ENCHANTED (Rated PG)

More than pleasing and fun for all ages, “Enchanted,” the new Disney film that artfully combines classic fairy tale animation with live action in the gritty modern-day world of New York City, is a true marvel of magical storytelling and technical brilliance.

Poking fun at its long line of animated “happily ever after” stories realized in such films as “Cinderella” and “Snow White,” Disney most cleverly allows the innocence of the traditional animated world to collide with contemporary reality, and in so doing it thrusts fairy tale romance hard up against the harshness of cynicism in a place without magic.

What comes of this combustible mix of animation and reality is one very enchanting and laugh-filled comedy.

True to the “happily ever after” sensibility of its cartoon forebears, “Enchanted” begins its tale in the animated paradise of Andalasia, where lovely Giselle (Amy Adams) sings beautiful songs and has the uncanny ability to communicate with animals.

Her wish to meet the handsome prince of her dreams and to share “true love’s kiss” comes true when Prince Edward (James Marsden) finds her in the enchanted woods. However, the evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) will stop at nothing to keep this girl away from her throne.

On her way to wed the prince, Giselle is ambushed by the evil Queen and her henchman Nathaniel (Timothy Spall). When the Queen says Giselle will be banished to a place where there are no happily-ever-after stories, the putative princess is dropped into a well and emerges from a manhole in the middle of Times Square.

This is where the fun really starts.

Dressed in an enormous white wedding gown, Giselle is confronted with the gritty, chaotic world of Manhattan, which looks definitely frightening to one unaccustomed to the hustle and bustle of the big city. She’s not prepared for people that are angry and rude, and she even responds with gratitude to a sarcastic greeting.

Wandering the city in search of the castle, Giselle comes across a billboard for a casino that looks like Excalibur. Coming to her aid in this strange new place, Giselle is befriended by a no-nonsense divorce lawyer, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), and his young daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey). Against his better judgment and at the urging of his daughter, Robert invites Giselle back to his apartment when a sudden storm erupts.

Despite his essential kindness, Robert is too detached and unemotional, perhaps due to his line of work and the breakup of his own marriage. However, he can’t turn the strange girl out on to the streets. The next morning, Giselle summons the aid of her animal friends, including pigeons, rats and cockroaches, to tidy up the messy apartment. She also helps herself to the curtains to make a new dress.

Robert is stunned by her odd behavior, such as when Giselle emerges from the shower with only a pair of birds discretely holding up a towel to preserve her modesty. Robert’s longtime, career-driven girlfriend Nancy (Idina Menzel) is baffled by his sudden interest in the mystery woman.

Things get to be even more fun when the clueless, self-absorbed Prince Edward shows up in Times Square, along with the devious Nathaniel and a talkative chipmunk named Pip. Thinking that he has encountered a large metal dragon, Edward attacks a city bus with his sword. It’s just one of many comical encounters with the locals.

More amusing is Nathaniel’s bungling of several attempts to eliminate Giselle, while Pip tries frantically and without success to warn the dense Edward of Nathaniel’s duplicity.

Meanwhile, Giselle meddles in Robert’s divorce work by convincing a bitter couple to reconcile, only because she fervently believes in the magic of love.

Belief in fairy tale romance is at the core of Giselle’s motivation, and the effect she starts to have on others, particularly Robert, is not surprising.

On many levels, “Enchanted” is inspired by the Disney canon of animated films, only to shift gears into something new and original.

It’s hard to imagine anyone not thoroughly enjoying this very funny, sweet movie. The brilliance of “Enchanted” is that it is targeted to the widest possible audience and succeeds beyond all expectations.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

At long last, the entire four seasons of the classic spy series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” is being issued in a 41-disc set.

Starring Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo and David McCallum as Illya Kuryakin, “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” series originally aired on NBC from 1964 to 1968, earning 16 Emmy award nominations during its run.

“The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series” includes all 105 episodes, the majority of which have never been available on home video.

This ultimate DVD set is loaded with extras, including the unaired, original color pilot for the series, titled simply “Solo,” as well as the 1966 theatrical film “One Spy Too Many.”

For the time being, “The Complete Series” is only available from the Time Life Web site (ManFromUncleDVD.com), priced at $249.99.

For those with patience, the series is due to be released to retail outlets by Warner Home Video in fourth quarter 2008.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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