“Tftoml is not going to have the story be blatant Caucasian Conservative propaganda” do you feel like the original Disenchanted was that? (genuine question)
Yes I really do think it was that. To sum it up, it basically focused on it’s white protagonists trying to live in their new suburban home, Giselle goes from being a successful fashion designer to a stay home mom and not once does she make anything out of the carpet, curtains, and duvet cover (that’s when you know something’s off.) Malvina and later Giselle act like the competing Karen moms over the allegorical PTA leadership and it enforces heteronormativity through Morgan and Tyson’s unnecessary and poorly built up romance. Sorry if that’s all I got for my answer, I’m busy trying to finish Chapter 2 this November. Tftoml’s going to be my own Nanowrimo fanfic project.
I know this blog is called alescendants but Disenchanted is still Disney and it makes sense to write my opinions on it here. These are my personal opinions, everyone is entitled to have their own thoughts on this movie.
I wrote a lot so it’s all hiding under the readmore:
PROS
Finally, we know why Giselle was living with animals in the woods!
Morgan calling Giselle ‘Mom’ was so pure ngl
Seeing Giselle, Robert, Edward, and Nancy all being friends years later was so sweet, and the latter two being Sofia’s godparents? My heartt 😭😭
And finally Nancy sings! I keep repeating “For through this wand from Andalasia flows the magic of our magic world to here”, and also Love Power obviously lol
"Congratulations on the increasing size of your progeny." and "Hogwashery!" in this film vs "I don't know what ‘melodramatic’ means" in the first film. Bless you, Edward, you're academic now and I am so proud of you
“Morgan, if you want to be mad, you be mad at me. But you do not talk to your mother like that!” >>>
Robert is the blueprint for all men I swear
Morgan hating the move is all the better when you remember Robert said she’s shy and doesn’t have many friends. I feel you, Morgan, I suck at making friends too 😀🤝
I don’t get why people don’t like the music, I loved all of it! It saved the movie imo.
Maya Rudolph can SINGGGGGGGG
“Nobody ever would bother to tell a tale with Maleficent and with Cruella.” That was good honestly.
Gabriella Baldacchino is so good in this! She can really sing, good for her.
CONS
Everyone saying ‘the whole cast is back’ when Nathaniel wasn't in the movie (as well as Narissa for obvious reasons) felt very weird and wrong to me
Why was Edward barely in the movie?? His himbo energy is a big part of makes the first film so great imo, and while he did steal the three scenes he was in (yes, three), he deserved to be in the movie more. Also this is a personal issue but I hate how he’s never called ‘King Edward’, as I was hoping his Disney Wiki page would be able to be retitled to that lmao. His name is King Edward of Andalasia, put some respect on his name.
And I was hoping he’d have a scene with Morgan detailing his own experiences with wicked stepmothers. But he and Nancy were missing for the whole middle act 😭, AND James Marsden deserved to sing more!
Robert too. Why did they make him an idiot knight? He’s not endearing like Edward, he just annoyed me. And they obviously kept him out of most of the film because True Love’s Kiss would undo Giselle’s wish. It pissed me off how nobody thought of doing that lmao
“We bring love from Andalasia and offer belated birthday cheer.” That was in the trailer, they filmed a part for it. It and the rest of the lyrics are in the official Spotify song, so why was it cut out of the film? So unnecessary.
Same with the Monroeville portion of the opening song, it should’ve been kept in.
The 2D animation sucks, and why did Nancy look so different? She and Idina both don’t have blue eyes, where did that even come from?
I wanted Giselle to go back to Andalasia and for Robert to go there period. We need to fully see how he looks in 2D and how Giselle changed.
And I dislike the implication that Giselle has never returned to Andalasia and shown Robert and Morgan where she grew up. As IF she’d never say goodbye to the animals who raised her. And since Morgan always asked for stories about Andalasia, why not TAKE her there? Literally what is stopping her? It’s bad writing.
And speaking of Morgan, yes teens are angsty but it still hurt to see her fight with Giselle (their relationship in the first movie is precious).
And I’m confused about the whole wicked stepmother thing? “It’s not true what they say, I have met so many kind and wonderful stepmothers.” What happened to that?
But ignoring that, Morgan calling Giselle her stepmother in the argument hurt bad. Because she knows how Giselle (apparently) feels about stepmothers and she was obviously trying to hurt her.
