- "Is that the only word you know? 'No'?"
- – Giselle, to Robert
Giselle is the main protagonist of Disney's 2007 animated/live-action feature film Enchanted.
When soon-to-be married Giselle is magically transported from the animated fairy tale world of Andalasia to the downtown streets of modern-day New York, she sets out on a journey to find her way back to Andalasia and marry Edward, the prince of her dreams. A problem occurs, however, when Giselle realizes that she is falling in love with New York native Robert, and must choose between him and Edward.
Giselle is voiced and portrayed by Amy Adams.
Appearance and personality[]
Physical appearance[]
Giselle is a beautiful young woman, most likely in her late-teens or early twenties. She is slender and attractive with fair skin, red bright long blonde hair, and blue-green eyes.
Personality[]
At the beginning of the film, Giselle is portrayed as a typical Disney princess, with both physical and personality traits that are reminiscent of Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, and Ariel. Because she lives in the perfect fanstasy world of Andalasia, Giselle never experiences negative emotions such as frustration and anger, which, in contrast, are quite common on Earth. She constantly dreams of finding her "Prince Charming", with whom she'll fall in love and live happily ever after. This both parodies and pays homage to the first three Disney Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora). She also enjoys singing, making her own clothes, and has several talking animal friends (including Pip the chipmunk) who help her both in Andalasia and New York.
When Giselle arrives in New York City by way of a manhole, her flawless life in Andalasia has made her blind to the complexity of Earth. Her naivety and cheerfulness tend to frustrate Robert, a cynical New Yorker who agrees to let Gislle stay with him until Edward, her dream prince from Andalasia, comes for her. However, over the course of the film, Giselle's experiences with Robert open her to a new and more complex world than she had ever experienced in Andalasia, along with introducing her to emotions such as anger and sadness. She also introduces Robert to true love, fun, and adventure, turning him into a much happier person.
By the end of the film, Giselle has matured into an independant, responsible, and rather heroic heroine, to the point of which she saves Robert from Queen Narissa at the film's climax, now exhibiting more modern Disney heroine traits from princesses such as Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine. Despite having matured over the course of the film, Giselle still maintains her sense of innocence, optimism, and kind nature.
Role in film[]
Giselle first appears in the film living in the forest in a house with her woodland animal friends. They help her make a manequin of her dream prince and she explains to them about how she wants a true loves kiss with that special person, particularly a prince. She is soon attacked by a giant ogre who attempts to eat her. With the help of her best friend Pip, she manages to send the ogre flying, but falls off a tree when the tree branch she is holding breaks. She then meets Prince Edward who, captivated with her beauty and voice, decides to marry her the next day. Giselle, elated she has found her special someone, rushes to the castle the next day to be wed. However, Prince Edward's evil stepmother, Queen Narissa, wants to be the queen of Andalasia forever, and therefore doesn't want Giselle to marry Edward, as it would make Giselle take over as queen. Narissa therefore pretends to be an old hag and leads Giselle to a "wishing well" so she can make a wish before she gets married. Giselle wishes to live happily ever with Prince Edward but is pushed by Narissa into the well which leads to Earth at present-day New York.
Giselle is at first very distressed by her surroundings as no one tries to help her and she can't find her way back. Eventually, she meets Robert and his daughter Morgan who climbed out of the taxi they were riding ater seeing Giselle. She falls asleep in Robert's apartment and he allows her to stay the night. She decides to repay them the next morning by cleaning up the house with the help of the animals of New York City. Robert, however, is not at all pleased as there are rodents, bugs, and other animals in his house and he shoos them away. He is further annoyed when his girlfriend,, Nancy, appears, and sees Giselle wrapped in a shower towel on top of them (though she merely tripped and fell on him). He tries to find out where she lives and send her there, to no success. He then tries to leave her and gives her money so she can "call" her prince. However, after he sees her giving the money away to an old woman, he decides to follow after her.
The two soon spend the rest of the day getting to know each other and she manages to find happiness with the initially-cynical Robert, her time with Robert opening her eyes to a reality that was more complex and engaging than anything she had previously known, growing from her old role as a 'damsel in distress' to a strong, confident fighter. Nathaniel, who was sent by Narissa to kill Giselle with a poison apple, also appears throughout their day to try to kill Giselle, to no avail. The two begin to understand more about eachother and develop feelings for one another, although both do not yet realize their feelings. Eventually, Prince Edward finally manages to find Giselle and asks her to come back with him. She asks Prince Edward if she can go on a date with him before they go. The two enjoy their date together but giselle still tries to buy time so she can stay longer in New york. She tells Prince Edward about an upcoming ball and he decides they should go there and then come back to Andalasia. She agrees and enlists Morgan's help in getting her ready. The two begin to bond like a mother and daughter. Meanwhile, Narissa is upset that Nathaniel has not killed Giselle yet and decides to finsih the job herself.
Giselle comes to the ball and dances with Prince Edward and with Robert and realizes her feelings for Robert. However, she knows that Nancy and he are together and upon seeing them kiss, has her heart broken. Narissa approaches Giselle once more as an old hag and gives her an apple wich she says will make her forget about her experiences on Earth. She bites it and faints. Narissa tries to escape but Prince Edward cathes her and Nathaniel reveals her treachery, no longer wanting to do her dirty work. Prince Edward tries to wake her with a kiss, but it fails. Robert then tries it and she wakes up. Narissa, angered that her plan failed, transforms into a dragon to try and kill Giselle, but instead catches robert as he defends her. With the help of Pip and Robert, Giselle successfully kills Narissa and shares her second kiss with Robert. Prince Edward decides to give up on Giselle and soon falls in love with Robert's ex-girlfriend Nancy and vice versa and the two live happily ever after. Giselle also lives happily ever after with Robert and Morgan, becoming part of their family and starting her own fashion range.
Songs[]
- "True Love's Kiss"
- "Happy Working Song"
- "That's How You Know"
Gallery[]
