In 2007, Disney gave us a fairytale mixed with realism and we were Enchanted. The Kevin Lima-directed film revolved around Giselle (Amy Adams), originally from Andalasia, who is sent to New York by the evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) and eventually finds her happily ever after with lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey).

It has been 15 years since the release of the hit Disney film and the cast of Enchanted is back with a sequel that is wicked and full of magic. Adam Shankman’s Disenchanted is set 10 years after the events of the first film and shows a much-in-love Giselle and Robert struggling to hold on to their happily ever after in the city. They decide to move to a suburban town called Monroeville. A lot of time has passed between the first film and its sequel, and Robert’s daughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino) from his previous marriage is now a teenager with attitude. The lovey dovey couple also have a daughter, Sofia. Here are five reasons why you should be watching the sequel to Enchanted right now.

The plot: Giselle is both good and evil

While Enchanted gave a much-needed relief from the unrealistic Disney tales, Disenchanted is just as fun with Amy Adams taking on the daunting task of playing both a hero and a villain. Giselle’s cheeriness and fairytale-like attitude falls flat in the suburbs as well.

After a fight with stepdaughter Morgan, Giselle decides to make a wish that transforms Monroeville into a fairytale world. What she does not realise is that her wish also changes the relation between her and Morgan, who is now a stepdaughter out of a fairytale. The wish turns Monroeville into Monroelasia, sucking the magic out of Andalasia, while Giselle morphs into a wicked stepmother with each strike of the clock. Much like a fairytale, the heroes and the villains have till the stroke of midnight to reverse the wish and bring peace to both the places.

The Disney Easter eggs

The fairytale-like Monroelasia comes with plenty of Disney Easter eggs. Magical objects like the spinning wheel from Sleeping Beauty, the ‘drink me’ bottle from Alice in Wonderland and the enchanted rose from Beauty and the Beast make an appearance. The evil Queen Malvina (played by Maya Rudolph) takes the help of a mirror on the wall quite like in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The Disenchanted plot resembles Cinderella’s with Giselle as the evil stepmother and Morgan taking on the role of the attic-living-housework-doing stepdaughter whose life will change at the stroke of midnight. In a song sequence, Morgan poses on a cart while water sprays behind her like the scene from The Little Mermaid where Ariel sits on a rock while seawater sprays behind her.

A battle between two evil Queens

Disney fairytales rely heavily on the role of villains and with Disenchanted we don’t get one but two villains. There’s Giselle who is slowly consumed by magic into becoming a wicked stepmother, and there’s Malvina, the head of town council-turned-evil queen.

While the plot majorly focuses on ‘disenchanting’ Giselle from her own wish, it is the power battle between these two strong women that drive the film forward.

Malvina makes a good evil queen who is hell-bent on preserving her throne. But it is Amy Adams who makes for a fascinating villain as an evil stepmother. While Giselle is a good person, her evil side keeps coming till she finally turns completely evil. In a powerful performance, Adams presents both her personalities while trying to tell Morgan how to save the town. The song Badder captures the essence of the evil Giselle and Malvina trying to one-up each other to show who is ‘badder’.

A mother-daughter relationship is the heart of the story

Much like current Disney movies, Disenchanted centres around themes of familial relationships — the focus is on Giselle and Morgan. A teenaged Morgan isn’t as enchanted by Giselle’s fairytales as before. Giselle, on the other hand, is much too busy taking care of baby Sophia, who is called the ‘true child of Andalasia’ by Nancy and Edward when giving her a gift. This leads to Morgan believing she is only a stepdaughter and can never be a true child of Andalasia, even though Giselle doesn’t think so. The film surrounds a mother’s desire for their daughter to love them the same way again and a daughter trying to find her place in the world while juggling a fracturing relationship with her mother.

The women are in power

Fairytales don’t always equal knights in shining armour and a prince to protect you from dragons and ogres. What Disenchanted does really well is to keep the women in power. Giselle and Malvina’s fight does not involve Robert coming in between. Morgan does not let a man define her worth and does most of the heroic stuff on her own while keeping a cordial flirtation going on with her crush. Even Nancy (Idina Menzel, Queen of Andalasia and ex-fiancee of Robert) does not need Edward (James Marsden, King of Andalasia and ex-fiance of Giselle) to help her save Giselle from evil. The men in the film do exactly what their roles need them to do while remaining princes and heroes.