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lena-in-a-red-dress · 2 years

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Disenchanted Rewrite

The biggest change I would make to Disenchanted? Make Morgan the focal point.

And to avoid using the crutch of teenage angst as a plot point, make her different. She's the kid who never had to grow out of magic, because she knows it's real, she's seen it herself. She's bright and bubbly and likes the whimsical kinds of clothes her mom designs and makes.

But with her parents busy, a new baby sister, and a sudden move to the suburbs she wasn't asked about, her cheeriness starts to crack a little. From the time they arrive it's one bad happening after another, which all seem to center on Morgan.

To top it all off, Edward and Nancy come to visit with their special gift for baby Sophia. A wishing rod, one that can only be used by a true child of Andalasia. Morgan is all but ignored in favor of the baby, and we can tell that while Morgan loves and adores her baby sister, she's feeling very alone.

She goes to her first day school (I'm torn between NOT relying on the "kids are inherently cliquet shitheads" and Morgan's individuality-- which would have been valued in NYC-- making her othered), and ends up meeting another kid.

The popular girl.

The popular girl whose mom is the head of every committee and is generally very commandeering and demanding. The popular girl who would rather do robotics than cheerleading, who loves to read but rarely has time with her extra curriculars. Who adores Morgan from the moment this new girl spots her and immediately-- genuinely and cheerily-- compliments her, instead of being daunted or intimidated by her.

This popular girl-- let's call her... Sarah-- and Morgan immediately hit it off. Morgan invites Sarah over to her new home after school, and Sarah manages to get approval from her mom (we'll call her Vivian) with the caveat that Sarah gather "information" on Monroeville's newest residents.

Even though she has a guest, Morgan is asked to watch baby Sophia while her dad is at work and Giselle is busy negotiating a fabric order or something. So they're in the nursery when the conversation deepens.

Turns out Sarah is ALSO a step-daughter. Except that she remembers her mom and misses her terribly, which only makes her relationship with Vivian even more strained, who Sarah feels is trying to make her into this perfect carbon copy of who Vivian was in her own high school days.

Towards the end, Sarah tries to lighten the conversation by remarking how much she envies Morgan's light-heartedness-- how happy she seems, and how genuine she is. It's like.... she sees the good in everything, like-- everyone gets their own happy ending. Even her house seems like the basis of a fairytale.

To which Morgan shares that her life isn't as happy as it seems. She's lonely, she feels overlooked. She loves Sophia, but sometimes she misses the times when her family was just the three of them. What makes it worse is that she's SEEN fairytales come to life. She knows what a happy ending looks like, but it no longer feels like her own is guaranteed.

If only she were able to live a fairytale of her own.

Cue Sarah spotting the glitter of the wishing rod. She asks Morgan what it is, and Morgan tells her point blank. Sarah's reaction makes it clear that she's not sure she believes it, or simply accepts it as a metaphor, but either way she plucks it up and plops back down next to Morgan and is like-- "Let's do it. Let's wish for a fairytale."

And they do.

Nothing happens immediately. It's not until the next day that Morgan wakes up to find Sarah gone and herself in a magical world where she's the step-daughter and treated like Cinderella. Giselle is distant and cold towards her (a sharp contrast to what we've thus far seen from Giselle, which has been good intentions but distracted, abbreviated execution) yet fawns over Sophia.

When Morgan goes to market, she looks for Sarah. Finally, she spots Sarah walking beside her mother in nice clothes but clearly miserable. Their eyes meet and to Morgan's relief Sarah recognizes her immediately. At the next shop, Sarah makes up a pretense of wanting to peruse a street stall. Vivian sneers, but allows it.

Morgan runs to Sarah and they collide into a fierce embrace. In a jumble of words and confusion, they eventually work out that their wish indeed came true, but it's clearly not the fairytale life they intended. They agree that they need to reverse the wish, and fast.

With the Monroe-fest/ball happening that evening, Morgan has enough knowledge of fairytales to surmise that they have until modnight to reverse the wish before it becomes permanent. They make a plan for Morgan to find the wishing rod and bring it to a pond Sarah knows about, and that Sarah would find a way to slip away from her step-mother and meet her there.

Morgan upholds her end of the plan, but Sarah never shows. Time for plan B. Morgan finds her way to Sarah's family house to discover it's a sprawling mansion. Not only that, as the wish has continued to spread its roots, the years and years of misgivings between Sarah and her step-mom have created a nexus of dark energy, slowly turning the manor into the castle of an evil queen.

Knowing she has no hope of breaking in alone, Morgan calls on the only magical experts left available to her-- Edward and Nancy. After brief rundown to apprise them of events, they readily commit to helping her.

They devise a plan for Edward to provide a distraction at the front gates while Nancy and Morgan scale the perimeter wall and sneak into the castle. The only problem is, Edward posits, is that they don't know where exactly Sarah is.

Nancy and Morgan share a Look.

"The Tower," they declare in unison.

As Morgan and Nancy sneak through corridor after corridor, they talk. Nancy asks why Morgan wished something like this, and Morgan releases all her frustrations in a rush, citing her dark feelings and culminating in her deepest misgiving-- that she's not a daughter of Andalasia.

Nancy stops her right then and there. "Oh, sweetheart," she says, cupping Morgan's face and wiping her tears away. "Being a child of Andalasia isn't about where you were born. It's about what's in your heart."

