List of Disney references in Enchanted
This is a list of Disney references made in the film Enchanted. Enchanted pays tribute to many of the classic Disney films, both animated and live-action, as well as other works produced by Disney. In an interview, director Kevin Lima said that there are "thousands"[1] of specific details, scenes, actions and lines of dialogue that were purposely included as allusions to classic Disney films.[2] Several actors from past Disney films have also made contributions in the film through either voice narration or on-screen appearances.
General
General references that allude to more than one Disney film are:
- The storybook opening of Enchanted – a tribute to the openings of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, The Sword in the Stone, Sleeping Beauty and others. It would later be used in Disney's A Christmas Carol among others.[3][4]
- Giselle's initial personality – based on multiple Disney Princesses; director Kevin Lima describes her as "about 80% Snow White, with some traits borrowed from Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty... although her spunkiness comes from Ariel of "The Little Mermaid".[3]
- The troll's loincloth – consists of remnants of the Disney princesses' dresses, Snow White's rags, Belle's village dress, Aurora's peasant dress, and Cinderella's maid outfit. Also, his earrings are the shells from Ariel's bikini top.[4]
- The ballroom scene is a homage and a tender reference to the classical ballroom scenes from "Cinderella", " Sleeping Beauty" and "Beauty and the Beast."
- Mary Ilene Caselotti, the name of the news reporter – a reference to Mary Costa (the voice of Aurora), Ilene Woods (the voice of Cinderella) and Adriana Caselotti (the voice of Snow White).[5]
- The final fight scene at the top of Woolworth Building – an homage to similar climaxes in Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Beauty and the Beast.[4]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Specific references made to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs include:
- Narissa disguises herself as a hag – just as the Queen does.[6]
- Narissa also poisons Giselle with an apple, which rolls away after Giselle falls much like it does when Snow White eats the poison apple.
- Giselle mistakes a little person in New York City for the dwarf Grumpy.[7]
- "Happy Working Song" – a homage to "Whistle While You Work".[8]
- Prince Edward refers to the hotel television as a Magic Mirror.[9]
- Giselle cleans up Robert's apartment with the help of animals, similarly to how Snow White did it.
- When Nathaniel hands Giselle the poisoned apple, the caramel covering it makes the same skull pattern seen on the poisoned apple in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
- Narissa is both an evil queen and a stepmother, just like the villain of Snow White.
- Giselle looks through a pair of blue gems while constructing her dream man. One of the Seven Dwarfs in Snow White, Dopey, can be seen looking through a pair of gems as well.
- The law firm that Robert appears to work for is named after the composers of the music from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Cinderella
Specific references made to Cinderella include:
- Giselle's carriage looks similar to Cinderella's pumpkin carriage.[9]
- Giselle and Morgan mention fairy godmothers and their magic before midnight, just before they go out shopping.- a reference to the Fairy Godmother and her magic.
- Robert mistakes Edward's name as 'Charming'- a reference to Prince Charming from 'Cinderella.'
- Giselle uses Robert's curtains and Morgan's rug to make her dresses – a reference to the dress that Cinderella's mice friends make for her from things that her stepsisters weren't using.[7]
- Giselle takes off her heels while pulling the sword out of the floor, going after the dragon. One slipper gets left behind and Nancy tries it on after encouragement from Prince Edward and it fits; - an obvious reference to Cinderella losing her slipper while escaping the castle. Also, the Prince found Cinderella, his true love by using the slipper on her foot, much like how Prince Edward found his true love by using Giselle's slipper on Nancy's foot.
- When Giselle is cleaning Robert's apartment she is surrounded by large floating soap bubbles similar to the floor washing scene in Cinderella.
- At the end of the film, in Giselle's shop, we see a mouse in a pink shoe being used to carry thread. This is similar to the scene in Cinderella where the mice are making Cinderella's pink ball gown.
- Nancy's last name is Tremaine, a reference to the surname of Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters.
- The effect of the poisoned apple and the effect of 'true love's kiss' is said to be vanished before midnight, that is, before the clock strikes twelve- a simple yet obvious reference of the magic of the Fairy Godmother which lasted till midnight.
- During the song "Happy Working Song", there is a scene where Giselle scrubs the floor and bubbles reflect her, just like Cinderella during the song "Sing Sweet Nightangle".
The Little Mermaid
Specific references made to The Little Mermaid include:
- Jodi Benson plays Robert's secretary, Sam – Benson voiced Ariel in The Little Mermaid.[10]
- Giselle sings to her dream prince – just as Ariel does with the statue of Eric.[8]
- The Troll's earrings are made of the shell bra Ariel wears.[2]
- As Giselle studies the fish tank at Robert's office, an instrumental version of "Part of Your World" is played in the background.[7]
- "That's How You Know" is an homage to "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" through its calypso beat.[7]
- Narissa's lair is similar to Ursula's lair.
- When Giselle leaves the shower, the birds give her a beige towel. The way the towel lies down on her when she accidentally falls on Robert during Nancy's visit is reminiscent of Ariel's attire mainly composed of beige cloth being tied up by ropes.
