Tangled

Honestly, when is the last time you saw a decent Disney Animated feature? No no, PIXAR does not count. I'm talking about just a regular ol' straight laced Disney flick. If your like me, I'm sure your answer falls somewhere in the mid 90's. But isn't that a shame? What happened to the totally awesome Disney movies? If your excuse is because of technology, i assure you that your wrong. You can make a great animated movie without resorting to actual hand drawn art. But where is that old feeling we all use to share? Well i can tell you this much....i already knew that Disney had something special here, mainly because the VP of PIXAR jumped ship and decided to fund this project. The first time anyone from PIXAR has ever done so, let alone the freakin VP. So needless to say, Disney finally had enough, and pulled out all the stops for this one.

I kid you not when i say this...."Tangled" is easily the best Disney Animated feature i have seen since "Aladdin".....yes, it is that good. They finally let go of trying to find something new and different and settled with what was working for them almost 20 years ago. It's a princess tale that easily falls into the same category with the classics. So wait, does that mean i'm comparing it to the likes of "Snow White" "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty"? You damn right i am! Sure the storyline is cliché' and relative to other Disney classics, but it felt so good to see and feel something that helped recall your childhood. But other than those minor speed bumps, the movie is spot on. The animation is spectacular, and you would be a fool not to see it in 3D. The musical sequences didn't seem forced and were never boring. And i can almost guarantee you that it will snag the best song award at the Oscars. I'm just glad that they didn't work the story around the music, which is what a lot of animated features tend to slip up on. But this one did an amazing job of hybriding them together.

Bottom Line, ladies and gentleman, this is the Disney picture you have been waiting for. It will definitely win your heart and please audiences both young and old.

I was apprehensive, to say the least, when I went to see Tangled, after the disappointment that was Princess and the Frog. First, Disney's back with CGI animation, which hasn't really worked that great except, maybe to some extent, Bolt. Second, the trailers made it look really slapstick -- I'm rather wary of today's animation features that try too hard to be hip and fast-paced and silly.

I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there were slapstick and broad humor sure to make little kiddos laugh. But I was surprised by the sophistication as well. The screwball comedy between the hero and heroine is very well done; adults can appreciate that. The sidekicks, in particular the Max and Pascal, are hilarious. The hero and heroine are very likable and not flat. And there's a sense of sadness/wistfulness throughout the whole show that the adults will understand.

But what really is great is the animation. This is Pixar-worthy great. In fact, after a while I forgot it was CGI (which tends to be a bit stiff and crude when it comes to character animation). The human characters have that hand-drawn quality even though they're CG. In fact, they're more expressive than the hand-drawn characters in Princess and the Frog. The backgrounds are gorgeous (I can count every blade of grass). And there's an iconic scene where the kingdom rouses from darkness to light with thousands of floating lanterns -- it really is magical. It reminds me of classics such as Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty.

Best of all, the movie is not just all laughs and slapstick. It has heart too. Even the minor characters such as the King and Queen -- you can feel the emotions. And the romance is believable and not cheesy.

Like I said, I was very pleasantly surprised. It's something that is worthy of Pixar, and I'm glad to see Disney back on their game. While Princess and the Frog was a missed opportunity, Tangled is almost perfect.

I will start by saying that I am a 62 year old grandfather of three (9, 8, and 5) who has no connection to Disney in any way. I took the grandkids today to see this movie and they loved it, as did I. The 3D is worth going to. There is enough silliness, adventure, and romance to allow boys and girls of almost all ages to love this show. There were some funny lines in the show that kids would not understand, but adults would enjoy. I heard a gentleman laughing throughout the whole show. I am not around teenagers, so I am not sure how a teenager would respond to this show. The storyline was different but predictable. That should not discourage anyone from going to this show. I would rate it as one of the best, if not the best animation show I have ever seen. This show is a winner as a family show.

