Narissa originally came from Earth
Like Howell Jenkins before her, she found a portal to a land where magic existed and found that she had the ability to use magic herself. When she sent Nathaniel after her stepson, she told him what he needed to know to get around New York (and probably gave him some money as well).- Pip's ancestors came from Earth as well. Why else would he have a Bronxish accent in ANDALASIA?
- Taking that a step further, Narissa is Janet Majors (nee Weiss).note She realized she wanted more from life than just a happy, suburban life with Bradnote (and had been somewhat broken by Frank). So, during their honeymoon in New York, she left Brad and, wandering around the city, ended up falling down the portal to Andalasia. She seduced and then killed the king, attempted to keep his son from being a threat, and the rest is history.
- Being from Earth would explain Narissa being so Genre Savvy. She knows the fairy tale tropes because she saw the movies in the real world.
Andalasia is a matriarchy.
This explains why Prince Edward will only take Narissa's throne if he gets married. If Andalasia were a patriarchy, he would already be king.- Well, of course. What else could a proper magic land be but a Princesspality?
- It could also be that Andalasia has a rule that a monarch must have their own successor before taking the throne. After all, childbirth often follows marriage.
Pip is Jesus
Well... He does save the day by Heroic Sacrifice.- But — he doesn't die. He's seen at the end promoting a book he's written.
- Hello? It's a Disney film. Even in "the real world," Disney metaphysics tend to overrule real-world metaphysics...
After the events of the film, Robert quit his job with the law firm to become a certified marriage counselor.
Because after falling in love with Giselle, helping couples to stay together is a much more fulfilling career for him than helping them to split up. And it makes Morgan and Giselle happier, too.- It looked like both he and Giselle ran the dress store at the end. Presumably, she made the dresses and he did the business work. But this is good, too.
- Maybe he did, and Giselle helps the other way around! Not all of Giselle's fairy-tale advice is purely, well, fantastical—it's always nice to remind your significant other (or, heck, just your friends and family) that they are important to you.
- Jossed, in the sequel Disenchanted (2022), Robert says he’s still a lawyer.
Nancy and Giselle were Switched at Birth.
Due to the magical nature of Andalasia, Love at First Sight works there—"destined" couples do have a Red String of Fate, or some other sort of bond, that connects them together. When they meet for the first time, it goes off to signal to them, "This is who you're supposed to be with!"Nancy was originally born in Andalasia, and her "string" ended up connected to Edward. But she ended up on Earth, and an Earth-baby, Giselle, ended up in her place. (Hey, we don't know where Giselle's parents went.)
Because Giselle grew up in Andalasia, she acquired most of its inherent magic (such as forest friends and magical music); but she didn't have a proper Red String of Fate. The influence of the realm was such that she could feel like she was falling in love at first sight; but as time wore on, the spell would have broken, and she would have found herself increasingly unhappy.
When Nancy and Edward met in the ballroom, Edward was able to reawaken her inherent magic and make her "red string" activate. Giselle found herself more happy in New York, but retained her magic—both because she had spent most of her life using it and because she kept using it (to run her shop).
This takes place inside The Matrix
Andalasia is the first version of The Matrix (everything is beautiful and orderly); New York is in the Matrix where Neo lives. Giselle is a test to see if a person from the First Matrix is compatible with the modern Matrix.- Presumably, when Nancy left for Andalasia at the end, that was the Architect prepping phase two of the experiment, to see if his first Matrix can still serve a useful purpose.
Giselle and the others are from Toontown
Toontown has portals to the real world besides the tunnel in Los Angeles. There's also the golf hole from Space Jam and, evidently, the New York manhole from this movie.- Alternatively, the barrier between Andalusia and Reality will keep destabilize until the portals no longer convert toons to humans. After that point settlers from Andalusia will found what will start as a "Little Andalusia" and eventually become Toon Town.
Giselle is meant to directly symbolize the evolution of the Disney Princesses
At the beginning, she is a true-love obsessed girly girl (i.e. Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora). After she goes to New York for a little while, like about the time she gets the blue dress, she is still very in the clouds but is SLIGHTLY less naive (i.e. Ariel). Later on, though still bright and romantic, she has a bit more of a spirit and can actually get emotions like anger (i.e. Belle, Jasmine). Then at the climax, she takes action and actually engages in combat (i.e. Pocahontas, Mulan). Finally, at the end, she is a very creative, hard working business woman (i.e. Rapunzel, Tiana)- Made of Win analysis!