Giselle could’ve done her animal call and it either doesn’t work or ravens and other animals portrayed as villains (snakes, rats like in Lady and the Tramp) show up. That’d fuck her up and it’d be cool to watch! And Morgan sang the animal call in pt 2 of Fairytale Life, she should’ve done it for real.
Malvina was disappointing. I was expecting her to be an Andalasian who Narissa banished, like Giselle. Maybe they’re related (like Ursula and Morgana) and/or she was threatened by her magical competition so she sent her away. And with a name with Malvina, it made sense to me that she’d be Andalasian. Clearly that was the intention and I don’t get why the team behind the movie would trick the audience like that bc it’s the opposite of a good plot twist. Queen Narissa had way less screen time and I prefer her way better.
Plus it’d keep Narissa relevant to the plot which was not the case and I was deeply disappointed.
I predicted that with Monroeville’s slogan literally being “Your Fairy Tale starts here!”, it’d be designed by Malvina to be a trap for Andalasians to find out how they left Andalasia and if she can take their portal back there. Like there was so much potential that went wasted.
And where the hell is Malvina’s husband? (He’s on the billboard with Malvina and Tyson at the entrance of Monroeville, so he definitely existed at one point.) If he’s dead, at least just mention it once?
Why was Morgan and Tyson’s song cut? It’d give him + their relationship much needed development and it’s a cute song.
Rosaleen and Ruby were annoying. I love YNB and Jayma but their characters aggravated me.
Sofia crying after Morgan was pushed down the well could’ve been a chance for Giselle to break away from her evil self to care for her daughter. I thought that’d happen. We all did, right?
following what the jr. novel said re: Robert’s new law firm and Giselle’s new design studio are right next door to each other — they visit each other for lunch every day. sometimes she’ll go to his office, other days, he’ll go to hers. I headcanon they used to have lunch together every day prior to moving, so being able to pick this little habit back up after the move/once everything was situated was really great for them.
I headcanon that Giselle isn’t crazy about leaving Sofia at daycare, so she brings their daughter with her to her studio. as she gets older, she chooses between going to Giselle’s studio for the day, or Robert’s office. usually, she picks Giselle’s, because it’s way more kid friendly/fun. but Robert has a side room in his office just for her, where she can watch movies, play games, color, etc. and she really loves it there, too, so sometimes it’s a bit harder for her to pick. she especially likes any time she gets to sit at Robert’s desk with him, and pretend to answer the phone, and “work” on his computer.
Morgan and Tyson start dating a week or so before summer break starts. they’re both awkward, nervous teenagers, so it took them a couple months to finally actually say something. I actually might write a little fic about this, maybe, but my idea right now is that Tyson asks her to a dance, and she awkwardly kisses his cheek when he’s dropping her off at home, and then the next day he, very awkwardly, asks her to be his girlfriend. can’t stress enough how awkward and dorky they are 💚
I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I struggle a bit with Morgan, specifically what hobbies/interests she might have. I know for sure she loves drawing, and photography, but I bounce back and forth on if she’s interested in stuff like sports. right now, for some reason, I’ve been liking the idea of her playing volleyball, and I have Giselle mention it in a current little WIP, but I’m still kinda . hmmmm about it. I like the idea of her working behind the scenes for the drama club, too, so … mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I wrote a fic ages ago, and have since deleted it, but shortly after the whole wish debacle, Robert can see Giselle is still struggling mentally, and they spend the whole day painting Sofia’s new room. the productivity, and teamwork, really helps put Giselle’s mind at ease — might rewrite that someday.
Morgan’s clothes being all burned up is still a small issue for a week or so, and I headcanon she borrowed Robert’s stuff for a few days (why she didn’t do that in the movie is beyond me, I doubt his t-shirts would’ve been that big on her, but I won’t get into that here) but once they find time, Giselle takes her on a big shopping spree, similar to the first movie’s montage. it’s just the two of them, and gosh, it helps them both so much 💛
shortly after the wish debacle, Giselle and Morgan have a long talk, with Giselle apologizing because she had no idea Morgan was doubting their relationship and living in fear that she wasn’t really her daughter anymore. I’ve tried writing this a few times as well, maybe someday I’ll write a version I actually like.
