Watch out, "Hairspray": That Golden Globe award for Best Musical or Comedy isn't locked up yet. Amy Adams and her new Disney movie, "Enchanted," are appearing as a pleasant November bombshell in the awards season race. The Mouse House screened the new comedy last week for a few members of the press and tastemakers (whoever those mysterious people may be) and was no doubt very pleased by the reaction.

Introduced before the screening as a quintessential Disney movie (almost unfair to pigeonhole it as such), "Enchanted" tells the tale of 2D animated princess Giselle (Adams), who falls in love with the handsome Prince Charming (James Marsden) much to the chagrin of Charming's conniving mother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon). Fearing that her power over the kingdom will be lost by their quickie marriage, Narissa tricks Giselle into falling into a magical well that banishes her to real-life, flesh and blood New York. Eventually Charming and Narissa follow, but the magic of "Enchanted" is Adams' wide-eyed portrayal of an animated character becoming real as she's introduced to a whole new world by Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey). In one particular scene, Giselle experiences anger for the first time, and at that moment, the movie stops all pretense of being a cute little Disney flick and fearlessly elevates to something special.

The movie also features the return of composer Alan Menken ("Beauty and the Beast") and lyricist Stephen Schwartz ("Pocahontas"), who cook up several memorable tunes that provide sly winks to previous Disney songs while standing strong as their own original compositions. Director Kevin Lima also deserves some praise for shooting the musical numbers in a classic Hollywood tradition that doesn't feel forced or repetitive (unlike another particular summer flick).

For moviegoers older than 18, though, the best part of "Enchanted" is that it's similar to Pixar films and the first two "Shrek" movies in that it will appeal to kids and their parents. The audience at the sneak peek burst out laughing at numerous jokes that will completely fly over 9-year-olds' heads without making them feel left out.

Thankfully, "Enchanted" should also produce a soundtrack that will replace the "High School Musical 2" and "Hairspray" CDs that have dominated parents' car sound systems for the past few months. Yes, salvation is upon you -- at least for a few weeks.

"Enchanted" opens nationwide Nov. 21.

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