Movies in which the Walt Disney Corporation mocks itself are few and far between. But the venerated film company may recently have acquired a sense of humor in Enchanted.

The movie opens in an animated fairy land, where a beautiful young woman named Giselle (Amy Adams) sings and dances with her animal companions as she awaits the arrival of her Prince Charming. Enter a conveniently placed ogre and a handsome prince who comes to her rescue (James Mardsen), and Giselle thinks she's found her happily-ever-after. But through the conniving of the prince's wicked stepmother (Susan Sarandon), the princess ends up in New York City.

The live-action Giselle goes in search of her Prince Charming with the aid of a cynical divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) and his young daughter, who truly believes Giselle is a fairy tale princess. The lost maiden's innocence is off-putting at first as she attempts to naively navigate her way through life in the big city, but as Giselle begins to adapt, real world audiences will find themselves drawn along with her on her adventures.

The brilliance of Enchanted lies in Disney's decision to finally find some humor in its saccharine happily-ever-after fairy tales of the past. References to Sleeping Beauty and Snow White abound in the film. Yet the movie cannot stand on this device alone. Instead, it relies heavily on Adams' ability to breath life into Giselle's character and endow her with intelligence, sincerity and determination. The growth of the fairy tale princess is what ultimately makes the film such an enjoyable two hours.