name of the law firm is an homage to the songwriters of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves: Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith.
•Robert’s assistant Sam is named after Philip’s trusted stead Samson in Sleeping Beauty.
•Sam is played by Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

INT. THE BUS: Edward pierces the roof and hits the Bag Lady’s birdseeds. The Bus Driver stops. Edward sets the riders free.
•The woman with the bag of birdseed is an homage to the bird woman in Mary Poppins. She appears later feeding the pigeons in Central Park.
•The bus driver’s hair is Mickey shaped.

REEL THREE

INT. CHURCHILL, HARLINE AND SMITH RECEPTION: SAM tells
Robert the BANKS are waiting. Robert asks her to help Giselle get home. Giselle has taken a sip of water from the aquarium and spits out a fish. Narissa appears in the aquarium.
•Sam sits across from a fish tank, which is a reference to The Little Mermaid.
63.INT. KATZ FAMOUS DELI RESTAURANT KITCHEN: Nathaniel talks with REFLECTED NARISSA in a pot of boiling chicken broth about her plan to kill Giselle. Nathaniel takes the apples, Narissa gets scooped, and sees PIP listening.
•Poison apples are a direct reference from Snow White.
66.INT. CHURCHILL, HARLINE AND SMITH RECEPTION: Robert
emerges with PHOEBE and ETHAN BANKS. SAM can’t figure out where Giselle is from. Giselle congratulates the BANKS on their love. Robert tells her they are divorcing. Giselle breaks down. PHOEBE leaves upset. HENRY threatens. Robert runs into CARL.
•”Part of Your World” muzak plays over the office speakers as Giselle watches the fish.

EXT. CENTRAL PARK: Giselle asks ROBERT how Nancy
knows he loves her. SONG “HOW DOES SHE KNOW?” STEEL DRUM BAND, MUSICIANS, and PARK VISITORS join in the song. Montage of various Central Park spots.
•In the old folks section of the dance, the yellow jacketed gentleman danced as a chimney sweep in the original film version of Mary Poppins.
•Rapunzel is being performed in the bandshell – an homage to the upcoming Disney film.
•Square trees in the Rapunzel performance look like the Eyvind Earle designs for the Sleeping Beauty trees.

REEL FOUR

SUNSET-2
79.INT. HOTEL ROOM: Edward flips the remote on the TV. Channels change showing the News and Soap Opera. Nathaniel wants to watch. Pip breaks out of the box he has been trapped in. He plays charades with
Edward. Nathaniel notices and puts him in the closet.
• “Magic Mirror” is a reference to the mirror the Queen in Snow White talks to.
•The soap opera star is Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Her name is Angela after Angela Lansbury, Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast.
•The male soap opera star is named Jerry after Jerry Orbach, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast.
•Angela’s offscreen affair is with Ogden after David Ogden Stiers, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast.
•The music that underscores the soap opera is the song Beauty and the Beast.
•The soap opera set is built to look like the bandaging scene from Beauty and the Beast. It’s even snowing.

INT. JOE AND TONY’S RESTAURANT/DINING ROOM: MORGAN
helps fold the napkins. Robert tells Giselle about Morgan’s mother. Giselle feels sympathy. Robert is protective of MORGAN. Nathaniel shows up with an apple martini. Pip knocks over the drink. The restaurant is in pandemonium. Pip tells Giselle Edward is around. Nathaniel tries to get rid of Pip. Pip hides under the pizza. Nathaniel flings it across the room into the oven. Pip lands in a wine carafe. Nathaniel gets applause.
•The Bella Notte Restaurant is named after the song in Lady and the Tramp. There is a sign in the window at the far end of the restaurant.

INT. MORGAN’S BEDROOM: Giselle tells Morgan the Red Riding Hood
Story. Robert listens.
•There is a Belle doll wearing sunglasses, which can be seen in the chair at the start of the scene.
90.INT. ROBERT’S APT FIRST FLOOR: EDWARD tries to find the right
door. Meets MOTHER, OLD ASIAN MAN, FAT MAN.
•The pregnant mom is Judy Kuhn, the singing voice of Pocahontas.

REEL FIVE

INT. UPPER LEVEL OF BALLROOM: GISELLES watches NANCY
and ROBERT KISS. The OLD HAG shows up and offers APPLE to forget all that has happened. GISELLE bites and falls. LIGHTNING AND THUNDER.
•The Old Hag appears and convinces Giselle to bite into the last of the poison apples – Snow White.

INT. BALLROOM: The apple falls from Giselle’s hand and rolls down the stairs.
•This shot replicates the apple falling from Snow White’s hand.
122A/B/C.INT. UPPER LEVEL OF BALLROOM: ROBERT rushes to GISELLE.
NANCY calls 911. NATHANIEL rats out NARISSA.
•Giselle is laid on a bier – Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

128-138. INT. UPPER LEVEL OF BALLROOM: CLOCK CHIMES. GISELLE is fading (NARISSA is thrilled). Edward pleads. NATHANIEL tells them she needs more to be saved. NARISSA knows he is giving it away. NATHANIEL silences NARISSA. ROBERT knows she has to have “true loves kiss.” EDWARD kisses GISELLE. Nothing happens. Edward tries again. The KISS is not working. Edward tells ROBERT he may be the one. ROBERT protests. NANCY tells him to kiss her. ONE STROKE LEFT. ROBERT kisses GISELLE nothing happens MIDNIGHT: GISELLE comes to life. She knew it was ROBERT.
•A kiss will wake Giselle from her sleep – Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.
•The clock chimes 12 – Cinderella.

REEL SIX

INT. BALLROOM: GISELLE crosses the dance floor towards the window. She grabs Edward’s sword and looses a shoe.
•Giselle loses her glass slipper – Cinderella.

169.INT. BALLROOM: NANCY holds up the glass slipper to EDWARD who puts it on her.
•The “glass slipper” fits Nancy perfectly as in Cinderella.

Back

[henrybutler]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 12:24pm

kristeliz, that's an awesome list. thank you!

it didnt mention how edward and giselle ride the horse up the hill into the sunset at the beginning of the movie the same way snow white and her prince walk up a hill on a horse into the sunset at the end of that movie.

[joniray]

Posted: 11/23/07 at 12:36pm

A couple more regarding names - forgive me if these were mentioned. I didn't see them.

Robert's last name is Philip, a reference to Sleeping Beauty's prince.

Near the beginning, Robert tells his daughter Morgan that he plans on marrying Nancy Tremaine (played by Idina Menzel). Morgan mentions that this would make Nancy her stepmother. Lady Tremaine is the stepmother in Cinderella.