The Film
Long before Anne Hathaway donned Catwoman's leathery leotard, she was a princess -- in more than one movie. The one that was not part of The Princess Diaries series was Ella Enchanted.
Ella Enchanted puts a spin on the classic Cinderella story. Hathaway is the abused beauty with a stunning singing voice, a wicked stepmother (Joanna Lumley) and two equally evil stepsisters (Lucy Punch and Jennifer Higham). Of course, no princess tale would be complete without a prince charming or "Char," which is played by Hugh Dancy here. Oh, there's also a fairy godmother (Vivica A. Fox), elves, ogres, and a rockin' soundtrack. Think of Ella Enchanted as Cinderella meets Shrek meets A Knight's Tale.
Ella is destined to a live of obedience, a "gift" that she received at birth by her foxy godmother Lucinda (Fox). It's probably a lot better than getting Lucinda's style, because girlfriend could use a wrap or something.
Of course, that gift turns out to be Ella's worst nightmare, as she constantly has to follow orders, even when those commands include ditching her best friend, stealing and murder. Not to worry, this fairytale (spoiler!) has a pretty happy ending. It also has a slew of other famous faces, including Cary Elwes, Minnie Driver, Parminder Nagra, Heidi Klum, and Eric Idle.
Loosely based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel, Ella Enchanted is probably the one that you reach for when you've exhausted all other fairytale films. Both the story and the CGI can get goofy in some spots. That said, Hathway makes for a nice princess and the story should entice its princess-loving target audience.
The Picture
It's pretty obvious that Lionsgate has worked some magic on this 1.78:1 transfer. It's not fairytale perfect, but it's still pretty good. Being a fairytale, the film is filled with soft imagery and you can forget about the detail when those scenes pop up. However, close-ups are good and the film's color palette is pretty enough for any princess story.
The Sound
This fairytale delivers a good deal of directional effects via a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Some of those effects whoosh throughout the surrounds quite nicely and the aforementioned soundtrack comes packing a nice punch as well. Otherwise, all of the singing and dialogue is always very clear on this one.
The Extras
Lionsgate didn't break the spell as far as special features as concerned. Instead, the studio just picked up all of the extras from Ella Enchanted's 2004 DVD release. There's a nice commentary with director Tommy O'Haver and actors Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy, as well as deleted and extended scenes. The one other notable feature is the "The Magical World of Ella Enchanted." It does come off a little dated -- and not just because of Dancy's hair and the standard-def image. It's a half-hour promo piece from the film's release, but it does have some nice tidbits about the film's music, the cast, the director and the production.
Final Thoughts
It's not magic; it's high-def, people. Ella Enchanted is a decent little romp, but is it worth owning on Blu-ray? The film is fine at best and Lionsgate skimping out on additional extras make this one hard to recommend if you already have the DVD. However, if you enjoy the early works of Anne Hathaway and this often-goofy rom-com, Ella Enchanted does get a nice little boost from the Blu-ray format.
Product Details
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