Mary Poppins
Specific references made to Mary Poppins include:
- Julie Andrews, who is the narrator at the beginning of the film, has also played the title character in Mary Poppins as well as appearing in The Princess Diaries series as Queen Clarisse Renaldi.
- The woman selling birdseed in the park says, "Feed the birds," like the Old Birdwoman.[11]
- One of the dancers in "That's How You Know" also played a chimney sweep.
- Robert is working a divorce case for a woman with the surname of Banks.
Other
References made to other Disney films and characters include:
- Judy Kuhn makes a cameo appearance as one of the residents in Robert's building (credited as "Pregnant Woman with Kids") – Kuhn provided the singing voice of Pocahontas.[3]
- Jodi Benson plays Robert's secretary, Sam – Benson voiced Ariel in The Little Mermaid as well as various Barbie dolls in the Toy Story series.[10]
- The troll, while being flung into the next kingdom, does the Goofy holler, heard in many other Disney films and shorts – a reference to Goofy.[4]
- The bus driver's hair is shaped like the ears of Mickey Mouse.[1]
- Television clips watched by Prince Edward and Nathaniel in their hotel room – according to director Kevin Lima, "Everything on the television comes from a Disney film. Every image: Disney's Robin Hood; there's an image of Mortimer Snerd, a ventriloquist's dummy that comes from Fun and Fancy Free. There's a lot of dialogue that plays in the background that is all Disney referenced as well. The Spanish dialogues were from the Latin American version of Mickey and the Beanstalk, specifically the part where Mickey tries to convince the giant into turning into a fly."
- Pip's personality is very similar to that of Timon from The Lion King.
- Bella Notte, the Italian restaurant that Giselle, Robert and Morgan eat at – a tribute to the song from Lady and the Tramp.[5]
- Giselle pulls Edward's sword from the ballroom floor – a reference to The Sword in the Stone.[3][4]
- Narissa turns into a dragon, just like Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.[9]
- When Edward flips through the channels on the TV, references are made to Robin Hood, Dumbo (the fanfare from "Pink Elephants on Parade" is heard), and Beauty and the Beast (the soap opera has Paige O'Hara, voice of Belle, playing a woman named Angela, a reference to Angela Lansbury, voice of Mrs. Potts arguing with a man named Jerry, a reference to Jerry Orbach, voice of Lumiere).[9]
- While shopping, Giselle and Morgan pass a shop called Calypso, a possible reference to the character of the same name from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.
- Robert and Morgan's last name is Philip, a reference to the prince from Sleeping Beauty.
- Giselle is initially upside down when she falls through the fountain and lands upright in the manhole, a reference to the scene in Alice in Wonderland where Alice falls down the rabbit hole and lands upside down in Wonderland.
- Narissa's appearance in the soup pot when talking to Nathaniel is reference to the Disney Channel Original Movie, Return to Halloweentown, when Debbie Reynolds' character, Agetha Cromwell, is talking to her daughter, Gwen Piper, in the same type of soup pot at the beginning of the Halloweentown film.
- While singing "That's How You Know," Giselle runs up a knoll in a similar fashion to Belle as she sings her theme in Beauty and the Beast. It is also visually similar to an iconic scene in The Sound of Music, performed by Julie Andrews.
- Morgan owns a doll of Belle from Beauty and the Beast and a Cinderella storybook.
- While Giselle constructs her Dream Man, a rose with a glass cover just like the one featured in Beauty and the Beast can be seen.
- Thought not yet a princess upon the release of this film, actress Idina Menzel who portrays Nancy Tremaine, would later go on to voice Elsa, the titular character of the computer-animated Disney Princess animated feature, Frozen.
References
- 1 2 Peter Sciretta (2008-03-14). "The Enchanted Visual Guide". Slashfilm. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- 1 2 Susan Wloszczyna (2007-11-22). "'Enchanted' princess steps out of cartoon, into Manhattan". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- 1 2 3 4 Susan King (2007-11-29). "'Enchanted' casts a familiar spell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Hidden Disney". Empire. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- 1 2 Kit, Borys; Giardina, Carolyn (November 21, 2007), "'Enchanted' brings back old familiar feelings", The Hollywood Reporter, retrieved 2008-01-04
- ↑ Susan Wloszczyna (2007-11-15). "'Enchanted' princess steps out of cartoon, into Manhattan". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- 1 2 3 4 Wloszczyna, Susan (November 22, 2007c), "New Disney princess Giselle has an enchanting royal lineage", USA Today, retrieved 2008-03-21
- 1 2 Quint (December 14, 2007), "Quint dreams about Disney princesses with ENCHANTED director Kevin Lima", Ain't It Cool News, retrieved 2008-03-21
- 1 2 3 4 "Hidden Disney in 'Enchanted'". The MovieBuff.
- 1 2 Shawn Adler (2007-11-13). "'Enchanted' Disney Spoofs: Past Princesses, Familiar Restaurants, Cleaning Cockroaches". MTV.com. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ↑ "Hidden Dinsey in 'Enchanted'". The MovieBuff.
External links
- Enchanted Stills vs. Classic Disney (March 14, 2008) at Comingsoon.net