Morgan is doubtful, and Nancy gives her a warm, kind smile.

"Don't believe me? Look around you, Morgan-- how else would the rod have granted your wish?"

That certainly gives Morgan to think about as they resume their trek towards the Tower. When they reach the locked chamber at the top, Sarah can be heard on the other side, shocked and relieved that Morgan has come for her.

When they descend with Sarah in tow, the sounds of encroaching guards funnel them into the grand hall of the castle where the ball is being held, and where Sarah's step-mother--- now an evil sorceress complete with magic-- is waiting for them.

Vivian delivers a monologue worthy of any villianess, declaring that she knew Morgan was no good the moment she laid eyes on her. She could not allow her daughter to comingle with such peasantry, for her daughter is to one day be the next dark queen, and they will rule the kingdom together in all their evil glory.

"No," Sarah speaks up. She steps forward to stand beside Morgan with her chin high. "I'm not you. I will never be you. Why can't you just let me forge my own path, and be who I want to be?"

"Because you are mine!" Vivian roars. Her glare turns to Morgan. "I will not allow you to fill my daughter's head with such thoughts any further."

"She deserves to be free to make her own choices!" Morgan calls out.

"There is nothing YOU can do to stop me."

Morgan straightens, standing tall and proud. "You're wrong. I am NOT nobody. I am a true daughter of Adalasia, and I will do everything in my power to stop you!"

With a roar, Vivian lashes out with her magic. The inky tendrils of darkness meets a forcefield born of Morgan's magic, which repels the beam in a flash of shimmering light. Vivian presses harder with her magic, nearly breaking through, but Sarah clasps Morgan's hand, and the shield strengthens with their combined might.

Vivian counters by supplementing her magic with the life force of the ball's attendees. Again, the shield nearly fails, but then Nancy grips Morgan's free hand. And then, finally, one more hand reaches up to clasp Morgan's shoulder from behind.

Morgan looks back to find Giselle, her features warm and adoring like Morgan remembers from before Sophia was born. Having been at the ball with Robert before Morgan burst in, she's heard Morgan's speech, which has woken her from her wish-induced role.

"I am so proud of you, Morgan," Giselle tells her, eyes glistening with tears. "I love you so much. I know you can do this. WE can do this."

Bolstered by the support of those around her, Morgan faces the evil queen once more and with a roar of her own sends a pulse of love and light throughout the room, severing Vivian's connection to the attendees and sapping her of power. As Vivian rises once more with hate in her eyes, she begins to craft a final, devastating spell.

"Morgan, now!" Giselle calls.

Pivoting towards Sarah, Morgan pulls out the rod and they clasp it together, their hands piling over each other. Together, they say the magic words.

"I wish."

Just as Vivian's spell blasts towards them, the world around them fades away, and when the girls open their eyes once more, they are back in Sophie's room, seemingly having fallen asleep while the baby napped.

With an almost frantic relief, the pair scramble downstairs to assure themselves that the world truly has regained its true shape. There nothing is out of place, except for Giselle in her office. Through the open door, Morgan can see her step-mother-- her mom-- pause in her pacing. After a moment of quiet, Giselle abruptly tells the caller on the other end that she has to go, and promptly hangs up.

She pulls back the door of her office and meets Morgan's gaze, proving that Giselle remembers everything. When Giselle surges towards her, Morgan opens her arms and hugs her mom tightly.

"I'm so sorry," Giselle tells her. "I never meant to make you feel that way. I promise, I won't let it happen again."

Morgan nods into her shoulder. "I love you, mom."

Eventually, Sarah reluctantly returns home. But to her surprise, Vivian quietly calls her into the living room for a talk.

"Do you enjoy cheerleading?"

The strange question takes Sarah aback, and she scrambles to find an appropriate answer. "I.... don't dislike it."

"If you had a choice, would you have chosen it?"

Sarah almost fibs, but at the last minute pulls on the strength she'd gained with Morgan in the wish world.

"No." She lifts her gaze to meet Vivian's. "No, I wouldn't."

For a long moment, Vivian is quiet. Then, she rises from her prim seat on the couch and approaches Sarah, taking the girl's hands in hers. It's a rare moment of physical contact.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Vivian says. "I've tried to guide you into the things I enjoyed because it felt like the only way I could connect with you. But I realize now that it only served to drive you further away." Vivian pauses, taking a breath. "I don't want to be just your step-mom, Sarah. I want to be your mom."

It's all Sarah has ever wanted to hear. And Vivian's honesty is audible in her voice, tangible in the way her hands tremble ever so slightly in Sarah's. In a split second, Sarah makes her choice.

She flings her arms around Vivian, and hugs her tight. Surprised, it takes Vivian a moment to recover, but when she does she is quick to reciprocate.

"Let's find a new way forward," she murmurs. "Together."

The film ends with Sarah and Morgan walking into school together, greeting their other friends as they go. Giselle and Vivian are manning the bake sale (for the robotics team) outside, comfortable and supporting their daughters with mutual enthuasium.

And they lived happily.

#disenchanted rewrite #does this count as having spoilers?#it looks nothing like what was given #also just assume the songs are there and are well-written #better songs #catchier songs #anyway #here you go #this is my most in depth and complete version of how it could be done better #but i have other ideas too #just saying #theres myriad ways we could have gotten something more compelling #also this is meant to be a kids movie #so morgan and sarah dont have to end up in a romance #what do you think?#let me know

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