- Also, Giselle, Nancy, and Morgan each symbolize the three Disney Princess Eras so far. Giselle is sweet, optimistic, and naive at first, like the Classic Princesses, Nancy has spice mixed in with her sugar, like the Renaissance Princesses, and Morgan is young and undefined, like the Revival Princesses.
- On this vein, Disenchanted may introduce a fourth princess who represents the current era.
- Confirmed! Giselle has a baby daughter in Disenchanted.
- On this vein, Disenchanted may introduce a fourth princess who represents the current era.
The movie is a case study of the effects of a Narrativium on reality
Giselle and the rest of the Andalasians come from a world of Pure Narrativium, and they bend reality to fit the story. Why do the animals help clean, even in New York? It fits the story. A spontaneous choreographed song breaks out in Central Park. It fits the story. Prince Edward being run over by the bikes was an attempt by reality to reassert control, but it didn't work — that event fit the greater story of Giselle finding her true love. Nancy's phone had great reception because it magically bypassed the tower system to automatically contact the phone she is calling or the call redirection system that is forwarding to her.
So, erm, yeah. The actual reception isn't really any better than a sewer under Time Square should have. The "No happily ever afters" thing is perfectly true, in-story, just not in the sense Narissa might have been thinking.
It is a result of that place being 'the real world', not a story - the only true 'end' is death (which might have an Happily Ever After, but so far that would be someplace else), so while people can be happy for long, long times, technically they are not happy ever after. The movie is Disney's take on Teen Titans (2003).
Just read this fanfic
to see the resemblance.- Besides, the movie came out in 2007 and the show ended in 2006. Coincidence?
Some characters are distantly related to Disney characters.
- Robert Philip is probably related to Prince Philip, and Narissa is a descendant (or sister) of the Evil Queen.
- So Nancy is probably Anastasia Tremaine's descendant.
- I think that in the 1950 Disney movie that Treamine is Cinderella's last name. So that means in my head at least that Cinderella's dad adopted Drizella and Anastasia. So I like to think of it that Nancy Tremaine is a "missing" cousin of Cinderella's.
- a friend of mine and I like to have this idea that the three step-mothers are somehow related+Maleficent. Like Maleficent is the sister to the Evil Queen (which I guess makes the entire thing about banishing EQ and Evie somewhere after EQ and Eviie doesn't invite Mal to a b-day party a bit more weirder on Descendant Isle of the Lost)-and Evie's great-granddaughter is Lady Tremaine. Lady Tremaine might have been taught magic at some point (maybe from Great-great Aunt Malficent) but decided to marry for love and not riches or anything so was disinherited from learning more magic-I mean how else would you explain how she could so easily use a wand?)
- I think that in the 1950 Disney movie that Treamine is Cinderella's last name. So that means in my head at least that Cinderella's dad adopted Drizella and Anastasia. So I like to think of it that Nancy Tremaine is a "missing" cousin of Cinderella's.
Lips are the only things that touch...
...because all or most babies are born there magically. Considering that most fairy tales invoke the Law of Inverse Fertility, and the solution to said law is usually for a child to be born through unnatural means (out of a flower, or a spell from a fairy godmother, or whatever), no one in Andalasia (or at least, no royal person) has sex. The heir to the Andalasian throne may well be the first naturally-conceived child in years.- Giselle could also be talking about how True Love's Kiss is one of few magical displays of love that doesn't require another magical act to reciprocate it. In Frozen, for instance, it took Anna's sacrifice and Elsa's hug to thaw her.
Andalasia really is a state of mind, as well as a real place.
And so is New York. Anyone who lives in Andalasia is made to be optimistic and has the ability to spontaneously create songs and lyrics, to fit in with the Disneyified natives. Oh, and it spreads, explaining the songs. However, anyone who lives in New York just becomes a normal person, which is why Giselle can't join in Edward's songs anymore. This is to prevent people who travel between the two worlds from being recognised as from a different world or (the more likely) be thought of as crazy. The only reason it took so long with Giselle is because she was a native with a prince - a true Disney princess who belonged in that world more than anyone else.- Perhaps if the theory is true, a potential sequel would involve Giselle re-discovering her inner magic?
