Why Is James Marsden Barely in ‘Disenchanted’?

James Marsden is barely in the Enchanted sequel—aka Disenchanted, which began streaming on Disney+ today—and I think we can all agree that’s a crime. No shade to six-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams, who is delightful, but Prince Edward was easily the best part of the first film. Disenchanted could have easily made Marsden the best part of the second film, too—but instead pushed poor King Edward to the sidelines. And no matter how many showstopping numbers Idina Menzel sings, you can’t recapture the magic of the first Enchanted movie without Marsden’s goofy, dim-witted charm.

Directed by Adam Shankman, with a screenplay written by Brigitte Hales, Disenchanted picks up 10 years after the events of the first film. Giselle is living out her happily ever after with her husband Robert (Patrick Dempsey), her step-daughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino), and her new infant baby. But the small Manhattan apartment has lost its charm, so Giselle decides to pursue her happy ending in the suburbs—much to Morgan’s dismay. It doesn’t help that the new baby is clearly the favorite of the King and Queen of Andalasia, aka James Marsden and Idina Menzel.

You see, Disenchanted lulls viewers into a false sense of Marsden-filled security by giving King Edward a hilarious scene right off the bat. And oh, what a scene it is. The King and Queen pay a visit to their new goddaughter in the ‘burbs, and the minute Marsden sees Giselle’s new home, his face falls comically. “Your dwelling… are you poor now?” It’s a flawless recreation of Prince Edward’s lovable, clueless narcissism that had the girls in my 7th-grade class howling with laughter. This is the reason so many millennials had a crush on James Marsden!

Marsden sings a fun duet with Menzel, and you better enjoy it while it lasts. Because sadly, after this too-short sequence, King Edward goes back to Andalasia, and that’s the last you see of Marsden for the next 90 minutes. While Menzel returns for the climax, King Edward, for whatever reason, opts to stay behind. It’s not until the very end of the film that Marsden shows up again. The moment he does—play fighting with the kids at a party, and taking it too seriously—the silly, fun-loving energy is back. And you’re left mourning the silly, fun-loving movie that could have been, if only he’d had more screen time.

So why is Marsden barely in Disenchanted? Perhaps the Disenchanted shoot—which was filmed in Dublin in the summer of 2021—didn’t work well for Marsden’s schedule. Marsden also starred in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which was filmed around the same time as Disenchanted and perhaps came with a bigger payday. (Sonic, unlike Disenchanted, went to theaters, and most stars get a cut of the box office profits.)

But c’mon, Disney! If James Marsden has a conflict with the Disenchanted production schedule, you move the Disenchanted production schedule. No offense to Patrick Dempsey, but people aren’t tuning in to see McDreamy. We’re here for the dude who earnestly played charades with a CGI squirrel back in 2007! We want the prince who started singing only to get run over by a flock of Central Park bikers! Give us the man who pulled his sword on a hotel television with absolute sincerity! Prince Edward or bust. Not even Maya Rudolph can fill that gap.