Robert never likes Malvina, and I feel like Morgan wouldn’t really either, despite them both loving Tyson. makes family get togethers really fun 💕 Giselle has no issues, though, and any time Robert huffs about Malvina being around, she has to squeeze his arm, and whisper, “be nice.” to which he says, “tell her that, not me.”
according to the jr. novel, Edward and Nancy start coming over for dinner every Sunday, and I kinda love that idea. I think the portal being in their backyard makes visits way easier, and they’d definitely come by more often. Robert and Morgan groan about it, of course, but they are family 💕
I go back and forth on if I want Edward and Nancy to have any kids. I really do love the idea of them having a son, though! one that Sofia eventually becomes best friends with, they do everything together. he barely talks, he’s so shy, and usually hides behind Nancy, but he loves the Philips.
Tyson goes to Robert for dating advice once, it’s so painfully awkward, and Edward is there, which makes things even worse, because he’s demanding Tyson serenade Morgan, and Robert is like, “she’ll kill you if you do that, also please don’t come to be for advice. I might be married, but I really don’t know why she picked me.” Tyson eventually figures out things on his own 💚
Giselle and Robert have a joint office in their new home. Giselle’s desk is by the window, Robert’s is near the wall, and they absolutely love working together. they used to do something similar, where he’d be working at the dining table, while she was sewing in the living room, but now it’s even better, and a bit less cramped/cluttered, since they have an entire room dedicated to their work. they just love being together, and they actually get a lot done, despite constantly distracting each other.
I definitely have more, but I just went to the dentist, so my teeth are a bit achy, and that’s making it harder to think 💔
okay now i need to know what tyson’s relationships with robert and giselle are like. both when he’s morgan’s new boyfriend and even later down the road as a son-in-law. neeeed to hear how they feel about this boy!!! (i assume they like him because he seems incredibly likable but like!! specifics please!!!)
(BONUS POINTS FOR TYSON & HIS LITTLE SISTER-IN-LAW)
sorry i know my head is jumping super far into the future so feel free to answer whenever lmao
Oh, Giselle loves Tyson. We see a small glimpse of her happiness when she sees him and Morgan talking in the movie, but it's during the curse, so after that breaks, and she sees them talking for real, she's over the moon.
Every time Morgan comes home from school she's like "so... how is Tyson 👁️" and Morgan gets all grumbly and blushy about it, but secretly wants to talk about him. like she really, really wants to talk about him.
I also love the idea of Morgan asking her "does this whole heart fluttering crap ever stop, cause it's annoying" and Giselle's like "🥹 your heart is fluttering ????? 🥹🥹🥹" and then tells her No, it does Not stop !! Ever !!
When he starts coming over, Giselle asks like a million questions, and Tyson can barely keep up, but he tries his best !! Morgan was worried he might get overwhelmed with her family, or annoyed, but he really loves them !! They're funny, and silly, and weird, and he likes that. Plus, his mom is funny, and silly, and weird, so he really can't judge.
And no one tell Malvina, but Tyson thinks Giselle's cooking is better 🫢
I also really love the idea of Giselle learning he plays basketball and immediately telling Robert "we should put one of those hoops in the backyard" and when he asks why she says "because Tyson plays?? hello???" and he has to remind her that they just started dating, but she just waves him off, and orders one 😭
Robert thinks Tyson is a Nice Boy. I headcanon Tyson lost his dad when he was ten, so he really enjoys Robert's company. When he gets more comfortable with the Philip family, he starts asking Robert to perform magic tricks for him, and Morgan thinks it's so embarrassing but Robert's like "you wanna see my tricks?? omg check this out, I got Giselle to fall in love with me with this one" and Tyson's just like "this is the coolest shit I've ever seen"
Also, Robert can juggle, and Tyson always wants to see him do that too. They're simply losers, your honor.
With Sofia, Tyson is like a brother to her, that's her big brother !! She's basically known him her whole life, so she's just always considered him family. She loves when he and Morgan come to visit after they've left for college, and !! Tyson always plays in the dirt with her !!!! He isn't afraid of/grossed out by worms or bugs like Robert & Morgan are, so when Tyson comes over she's like "you have to play in the dirt with me and Mama" and he's like "okay :D !"
I also have this image in my head of Tyson & Morgan taking her to the park and bc Tyson is so tall, he's able to pick her up so she can touch the basketball hoop, which makes her very happy.
And, of course, Edward & Nancy love him too. He thinks Edward is so fuckin Funny and he looooooves when they start randomly singing. The first time it happened, he was thrown off, and didn't get it, but now he's practically begging them to sing, and joins in himself !!
Overall, he fits in perfectly with the Philip family, he's basically one of them. Malvina eventually comes around, and starts to like them too, but she definitely leaves when the singing, and mushiness starts, she can't stomach All That.
