Walt Disney Records has released the soundtrack for the part animated, part live-action, movie musical, Enchanted. The recording features songs by Academy Award Winners Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz with original score by Menken. Amy Adams and James Marsden (Princess Giselle and Prince Edward in the film) perform four tracks on the CD. Recording artists Carrie Underwood and Jon McLaughlin each perform a song.
A classic Disney fairytale collides with modern-day New York City in a story about a fairytale princess (Amy Adams) from the past who is thrust into present-day by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon). Soon after her arrival, Princess Giselle begins to change her views on life and love after meeting a handsome lawyer (Patrick Dempsey). Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?
Enchanted is in many ways an homage to classic Disney films, beginning as an animated tale then turns into a live-action musical. Director Kevin Lima turned to the team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz (Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) to create the musical journey for Princess Giselle.
Together they would draw on their film and musical theater expertise for Enchanted. "The biggest problem with doing live-action musicals is justifying why the characters are suddenly bursting into song in the middle of very real sets and very real situations," says Schwartz. The concept of Enchanted does so in a way that is true to the characters.
"We're really trying to take you back to the Snow White or Cinderella era, pre-Belle, pre-Pinocchio, back to the earliest days of animation," Menken describes. This influence is evident in "Happy Working Song", which shows Giselle utilizing her animal-charming abilities to help straighten out a messy apartment or "True Love's Kiss", a duet between Amy Adams and James Marsden that opens with a classic Disney-style fanfare. Singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin performs the song "So Close," offering an outer voice that mirrors Giselle's inner emotional journey.
Multi-platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood performs the final song "Ever Ever After," produced by Mark Bright. Says Underwood, "It's actually one of the more difficult songs I've sung, but it's really cute and it's really fun, and it fits so well with the movie."
Though Underwood has been responsible for many memorable songs since winning American Idol, she acknowledges that there is something about recording a song for a Disney film that truly makes you timeless. She describes, "It's really amazing to think that someday kids will know all the words to this song - just like I know the words to a lot of other Disney songs that have become classics."
Three songs from the soundtrack "Happy Working Song", “That’s How You Know” and “So Close” received Best Original Song nominations at the 80th Academy Awards. The results will be announced on 24 February.
Watch out for the soundtrack review on MovieXclusive.com, and read the movie review here!
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