1. The film is both live-action and traditionally animated, doubling the Disney magic.
2. Amy Adams produces an Oscar-worthy performance, skillfully adapting Giselle's animated personality to the real world.
3. Actually, the whole cast is pretty incredible.
Susan Sarandon, Patrick Dempsey, and James Marsden? YES, PLEASE.
4. And Frozen star Idina Menzel makes an appearance as well, making all your Disney dreams come true.
5. Oh, did I forget to mention that Julie Andrews narrates the movie?
6. But why stop there? The film also added three actual Disney princesses.
Left: Jodi Benson - Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
Middle: Paige O’Hara - Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
Right: Judy Kuhn - Pocahontas’ singing voice in Pocahontas.
7. As if the star-studded cast wasn't enough, the film also parallels scenes from Snow White.
8. And Beauty and the Beast.
9. AND Sleeping Beauty.
10. The whole movie is riddled with easter eggs, like the prince mannequin Giselle builds in the beginning, who was meant to be Robert and not Edward.
11. The musical numbers are of unmatched excellence, perfectly blending fairy tale and reality.
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And they're composed by Alan Menken, who did the music for pretty much every Disney movie ever.
12. Giselle’s outfits are stunning and suitably give off that magical fairy tale vibe.
13. (Especially the animated ones.)
14. The plot of having a Disney princess go to NYC as "the place where there are no happily ever afters” is kind of genius.
15. Which provides tons of great comedic moments as fairy tale characters clash with disgruntled New Yorkers.
16. Actually, this movie is just hilarious from beginning to end.
So sassy!
17. It adds a twist to typical fairy tales, having the princess save the prince.
18. And it's also super self-aware and even pokes fun at classic Disney tropes, like "love at first sight."
19. And the "innocence" of Disney princesses.
20. Giselle is nice to literally everyone, which is the best lesson a Disney film could teach you.
21. But she also learns that anger and sadness are totally normal and necessary emotions to have.
And it's the cutest scene in the history of film.
22. Robert's story arc is unusually complex for a "knight in shining armor."
23. And Giselle changes a lot too, learning to want more from life than just a fairy tale ending.
24. But, more importantly, the sexual tension between them is SO REAL (and relatable).
UMPH.
25. And so much of the movie is grounded in a world we can all relate to.
26. It also proves that not everything has to be a fairy tale to be special or important.
27. And it also shows that real life can be just as magical if approached with an open heart.
