‘Disenchanted’: Idina Menzel Finally Gets to Sing a Song in the ‘Enchanted’ Sequel
Many top Hollywood stars have long and storied histories with Disney, and fans eagerly awaited a sequel to Enchanted. The follow-up sees many original cast members — including Patrick Dempsey — reprise their roles. Among the returning cast members are Amy Adams, James Marsden, and Idina Menzel. For Menzel, the sequel Disenchanted is particularly sweet because she finally gets a solo after her original was cut from Enchanted.
Disney’s ‘Enchanted’ was a roaring success
No one needs to sing the praises of Disney’s creatives to demonstrate its widespread success, but some of their creations have a reach that outpaces the rest. That was the case for Enchanted, a 2007 film packed with talented stars and a blend of classic Disney fantasy with gritty reality.
The unique mix brought the film rave reviews and earned it a 93% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Multiple reviews use the word “delight,” and it seems the infectious musical charm and top-notch acting produced a delightful experience for many viewers.
Of course, any successful movie begs for a revival, and fans expected a sequel. With the 15th highest-grossing film of 2007, Disney had plenty of incentive to remake the magic. Why, then, did the entertainment giant take 15 years to deliver?
It wasn’t supposed to be that long. Disney began working on a sequel only a few years later, but creative differences, script delays, and shake-ups in directors pushed production back multiple times. Finally, the stars have aligned, and much of the original cast is back.
Idina Menzel has a solo in ‘Disenchanted’
In 2007’s Enchanted and 2022’s Disenchanted, Idina Menzel portrays Nancy, a supporting character. By the film’s end, she has married Prince Edward and left her New York lifestyle for happily ever after — conflicting with her other Disney Princess character Elsa’s insistence that you “can’t marry a man you just met.”
Menzel is famous for her voice. Her musical performances include originating the part of Maureen in Broadway’s production of Rent (a role she reprised for the film version) and originating Elphaba in Wicked. In the original script for Enchanted, Menzel’s character had a solo, but it ended up on the cutting-room floor, IMDb reports.
To fans’ delight, Menzel has a solo in Disenchanted, which features seven songs and reprises Patrick Dempsey’s first foray into a lead singing role.
The ‘Disenchanted’ cast is focused on fun
In interviews about the production, the stars have repeatedly mentioned how much fun they had filming Disenchanted.
Menzel told FilmIsNow that “just being a part of the Disney family has been one of the greatest gifts in my life.” She cited the “amazing” and “supportive” fans as an excellent part of her acting journey.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, many of the movie’s other actors pointed to how much fun they had making Disenchanted. Maya Rudolph (who plays Malvina) said dressing up like a villain was “the most fun.” And Menzel noted that playing opposite James Marsden was “fun and silly.” Marsden added they were all so excited that the original project worked so well and called the “sincerity” of it “magical.” He said he hopes they recaptured that unique mix in the sequel.
