In the animated fairy tale kingdom of Andalasia, the evil Queen Narissa schemes to protect her claim to the throne, which she will lose once her stepson, Prince Edward, finds his true love and marries her. She enlists her loyal henchman Nathaniel to keep Edward distracted. Giselle, a young woman, dreams of meeting a prince and experiencing a "happy ever after." Edward hears Giselle singing and sets off to find her. Nathaniel sets free a captured troll to kill Giselle, but Edward rescues her in time. When they meet, they instantly fall in love and plan to get married the following day.
Disguised as an old hag, Narissa intercepts Giselle on her way to the wedding and pushes her into a well, where she is magically transformed into a 3D live-action version of herself and transported to a manhole in New York City's Times Square. Giselle quickly becomes lost. Meanwhile, Robert, a divorce lawyer, prepares to propose to his longtime girlfriend Nancy, much to the dismay of his daughter Morgan. Robert and Morgan encounter Giselle on their way home, and Robert begrudgingly allows Giselle to stay the night at their apartment at the insistence of Morgan, who trusts Giselle.
