Amy Adams' fairy tale life enhances "Enchanted"

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If any actress has lived a Hollywood fairy tale the last two years, it has been Amy Adams whose Oscar nomination for low-budget film "Junebug" opened Disney's gilded gates for her to star in fantasy "Enchanted."

The movie, to debut on November 21 ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, stars Adams as young maiden Giselle whose evil soon-to-be stepmother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), tosses her out of the far away land of Andalasia and into New York's bustling Times Square.

In a unique blend of old hand-drawn animation, new computer trickery and real-life action, "Enchanted" spoofs classic Disney cartoons such as "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty."

In the animated world of Andalasia, Adams is the voice of the singing Giselle and James Marsden is her charming Prince Edward, but in New York, the characters become real humans who are hopelessly naive about daily life in the Big Apple.

Edward journeys to New York to find his fair maiden, only to learn she has been rescued by a handsome attorney (Patrick Dempsey). They all, of course, learn the meaning of true love.

Adams, 33 with red hair and a milky complexion, was raised an Army brat in a family of seven kids. Like many girls, she says she longed to be a princess. Now she is, in "Enchanted."

"I definitely used my imagination as an escape from the chaos of our household," she told Reuters. "I would create fantastical stories and dreamed about being a ballerina (and) a fairy tale princess."

Growing up, Adams sang and worked in musical theater, which gave her some confidence when she sang in the role of Giselle.