Disney performs a neat trick of satiric jujitsu with "Enchanted," a charming family comedy that celebrates the princess cult it invented while skewering its most saccharin conventions. After an old-school animated opening sequence, replete with a singing maiden named Giselle, her chorus of adoring woodland creatures and a handsome prince, it turns into a live-action adventure in which Giselle, played by the winning Amy Adams, is banished by the prince's evil stepmother to -- eek! -- Manhattan.

While Giselle, decked out in an impossibly frothy wedding dress, tries to navigate Times Square, she meets a divorce lawyer named Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his 6-year-old daughter. A vision of loveliness with a sweet, innocent nature, Giselle eventually overcomes Robert's wariness and cynicism, even as she's being pursued by her brave but dim Prince Charming (James Marsden).

Even if its most ironic humor will sail over the heads of very little ones, "Enchanted" is that rare comedy that will appeal to the whole family, as it indulges in all the dreams of fairy-tale romance while making a few 21st-century adjustments. Unevenly directed by Kevin Lima, it owes its success to Adams, who not only looks like a would-be princess, but delivers a sophisticated performance as a young woman on a path of self-discovery. Enchanting.

-- Ann Hornaday (Nov. 21, 2007)

Contains scary images and mild innuendo.