Magic and fairytales

I grew up during Disney's Golden Era when animated masterpieces were released every summer. The Little Mermaid (1989) is the first movie I ever remember seeing (and it has been my favorite movie ever since then). We'd flown to Arizona to visit my aunt and her husband, and I remember settling down on the floor of their living room with a big tub of popcorn to watch Ariel and her friends swirl around on the screen.

My sister and I (and later our brother) looked forward to each new movie. Aladdin. Beauty and the Beast. The Lion King. We weren't as impressed with Pocahontas, but MuLan was awesome! We caught up with the classics (Robin Hood, Cinderella, Snow White, etc.) on Beta/videotapes and on the Disney channel.

A childhood dream of mine was to grow up and be the voice of a Disney princess. I wouldn't be surprised if the Disney movies influenced my love of singing and music. And ... it's quite likely that they've affected my views of relationships.

When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted my first kiss to happen while I was watching The Little Mermaid with a guy. He'd hear the song "Kiss the Girl" and decide that was the right moment. To me, this would have been incredibly romantic. Now I think back on that and chuckle ... because my first kiss definitely did not have the magic that Disney kisses seem to have. (When I returned to my dorm room after that first kiss, I woke up my roommate and burst into tears because it wasn't the fairytale kiss I'd always imagined!)

So ... naturally, when I saw previews for Enchanted at a movie I saw this summer (Becoming Jane, which I loved), I was quite giddy. A Disney princess- in real life? (Well, in live-action) Great! A non-animated portrayal of a dream I'd nurtured since childhood! I made my sister promise that we'd see it together over this break. When I called while driving home on Wednesday, we made plans to see it that afternoon.

I LOVED IT! There were several spoofs on the classic movies (i.e. playing the theme music from The Little Mermaid while the main character stood near an aquarium, characters randomly breaking into song, helpful animals, etc.), and parts of it were incredibly cheesy. My sister pretended to roll her eyes, but her smile revealed that she enjoyed it as much as I did. It's a must-see movie for anyone else who has (secretly or not) harbored the dream that her life will turn out like a Disney fairytale. :-)