I am a huge Disney and animation fan, and was really interested in seeing Tangled. For me Disney have so many classics under their wing, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Bambi, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin especially. For over a decade, the past Disney films ranged from very enjoyable(Emperor's New Groove) to truly disappointing(Chicken Little)- The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan were the last ones to truly blow me away- until now.

While Tangled had me interested, I didn't like how the film was advertised. The trailer looked as though the film would be a Dreamworks knock-off, and I didn't think much of the title either. I needn't have worried, Tangled was wonderful and Disney's best film in a while(I know I said that about last year's Princess and the Frog, yes I actually liked that too, but after seeing Tangled I've changed my mind). The film is so much better than its advertising suggested, it is not a knock-off of Dreamworks and more importantly it not only has the Disney magic but it has something for both kids and adults.

What wowed me immediately about Tangled was the animation. It is simply gorgeous. The colours look beautiful, the backgrounds are stunning especially that surrounding Rapunzel's tower and the characters are very well modelled. The real revelations are with Rapunzel's hair, which is a masterstroke and also the floating lanterns, a scene of true beauty and very touching. Alan Menken's music was a surprise and in a good way. For me, this was his best score since The Hunchback of Notre Dame(that score is amazing), I was especially taken with the Kingdom Dance.

The songs are also not bad at all, they are not quite instant classics like Colours of the Wind, Beauty and the Beast, When You Wish Upon a Star, Heigh Ho, Part of Your World, Circle of Life, Hellfire, Under the Sea, Whole New World and Bells of Notre Dame are, but they are listenable with beautiful melodies and surprisingly decent lyrics. The best for me were the stunning I See the Light and the goosebump-inducing Mother Knows Best.

The writing is another strong asset. Tangled has some truly excellent writing, particularly with Flynn and Rapunzel, it is funny, witty and even touching. The storytelling is polished and is snappily paced, with the action sequences lively and the ending fitting well with the rest of the movie. When I saw the trailer I was expecting a story scattered with pop-culture references and almost laughter-free dialogue, but actually the storytelling does have a classic feel to it and some scenes like the aforementioned floating lanterns give the film its magic.

I also loved Tangled's characters. Rapunzel is one sassy heroine and is also someone young girls in particular can relate to. Flynn is a charming, dashing and charismatic hero too, and his interaction with Rapunzel alone gives Tangled its spark. Mother Gothel is another strong character, in her character you can see shades of both Lady Tremaine and Frollo, and on top of that she is a very intriguing villainess. Even more surprising were the comic relief characters. There have been animated films/Disney films where the comedy either works like a glove(Emperor's New Groove), is either hit or miss(I say this with a heavy heart, Hunchback of Notre Dame) or doesn't work at all(Chicken Little). Here the comedy works perfectly, hilarious without being too over-the-top. Pascal is both hilarious and cute and Maximus the horse is a sheer delight in everything he does.

The voice acting also adds a lot to the film. Mandy Moore is a perfect choice for Rapunzel, she has a pleasant speaking voice and a beautiful singing voice. I loved the charisma Zachary Levi brings to Flynn, his voice is one of the main reasons why Flynn is as likable as he is, while Donna Murphy is perfect as Mother Gothel.

In conclusion, this was a wonderful film and I recommend it heartily for both kids and adults. For Disney fans too, I think you will be delighted, if you want humour, adventure, beautiful animation, good music, classic storytelling, witty scripting and likable characters, Tangled is a perfect match. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This movie hits the mark on all levels. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is simple, yet works and keeps your interest. I'm not a big song guy..... but the songs in this movie are very good. Either very funny or, when the love songs begin, nicely done with some good lyrics and music. It's a '10' all the way across the board. In keeping with the Disney animators reputation for hiding phallic symbols, this has maybe the most blatant one of all. When the mother is standing near the window, her shadow is unmistakably harder than Chinese arithmetic. Keep an eye out for it..... But, this movie really is well done. The song and visuals in the tavern with all the thug characters is pretty funny. Definitely see this one!!