REEL CRITIC:

The enormously successful Disney Princesses’ franchise follows a tried and true formula. Namely, you present a beautiful, pure-of-heart damsel (usually a princess or at least a young woman having the potential to become one) waiting for her one true love (usually a prince), who is kept from living happily ever after by an arch villain (usually an evil queen). While this formula has worked well for dozens of films, it appeals mostly to its core audience of young girls.

“Enchanted,” the new Disney release, is something else altogether. While it begins very traditionally in an animated universe, the story quickly takes an unusual turn when Giselle (Amy Adams), our pure-of-heart damsel, is thrown into a bottomless well by the evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) just before marrying her one true love, Prince Edward (James Marsden).

Queen Narissa tells her henchman, the duplicitous Nathaniel (Timothy Spall), that she has sent Giselle to a place “where there are no happily ever afters,” which turns out to be New York, where the production becomes live action. Arriving in her ridiculously frilly wedding dress, Giselle bounces around the city aimlessly, pushed along by the crowd. Eventually Giselle is spotted trying to gain access to a castle depicted on a billboard by a young girl named Morgan (Rachel Covey) who convinces her father Robert (Patrick Dempsey) to help her.

Robert is a single dad and a divorce lawyer who has soured on love. He first thinks Giselle is simply crazy, but later decides she is unbelievably naive with her talk of “one true love” and the perfect prince who will surely find her. Of course, Prince Edward does come to the city to find Giselle, but his effort is continually thwarted by Nathaniel who is acting on behalf of the queen.

The real fun of “Enchanted” is when the fantasy world of fairy tales collides with a 21st-century metropolis while Giselle simply operates in her usual manner. Spontaneous musical production numbers break out in Central Park, and when she summons the local creatures to do her bidding, she of course attracts only vermin. ?

“Enchanted” is one of those rare movies that truly appeals to all ages. The younger members of the audience will enjoy the traditional fairy tale while more mature viewers will appreciate the love story and tongue-in-cheek humor. Rated PG, “Enchanted” will charm nearly everyone and should play to deservedly large audiences throughout the holiday season.

VAN NOVACK is the assistant vice president of institutional research and assessment at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Elizabeth.