Walt Disney's Enchanted is just that, enchanting. It makes the words "movies" and "fun" synonymous. I dare you to go and not find yourself smiling from beginning to end. In fact, I double dare you!

Like this year's Shrek the Third and Ratatouille, the rye humor in Enchanted makes it far more an adult as opposed to a children's film. At its core is an appealing dry parody where Disney makes fun of its own historical stereotypes. There were numerous laugh out loud moments throughout, mostly coming from adults.

As anyone familiar with the previews knows by now, the plot concerns Giselle, a Cinderella like cartoon character, being cast into the real world by the wicked queen to avoid her pending marriage to her stepson. Amy Adams is perfection personified as the ex-cartoon character trying to exist in the alien world of Manhattan without defense mechanisms of any kind.

As she was with her Oscar nominated role in Junebug as the pregnant, irrepressibly good-natured sister-in-law, Adams breathes life into a human cartoon character that few actresses could have ever hoped to achieve. She is simply marvelous as a woman who, while totaling lacking in guile, is full of sweetness and sincerity.

Clearly, this is the type of movie that many people would avoid, assuming that it is another version of those cloying, pasty, "happy ever after" movies that Disney has churned out over the years. However, what Disney has done here is almost heretical in that it deafly turns convention on its ear. Adams, and the equally wonderful James Marsden as the fish out of water cartoon prince who is trying to save her, are so absurdly earnest that you find yourself completely embracing them in a way that you could never have suspected.

Patrick Dempsey, while certainly no George Clooney, brings a beleaguered sincerity to his role as a single father who stumbles onto the incredibly lost Adams. With the help of his 8-year-old daughter, he provides shelter and comfort to Adams despite the fact that from all appearances she could be clinically insane.

In addition, Susan Sarandon sinks her teeth into the role as the wicked queen who is hell bent on killing Adams. Failing to achieve that end by banishing her to the human world, she soon follows in a performance that is malevolently delicious.

None of the above is meant to say that children won't enjoy this movie. To the contrary, both of my grandchildren had a great time, as did most of the kids in the audience at Traders Point. But this is really a movie that 8 to 18 year olds, particularly girls, will totally fall in love with, and undoubtedly their mothers also. Yes, it is a fairy tale, but it also is a reminder that there is a place in this world for goodness, kindness and sincerity.

More importantly from a young girl's standpoint, the damsel of this delightful fable is not the one in distress, but the hero. She not only vanquishes the evil queen, but she saves Dempsey's life as she wins his heart. Unless I sorely miss my guess, she will win yours also.