- Not quite Jossed as it isn't Word of God, but Amy Adams has noted she believes Giselle is still leading songs in Central Park. She's still the Disney Princess we loved to see, just able to live in our world, now. With that in mind, her not joining in Edward's song just means she isn't as sure as before that he's her One True Love.
- Essentially Jossed by the movie itself, actually—the epilogue clearly shows Giselle's New York animal friends (pigeons, rats, etc.) helping out with the business. It's pretty safe to say if Giselle can still command animals, she can still sing. So...Giselle's still got it.
Andalasia is the Minecraft world
- Main character spawns out of nowhere with no family, etc? Check. Hostile mobs? Check. A witch/sorceress? Check. Building structures that really shouldn't be possible? Check. A portal to another world/dimension? Double check.
- And then the other human characters in Andalasia suggest it's a multiplayer game
- And Narissa is a griefer
- See this player skin for Minecraft◊. It is certainly of a woman with long red hair.
Edward and Giselle are cousins.
- They were drawn to each other because they're related, even though they didn't know it. Think about how Luke and Leia had a connection before they discovered they were siblings. Edward and Giselle also look alike, especially in animated form. Not enough to be sister and brother, but probably first or second cousins. Giselle is considered a princess because she is royal by birth, albeit distantly. Giselle and Edward were split apart to avoid inbreeding in the royal line.
- This may be a matter of how the monarchy system in Andalasia works. In the real world, most of the royal families of Europe were distant cousins by the Medieval period, as a result of generations of royal intermarriage; this meant no small degree of inbreeding as a result. So while it would be entirely feasible by real world standards that they could be cousins if Giselle was already of royal blood (bearing in mind there is no proof of this, given her living arrangement in troll territory), the question is whether Andalasians considered that level of royal inbreeding to be taboo even if they knew about it - which is impossible to say, given that the subject of marital consummation in Disney films begins and ends at True Love's Kiss, and incest is a Disney unmentionable. In the real world this was essentially the norm, and given that we know most of the Disney princess stories are supposed to be set in or based upon various real world kingdoms...
Andalasia is in the same world as Shrek
- Giselle is aware of modern appliances and mentions a villainous Red Riding Hood. She also parodies the Disney Princesses. The world of Shrek features many anachronisms and lacks attachment to its magic; perhaps these things come from our world leaking into theirs.
Edward doesn't care about the throne.
There's never any reason given why Edward isn't already the king other than it having some to do with him being unmarried. Maybe it's not that he was required to marry but that he simply didn't care about being king; he seemed content with just adventuring and fighting trolls and letting Narissa rule. However, once he married, his wife would probably expect to get everything she was entitled to, including being queen. That would explain why Narissa is so focused on Giselle; Edward is no threat to her power while a potential wife might be. To add to that, when Edward hears of her crimes, he tells her that her days as queen are over, suggesting he had the option to take over at anytime.Disenchanted
Morgan will become a princess in Disenchanted.
- Morgan will be sixteen in Disenchanted. Many Disney Princesses are sixteen, so it's likely that Morgan will become a princess in some way in the sequel. Morgan becoming a princess would also work with the idea of her symbolizing the Revival Era, which has developed from the little era it was during Enchanted into a developed Disney era. Morgan's interpretation of being a princess will likely involve being a princess in deed rather than birth or marriage. She will likely not have a love interest, seeing recent Disney Princesses.
Nancy and Edward will have a daughter in Disenchanted.
- On the above point, as Morgan will be a teenager, a new kid character may emerge for the sequel. This character will represent the Post-Revival Era, balancing romance and independence while forging her own identity.
Giselle is a 10 level Bard.
- She's able to musically enchant animals and groups of people to her bidding, has a propensity towards flashy clothing, and is able to competently sword fight a purple dragon with just a rapier and her animal companion. Robert is either simply Bad Ass Normal enough to resist her will save checks until 'That's How You Know' or simply has a high Will Save.
