'Disenchanted' review: One sequel that should never have been made

WHAT IT'S ABOUT There's always a little skepticism warranted when a sequel arrives years after its predecessor. If there were a strong case to be made for continuing a story in a second movie, you'd think the parties involved would have gotten around to it before, say, 15 years had elapsed.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course, for several reasons: the realities of how long it takes to get a project off the ground in Hollywood; the incidences where it makes genuine sense to revisit characters after a long time away.

But even if plans had been long in the works to make a sequel to the 2007 hit "Enchanted," the movie that elevated Amy Adams from the status of gifted Oscar nominee to genuine movie star, the fact is that "Disenchanted" has arrived years after its window expired.

The story of Giselle (Adams), the young dreamer from animated Andalasia who was shoved through a well and into real-world New York City, picks up a decade later.

Giselle has grown weary of city life and dreams of suburbia.

But she and her family — including husband Robert (Patrick Dempsey), teenage stepdaughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino) and baby Sofia — forego Long Island's hamlets and villages for the fictional upstate town of Monroeville.

Adjusting to this new existence, in a home that closely resembles the fairy-tale castles Giselle once knew, proves difficult for everyone. Giselle finds herself at odds with town council head Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph); Robert struggles to adjust to the realities of suburban commuting; Morgan Phillip must fit in at school.

A magical wishing wand brings with it the promise of something better for Giselle, who desperately wants everyone to be happy. But in the Disney universe, these things never quite work as advertised.

Co-stars include Idina Menzel, James Marsden and Yvette Nicole Brown. Adam Shankman ("Hairspray") takes over as director.

MY SAY The abundant charm and humor that elevated "Enchanted" to the status of a minor Disney classic has been excised from this sequel.

There's no reason for this movie to exist beyond the usual bottom line of scoring some cheap Disney+ streaming time.

It's breathtakingly perfunctory, with the usual heavily produced aesthetic and the touches we've all come to expect from the studio pipeline: wicked stepmothers, ringing clock towers, elaborate musical numbers set against the backdrop of a magical village. It's a high-concept pitch in search of an identity.

Almost nothing works as it should: Even the songs, once again from the legends Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, are curiously unmemorable.

The supporting cast provides a touch of quirky good humor, particularly when Shankman lets Rudolph do her thing and in those limited moments Marsden's on-screen as the king of Andalasia. 

But they can't lift the shroud that sits over this movie, the malaise of an entire filmmaking apparatus going through the motions.

BOTTOM LINE Even though it's hard to make a successful sequel, few have offered this steep of a decline in quality.