Tangled is a Disney film based on the Rapunzel fairy tale. It is the first Disney princess film to be entirely done in computer animation. This would also be a landmark in Disney’s history as it is the 50th animated feature to be released under the Walt Disney Animation Studios banner. Many consider this film to usher in a new wave of Modern Disney classics. They would set the stage for many more computer-generated films to follow in its footsteps. Luckily for Tangled, it was a smashing success. Many people, including myself, see this movie as a modern Disney classic. What makes this movie so unique? Come with me as we discover what I believe to be one of Disney’s best films.
In a kingdom somewhere far away, the queen is about to have a baby but is growing ill and running out of time to live. The kingdom's men looked far and wide and found a magical golden flower that managed to save the queen and help her give birth to a baby girl with beautiful blond hair named Rapunzel. However, the golden flower's magic has already been used by an old hag named Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) to keep her young for generations. Desperate, Mother Gothel breaks into the castle and steals baby Rapunzel, and raises her as her own. Despite being kept busy, a now 18-year-old Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is curious about seeing the outside world even when Mother Gothel gives her no permission to do so. Rapunzel's luck changes when a running thief named Flynn Rider (Zachery Levi) stumbles into her tower and proposes to make a deal with him to take her to see the floating lanterns in the kingdom. She’ll give Flynn back his bag containing a stolen treasure. Along the way, both characters run into many hijinks and fall in love with each other. They’ll have to be careful, though, as Mother Gothel learns about Rapunzel’s escape and may have a few tricks up her sleeve to get Rapunzel back.
The Story is clearly inspired by the previously mentioned fairytale of Rapunzel. Still, it’s fantastic how Disney took the story and put its unique spin on certain elements to make for an experience worth remembering. Originally the film was conceived as a Shrek-like story as it would have modern-day references and be set in a modern-day environment. Thankfully, once directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno and executive producer Glen Keane stepped into the movie-making process, the film was upgraded to be the timeless fairytale setting that made other Disney fairytales lovable and iconic. Many plot threads, such as Rapunzel’s magical healing hair and how she possesses that power, are well explained and established beautifully. There is, of course, a lot of comedy that comes from slapstick or just characters expressing their feelings, but the movie is also not afraid to go dark in some scenes. There are also many action-packed moments to speed up the pace when needed. It's not afraid to admit (though not outright) that the logic of this world runs on some cartoon logic, as many situations our characters end up in happen in a very over-the-top way. However, the movie’s excellent pacing helps the movie move from a crazy or action-packed moment to a slow, romantic, and even dramatic moment. This movie has all the makings of a Disney classic, and thankfully the right people at the right time knew what they were doing to make a timeless fairytale while keeping it relevant to modern-day audiences.
The Characters are all likable and have plenty of personality to spare. Each one is memorable, and even the characters with less screen time still have much to offer in their voice acting. Rapunzel, played by Mandy Moore, is bubbly and irresistible. What I love about her is how she has many creative hobbies and is a brave heroine when she needs to be. Yet, she also can pull off a tortured side of her, making her a well-rounded character. Flynn Rider, played by Zachary Levi, is one of, if not the best Disney princes ever crafted. His constant funny one-liners describing how he feels in a situation and smug charm make him feel much more dynamic and more than just a hot guy for our princess to fall in love with. Even though Rapunzel and Flynn spend only a few days together, their chemistry really comes through, and it's not hard to understand why they begin to fall in love. Donna Murphy plays Mother Gothel. Gothel is a very entertaining and threatening villain, and I like how she replicates the traits of past female Disney villains, especially when she becomes manipulative towards Rapunzel. The side characters like Pascal and Maximus add much-needed comedy or cuteness to bounce off the main characters. Some other notable voices like Brad Garrett and Jeffery Tambor voice some of the tugs at the snuggly duckling, and even Ron Pearlman of Hellboy fame voices one of the Stabbington Brothers. Whether big or small role, each character makes the very best of what they are given, making them memorable and even fun.
The Animation at the time the film was released was considered massive for Disney. At the time of the movie’s release, Tangled was the most expensive animated movie Disney had ever made. All that money spent on this movie is clearly visible on the screen. Originally, master 2D animator Glen Keane wanted the film to have a 2D hand-drawn visual style like the Disney movies of the past. After some convincing Keane eventually gave the okay to do CGI visuals as the film fights its way past computer animation's limitations to create a movie just like their traditional animated film but done with 3D visuals instead. The overall visuals have a very spring-like oil painterly fairytale feel, and many of the locations are plastered with endless amounts of detail but not too much so that the film becomes way to realistic or uncanny. Character designs are cartoony but memorable in their costuming and facial expressions. One of the most impressive bits of the animation is how they worked with Rapunzel's hair, as hair is one of the hardest things to animate on a computer. Thanks to the help of Glen Keane and a bunch of classic 2D animators helping the 3D animators, the result of all that painstaking work is beautiful to compensate. Other visual standouts include many of the staged song sequences and the romantic lantern scene near the end of the film. This film managed to bring Disney fairytales to life using modern CGI technology. The result is something new but also traditional in how it portrays itself.
The Music and The Songs are lovely and irresistible. The original score was composed by Alan Menken who is known for writing melodies and songs for other Disney Classics such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Aladdin.” the overall score keeps the Disney tradition going of creating melodies that capture the heart and leave audiences in a perfect mood to the point of coming back for more. On the otherhand, the songs were written by Alan Menken and Glen Slater. These tunes are catchy and fun to listen to. They help expand on the character's feelings; each feels very identifiable to whoever is singing. Songs like “When Will My Life Begin” use an upbeat modern feel, while others like “I see the light” are romantic and lovely. Some of the best Disney movies create musical-like songs and lovely compositional scores that will be remembered for many years to come. Thankfully, Tangled is one of those Disney movies.
This is one of my favorite animated Disney movies ever and may arguably be one of the best fairytale princess movies ever created. This movie is amazingly fabulous, considering that it’s Disney’s 50th animated feature, thanks to lovable characters, an engaging story, magical animation, and songs that will either make you sing along or be awe-inspired. Tangled was a massive success for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and its popularity eventually led them to create a sequel series for Disney Channel, which I have to admit is not bad at all. To me and many others, Tangled is an animated classic. It looks like that title won’t be said any different any time soon.
(Final Grade: A)