Tangled

A wonderful movie! I had forgotten all about Tangled, and am so glad I got to see it on the big screen. A great story with fun characters and beautiful animation that still looks new.

I was very sketchy walking into this movie. I didn't know what to expect, it's Disney which is promising, but it's also Disney's first CGI Disney movie that got a PG rating, so it seemed different. It was pretty hard for me to choose between 'Tangled' or 'Burlesque' but I'm glad I made the decision to watch 'Tangled'.

This film has everything, for everyone, boys girls and tongue in cheek humor for adults. It's Disney's answer to Shrek, but in a classy way, that doesn't feed off of pop culture.

The story of the film is simple. Rapunzel is a princess that has hair that has power to heal and keep people young, but once it's cut, it loses all power. When Rapunzel was just an infant she was kidnapped by an old woman who locked her away in a tower to keep her hair all to herself. Rapunzel grows up thinking that her kidnapper is in fact her mother, and the reason she's locked away is because her 'mother' wants to keep her safe from the hardships of the world. I'd tell you more about the movie but I don't want to ruin it. Let's just say she runs away. Very simple, fairy tale plot.

I was kind of saddened that Disney has succumbed to making Princess movies using CGI, but watching this movie I realize that some scenes wouldn't have the power it had, if it were in 2D. The lantern lighting scene, for example, was amazing. It wouldn't have been the same in 2D. The music, was perfect. Enough musical number to keep Disney fans more than satisfied and not enough to where it's overkill. The songs were heartfelt and meaningful, they all served a purpose, it wasn't just a nameless song thrown into the movie. The voice acting, by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi were amazing. I was a little sketchy about Mandy. I'm a long time fan, but I wasn't sure if she had the right voice to be a Disney Princess. She gave Rapunzel so much life, and innocence, I couldn't think of any other actress who could play her better. Zachary gave Flynn life, and humor, and made him a very likable character. However, the two characters that stole the show were Pascal, the chameleon, and Maximus, the horse. Although these supporting characters have no speaking lines, through actions and emotions, you know exactly what they want to say, and the message comes in loud and clear.

This movie has enough action and comedy to keep boys happy and enough emotion, romance and drama to keep the girls happy. There are a few scenes that made me tear a little, well maybe more than a little. Some scenes have so much emotion and depth that it tugs at your heartstrings, and gives you goosebumps, especially the lantern scenes. Disney is testing the waters of their film making with this one. There were many alcohol references and even references about being drunk. There's violence, people getting stabbed, and yes, even blood. Which you never see is Disney movies.

Overall, I highly recommend this movie, to everyone. Anyone could enjoy this movie. It's very hard not to like it. With theater prices so high, I suggest you don't spend 10 dollars to watch Cher and Christina, but watch 'Tangled' instead. They don't make movies like this anymore. It's much better than last year's 'Princess and the Frog'. Rapunzel is now in the line-up of classic Disney princess. I cannot stress how amazing this film is. Go out and see it.

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!!

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 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