What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that although the movie may give a modern twist to the standard fairy-tale film, the soundtrack is quite traditional. It delivers just what you'd expect from a Disney soundtrack -- sweeping instrumentals and a few kid-friendly, catchy songs.

Families can talk about why fairy-tale ideals still pervade popular culture. What exactly does "Happily Ever After" mean? Why do we like stories that have good and bad characters? How is real life different from a fairy tale? Families can also discuss how the instrumental tracks inspire emotion. Even if a song doesn't have lyrics, does it still make you feel a certain way? How does a composer achieve this? How was this effect used in this movie or other movies?

Common Sense Media Review
Disney has a long tradition of creating popular fairy-tale movies with popular soundtracks. (Think Beauty and the Beast , Aladdin and The Little Mermaid .) This time, there's a new twist on the old cinematic formula. In the movie Enchanted , the cartoon fairy world is brought into the real world and all the standard conventions of Disney storytelling are given a modern twist. However, the soundtrack remains rather conventional even though the songs with kid-appeal are few and far between. In fact, only six songs on the CD include lyrics. Carrie Underwood's power ballad, "Ever Ever After" will have widespread appeal for all ages, while the "Hi-Ho"-inspired "Happy Working Song" will have kids giggling and dancing. The rest of the 15 songs are instrumentals, composed by Disney super-composers Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Although sweeping and easy on the ears, these tracks seem more suited to accompanying a movie scene than standing alone.

For other magically-inspired soundtracks, try Walt Disney's Classic Soundtrack Series, which includes soundtracks from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio . Other wonderful soundtracks: Happy Feet and Cars .