Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey Recall Daughters' Princess Phases, Reuniting for Sequel Disenchanted

Though their kids have aged out of the prime fairy-tale phase, Disenchanted stars Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey fondly recall their interest in princesses, Disney movies and the like — and not because they both star in a Disney princess franchise.

"My daughter liked very powerful princesses and she was really into the villains," Adams, 48, tells PEOPLE of her daughter Aviana, 12, with husband Darren Le Gallo.

"She dressed up as Maleficent when she was 3 years old. She got really obsessed with the Haunted Mansion, so it's not just exclusively princesses, it's the whole fantasy world that my daughter was attracted to."

Dempsey, 56, who is dad to daughter Talula, 20, and twin sons Darby and Sullivan, 15, with wife Jillian, says he wishes his daughter's interest in princesses and fairy tales had lasted a little longer.

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"It lasts for a number of years and then overnight just disappears and it's the most tragic thing when it goes away," he says. "Because you have to go through all the dresses and the dolls and it becomes a different chapter. But it was great [when we made Enchanted] because she was on set in the midst of that and she stayed with it for quite some time."

The two actors, who reprise their fan-loved roles Giselle and Robert in the new movie Disenchanted (now streaming), said returning for the sequel 15 years after making the original Enchanted felt like coming home in a way.

"It felt like a really nice reunion," says Adams. "It was so much fun to see Patrick in that [fairy tale] light and to see him have so much fun with it, it made me very, very happy to see that. And it was fun to click back into the family dynamic. It felt like a a very natural thing to click back into the Robert-Giselle dynamic and then to include Morgan."

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And although they couldn't have predicted the original film's success (it grossed $340 million worldwide), both actors say they felt there was something special happening on that first film.

"I remember the script was so good and then when we met I was like, 'Oh my goodness, she's going to be amazing in this. This is incredible,' " Dempsey recalls. "It was great. It was an exciting time."

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Adds Adams: "It was a big leap of faith for Patrick to come do this with us. I know we felt really lucky to have him and he was so fantastic as Robert and had this beautiful vulnerability," she recalls.. "And I think him being the dad of a young daughter, there were so many things about him that just made him so perfect for this. I remember feeling extraordinarily lucky that Patrick would come do this with us. I was a new actress at the time. I wasn't really that well-known, so I was really grateful that he came and took this leap of faith."

One thing fans should listen for in the new movie is Dempsey's vocal chops. The actor gets to sing, which he says was a welcome challenge.

"It was the best part. I was locked down, so I had a good period of time to work on my voice," he says. "That experience with the breathing and the vibration of the song and the notes — you get so high from it. You feel so open and alive. But it was scary too because everybody [in this] is known for their singing. I'm still a little shy about it."

Disenchanted is now streaming on Disney+.

For much more on Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday