It's only appropriate that legendary performer Julie Andrews open the book as the narrator on "Enchanted," the inventive new Disney film that melds the wonders of the studio's classic animation past with the live action world of New York City.

That's because to star Amy Adams, Andrews and her films have always epitomized the world of dreams coming true.

"I think I started crying when I heard that she was doing the narration," Adams said in a recent @ The Movies interview. "I grew up loving Julie Andrews, she was my idol -- she was my princess -- and as I continue to watch her films into adulthood, they've changed and become more meaningful as I've become an adult. She was just a huge inspiration in my life."

Opening in theaters Wednesday, "Enchanted" stars Adams as Giselle, a lovely maiden-in-waiting who's about to become a princess in the animated world of Andalasia after she meets her true love in Prince Edward (James Marsden).

But fearing the day that Giselle will inherit her crown, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) casts a spell on her stepson Edward's wife-to-be and banishes her to the real world in Manhattan, which is anything but a dream.

Lost and alone in the city, Giselle soon finds friendly faces in a divorce lawyer, Robert (Patrick Dempsey), and his young daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey). Having suffered bad luck with his ex-wife, Robert first writes off Giselle's unbridled view on true love, but is eventually won over by the her optimism.

But the potential for a storybook romance seems to stand little chance in the real world: Robert is ready to get engaged to his longtime girlfriend (Idina Menzel), Edward has surfaced in New York City to find his true love and Narissa has dispatched her servant Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) to rid the world of Giselle once and for all.

Like many members of the cast and crew in "Enchanted," Adams, 33, has long been inspired by the Disney animated classics, from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella," to their modern counterparts in "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast."

"I loved 'Cinderella' as a kid, and later, Ariel and Belle," Adams said. "The whole resurgence of these Disney heroines were just so great for me in my preteen into teen years when I was so awkward and kind of without purpose. I was not only inspired by the films, but by the music in the films."

But with "Enchanted," Adams suddenly found the magic wand in her own hands to bring Giselle to life, and needless to say, it was a tricky proposition. First, she wanted to put a slightly different creative spin on the animated version of her character; and next, she needed to maintain Giselle's wide-eyed innocence in a way not to mock the integrity of her Disney princess predecessors as the character in the real world.

"I didn't want to spend a lot of time studying the films because I wanted to be really careful not to an imitation of any of the characters," Adams explained. "I knew them so well from watching them in my youth in grotesque amounts. I wanted to true to the story 'Enchanted,' and yet have those moments where people were reminded of classic Disney characters."

Of course, "Enchanted" truly would be classic Disney if it weren't for some Broadway-inspired musical numbers, penned appropriately by Oscar-winning Disney musical composer Alan Menken ("The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast") and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who teamed together on "Pocahontas" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Adams not only sings a duet with Marsden in "Enchanted," she has two solo turns in the film including the show-stopping production number "That's How You Know," which features her singing and dancing with a cast of hundreds in Central Park. For the Colorado native, the songs brought her back to her past as a troupe member at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre outside of Minneapolis.

"It was an absolute thrill getting a chance to pay a homage to my past in musical theater and my days at the Chanhassen and put all my hard work to good here," Adams enthused.

It almost sounds like a fairy tale ending that was meant to be.

"You really can't imagine anybody else doing this role -- Amy's so smart and sings beautifully," said Sarandon of her co-star. "She managed to integrate the character in a way that's not dumbed down or make her really stupid. She just kept her heart open and brings that light in. When you listen to the way she talks and sings -- if you listen to the cadence of her voice -- she got it -- she definitely got it."

Innocence Prevails

The irony about Adams' role in "Enchanted" is that it almost contains the same sort of innocence that earned her an Oscar nomination for playing the child-like Ashley in the 2005 indie hit "Junebug." The connection, though, is hardly by design.

"I auditioned for 'Enchanted' before 'Junebug' was out in theaters and was cast in the movie before any of the awards attention started," said Adams, who earned honors for playing Ashley from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Sundance Film Festival and Independent Spirit Awards, among many others. "But it is the sort of thing in me that people have sort of gravitated towards -- that wide-eyed quality."

That's not to say that Adams -- who has also starred opposite Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio in "Catch Me if You Can" (and again opposite Hanks in the upcoming "Charlie Wilson's War") -- has always been typecast.

"It's funny, because when I first moved to LA I played quite opposite characters," Adams said, laughing. "I was quite the naughty girl in films, too. But I actually have more fun playing the lovely ladies than naughty girls."

The benefit of playing a lovely lady in "Enchanted" is that Adams got to do some scenes with some real Disney royalty. Honoring the talent behind the voices of "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Pocahontas," director Kevin Lima cast Jodi Benson (Ariel) as Robert's secretary, and Paige O'Hara (Belle) and Judi Kuhn (the singing voice of Pocahontas) in cameo roles.

Lucky for Adams, she and Benson shared some scenes together.

"It was such a thrill -- I tried to be very professional and treat her as any actress coming to the set, but I was a bit in awe," Adams beamed. "I might have gushed and wept."

The thing that Adams says she hasn't fully realized yet is she could potentially have that same effect on generations of upcoming performers for years to come. For now, though, she's just hoping that "Enchanted" inspires the same sort of optimism that she absorbed as a fan of classic Disney films.

"The film is such of a great reminder of the magic in believing in fairytales and dreams coming true -- and tells it in that you're able to bring it in the real world," Adams said. "I think that's a great message, especially for the youth of today -- to stay positive amidst these times.

"There is so much information being thrown at children today, that it's important to let them stop and use their imagination and creativity," Adams added. "That's what leads to great discoveries in all fields -- medicine, science and arts -- and leads to creativity, hopefulness and optimism."