Amy Adams reprised her role as Princess Giselle in the recently released musical fantasy film Disenchanted. Directed by Adam Shankman, the movie is a sequel to Disney’s 2007 classic film Enchanted.
Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz have returned as the film’s songwriters, with the former also composing the score. The movie premiered on Disney+ on November 18.
Disenchanted is set fifteen years after the events of the first film, with Giselle now living happily with her husband Robert (played by Patrick Dempsey), her step-daughter Morgan (played by Gabriella Baldacchino), and their newborn baby Sofia.
She soon becomes bored with their life in Manhattan and moves the family to the suburban town of Monroeville. However, the move brings upon a new set of problems for the family: their new house is in need of renovation, Robert has to commute to continue his job, and Morgan feels like an outcast at her new school. Moreover, Giselle herself feels out of place because of the local Queen Bee, Malvina Monroe (played by Maya Rudolph).
Frustrated, Giselle turns to the magic of Andalasia for help and accidentally transforms the entire town into a real-life fairytale kingdom called Monrolasia and herself into an evil stepmother. The film follows Giselle and her family as they race against time to undo the spell and find their true “happily-ever-after”.
Before you watch Disenchanted, check out this list of some other Amy Adams movies that you can watch.
5 best Amy Adams movies that you should definitely watch
1) Enchanted
Directed by Kevin Lima and written by Bill Kelly, this 2007 live-action plus animated musical rom-com is Disney’s self-parody of its classic fairytale movies and their clichés. The film stars Amy Adams as the wide-eyed and optimistic Princess Giselle and James Marsden as her dashing Prince Charming Edward.
The film explores what would happen if these fairytale characters land within the chaos of the real world. Giselle is banished from her animated fairytale world by her evil stepmother Queen Narissa (played by Susan Sarandon) to modern New York City, where she ultimately meets and falls for Robert (played by Patrick Dempsey), a cynical divorce attorney and single father.
The film not only deconstructs Disney tropes, it is also filled with excellent musical numbers. Legendary composer Alan Menken wrote and composed the songs as well as the score of the film. Adams is brilliant as the quintessential Disney Princess Giselle, who frequently breaks out into song and dance numbers like That’s How You Know and So Close.
2) Arrival
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, this 2016 sci-fi drama stars Amy Adams as linguist Louise Banks, who works as a professor while coping with the recent death of her young daughter from an incurable disease. Adams received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress due to her powerful performance that tackled transformative emotions like love, loss, motherhood, and grief.
The complex drama revolves around Louise being recruited for a critical mission by the U.S. military where she has to communicate with the occupants of a large spacecraft that has appeared in the skies over Montana.
Along with physicist Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner), Louise investigates and finds a way to understand the alien language and in the process, discovers startling secrets about her future.
3) Her
Directed, written, and co-produced by Spike Jonze, this emotionally devastating 2013 sci-fi romantic drama is set in near-future Los Angeles. The film revolves around a lonely, introverted, depressed man named Theodore Twombly (played by Joaquin Phoenix), who works as a professional writer composing personal letters for people who are unable to write these letters by themselves.
The lone divorcee decides to employ a sentient artificial intelligence program named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) as his virtual assistant.
Theodore soon falls for Samantha and needs to decide how to make the unconventional romance work. Amy Adams stars as Amy, Theodore’s neighbor, who goes through similar feelings of grief and loneliness and supports Theodore in his relationship with Samantha. Amy Adams holds her own during her brief screen time in the supporting role and manages to give a compelling performance.
4) The Muppets
Directed by James Bobin, this 2011 musical comedy was the perfect reboot for the Muppets franchise. Starring Amy Adams and Jason Segel, who also co-wrote the film, the musical introduced a new Muppet in the form of Walter (performed by Peter Linz), a devoted Muppet superfan who discovered a rich businessman’s ploy to demolish the old Muppet Theater to drill for oil.
The film follows Walter, his human brother Gary and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (played by Amy Adams), as they help Kermit the Frog in reuniting the disbanded Muppets in order to raise money to save the studio.
Bret McKenzie served as the film’s music supervisor, with Christophe Beck composing the score. The film featured five original songs, including Life’s A Happy Song and Man or Muppet. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the latter.
5) Julie & Julia
Another one of Amy Adam’s classics which was written and directed by Nora Ephron, this 2009 biographical comedy-drama is based on the famous television chef Julia Child’s autobiography My Life in France and the renowned author Julie Powell’s book Julie & Julia.
The delightful film contrasts the life of Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) in the early years of her culinary career with the life of the young New Yorker, Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams), who works at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s call center.
In the aftermath of 9/11, Julie decided to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s cookbook within a year. She described the challenge and her experiences on her popular blog, which ultimately made her a published author. The film also incorporates a parallel comparison of Julia’s life and relationship with her husband Paul and Julie’s relationship with her husband Eric.
