Entertainment Branding | The Beauty Of Enchanted

Like many couples, my wife and I have a deal; we take turns picking which movie we’re going to see next. I usually look for an action-adventure; she typically chooses a romantic comedy. As luck would have it, it was her turn over the holidays, and she dragged me along to see the new Disney film Enchanted.

I’d heard very little about it, other than the fact that it starred that McDreamy character from Grey’s Anatomy.  That’s one strike against it already, I thought.

Was I wrong! It turned out that I liked everything about Enchanted, from the gently subversive, stereotype-flipping story (of course), to the clever animation (a fresh homage to the classic Disney tradition we thought was gone forever), to the witty songs (by Alan Menken of The Little Mermaid fame), to the inspired casting (including Susan Sarandon as the villainess, Amy Adams as Giselle, and, yes, Patrick Dempsey as her love interest).

What struck me immediately after the credits had rolled was what a smart branding move Disney had made.  What’s been the knock on Disney’s animated films?  They’re too saccharine.  They’re too cookie-cutter. They’re too “The Hero’s Journey”.  The Shrek series has made a killing mocking the Disney way.

Now, for the first time since Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Disney has an answer.  It’s the Saturday Night Live strategy: there’s nothing more powerful than a brand having fun with its own image. Nobody can do a better imitation of you than you. A culture that can afford to laugh at itself is a very healthy culture.

Shrek’s going to have to find a new gig.

Disclaimer: I own stock in Disney and regularly do work for the Mouse.