Adams is dazzling as the displaced damsel, no doubt a Disney icon for young girls everywhere. She’s a cartoon incarnate with a personality as cheery and bouncy as the strawberry-blonde ringlets that cascade over her tiara. Her mannerisms are flowery, her giggle is sugary sweet, her eyes sparkle in wonderment. Her transformation from caricature to dynamic human being is a treat to watch.

The dashing Marsden gets to show off his comedic talents as well as his singing chops (as he did in Hairspray) as the narcissistic and dimwitted Prince Edward. The scene where he begins singing a romantic ballad only to be run over by bikers in Central Park is laugh-out-loud funny. Susan Sarandon is in full evil-stepmother mode (although she’s a bit underused) as the power-hungry queen of the fictional land of Andalasia hell-bent on keeping the thrown.

My only complaint? Nathanial and the hyper-active tag-along chipmunk can get a bit grating and silly. Their schtick began to teeter dangerously on the edge of unfunny. I loved the throwback to the hand-drawn animation of yesteryear, though, and enjoyed the lavish song and dance numbers (one takes place in the middle of Central Park). I swooned at the romantic entanglements (Oh, to waltz with Patrick Dempsey. Sigh.), got a kick out of Adams and Marsden, and got swept up in the magic and the make-believe.

Enchanted’s a whimsical story of fantasy and wish-fulfillment that will have you giggling almost as much as Giselle and certainly leave you smiling from ear to ear. It will make you believe that happily-ever-afters do come true after all.

The End.

Movie Grade: A-

Synopsis:

A classic Disney animated fairy tale meets with the modern, live-action romantic comedy in Walt Disney Pictures' "Enchanted." Featuring an all-star cast, the film follows the beautiful princess Giselle (Amy Adams) as she is banished by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) who has come to her aid -- even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince (James Marsden) back home – she has to wonder: can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world? "Enchanted" is directed by Kevin Lima ("Tarzan," "Eloise At Christmastime") from a screenplay written by Bill Kelly ("Blast From the Past") and will feature original songs from the reunited team of acclaimed composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz("Pocahontas," "Hunchback of Notre Dame").