A star was born over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Before last weekend, Amy Adams was a little-known character actress. Granted, she had been nominated for an Academy Award two years ago for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of a naive Southern gal in “Junebug” but the film was hardly seen and Adams ended up losing the Oscar to Rachel Weisz.

But then “Enchanted,” in which 33-year-old Adams stars as a cartoon Disney princess who comes to life, hit theaters . The film was a surprise smash, making $50 million over five days — and the cash continues to roll in the movie remaining at the top of the North American box office chart.

 Adams lead performance in the film is being hailed by critics and audiences alike. Variety compared her performance to the one given by Julie Andrews in ”Mary Poppins” for which Andrews was named Best Actress at the Academy Awards.