Calling All Enchanted Fans

Are we ready for happily-ever-after?

My husband and I are movie buffs. Big time. Before kids, “date night” usually meant dinner and a movie at the theater. These days, date nights are a little different — most of the time, we cuddle on the couch and watch a movie after the kids go to bed.

Photo by No Revisions on Unsplash. Clearly not us — our coffee table is never this neat :)

However, my husband and I now have the added bonus of introducing our kids to our favorite movies. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. Since our oldest was a toddler, we’ve made a tradition of Friday family movie nights. Each week, we try to watch something the kids have never seen before, and given our own love of movies, our collection still offers plenty of options. Sometimes we get really into it and make themed snacks. Like the time we had spaghetti to watch Lady and the Tramp, or when we made ratatouille to watch… well, you probably guessed. Even on much less ambitious weeks, we always have my husband’s perfected recipe for homemade popcorn that tastes just like the movie theater kind. Friday nights are the best part of our week.

During one of these family movie nights, a favorite movie from our early-married days became a favorite for our children, too. My husband and I saw Disney’s Enchanted twice in theaters when it first came out. I played and sang “Happy Working Song” while I swiffered our townhouse and “True Love’s Kiss” while we cooked dinner. Although I’ll always be partial to Cinderella, Giselle just might be my favorite of the Disney Princesses. She doesn’t just fall for her Prince Charming. She falls in love with real life and all the glorious mess that comes with it.

Since my children also love the movie Enchanted, it’s become an instant pick for sick days, rainy afternoons, and sleepovers. That means we’ve had several thousand chances to watch it over the years and I’m not sad about it. For better or worse, repeated viewings give me a chance to work on my a capella rendition of “That’s How You Know.” Lately, though, I’ve paid more attention to the secondary love story.

(Spoilers for Enchanted ahead)

We all know that Giselle, a fairytale maiden in Andalasia, is moments from her wedding to Prince Edward when someone pushes her down a wishing well. She appears in New York City as Amy Adams, wildly confused by this decidedly not-fairytale…