One must wonder what sort of shampoo is used for hair over a hundred feet long. To answer this question and others, Disney presents Tangled, a fresh twist on the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, Rapunzel, that adds new elements and traditional Disney spirit.
The film opens with a short back story about a drop of sunlight falling from the sky to Earth, where it created a lovely golden flower with healing powers. An old woman by the name of Mother Gothel (Donna Murphey) discovered the plant and used it to keep herself young.
However, when the queen fell ill before childbirth, all her subjects set out. They eventually found the flower and used it to heal the queen, whose golden-haired baby, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), was born healthy and well. Her hair, though, had taken on the properties of the flower, which led Mother Gothel to kidnap the child and lock her in a tower to hoard the magic.
The scene then switches to the dashing criminal Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) as he steals the lost princess’s crown before bailing on his twin cohorts, the Stabbington brothers (Ron Perlman). While running, Flynn discovers Rapunzel’s tower and climbs the wall to hide.
Rapunzel takes the opportunity to use him as a guide to see the floating lights sent up every year on her birthday. Flynn agrees to help on the grounds that the crown be given to him on their return to the tower. Despite his promise, he tries to slyly convince the girl to turn back without reaching her goal, but his attempt fails.
On the following morning, Flynn and Rapunzel arrive in the city and spend a day exploring while they wait for the floating lanterns that night. To view them, Flynn takes Rapunzel into the middle of the river on a boat, from which he spots the Stabbington brothers on the opposite shore. He urges the young woman to remain on the boat while he goes to give them the crown, returned to him by Rapunzel.
The brothers announce that they want Rapunzel and her magical hair, not the crown, and approach Flynn menacingly before the scene cuts to Rapunzel. At the same time, the brothers emerge from the surrounding fog. Mother Gothel saves Rapunzel and points out the boat that Flynn is steering away. Rapunzel agrees to return to the tower, convinced that the man had lied to her and had feigned friendship.
When the boat reaches the city side of the river, it is shown that Flynn, unconscious, is tied to it. The sight that greets him as he awakes is that of royal guards waiting to arrest him. With Flynn imprisoned and Rapunzel in her tower, Maximus the horse sets off and must seek help to save Rapunzel from the evil old woman using her for selfish purposes.
Overall, I found the Disney movie much more enjoyable than the original fairytale. It is certainly more humorous, and the twist of Rapunzel’s magic hair took away the element of the mother’s greed for the witch’s rampion presented in the Brothers Grimm story.
This film also allowed directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard to create the comfortingly familiar Disney princess and hero scenario without being bland or repetitive.
Though I am not overly fond of musicals, the songs that Rapunzel and the thugs sing at the Snuggly Duckling Pub are entertaining — not overbearing, but well-placed. The animation is quite good as well, and, though very detailed, does not detract from the characters’ personalities or dialogue in each scene.
The actors played their roles quite well, conveying emotion in the proportions implied by the dialogue without being over-dramatic or monotone. Each added his own personality to the character on the screen while still remaining true to the story.
Following Rapunzel’s growth from a timid girl to a vibrant, assertive young woman provides material for viewers to connect with. By bringing to mind a time when they were brought into something new and unfamiliar, girls can relate to Rapunzel’s predicament and can admire her courage and dedication to pursue what is meaningful to her.
Flynn’s development as a character is also enhanced when he reveals a bit of his past to Rapunzel, telling her that as a child he was a poor boy named Eugene Fitzherbert. Though the name is far less fitting for a dashing thief, the confession builds trust between the two and adds depth to Flynn’s otherwise egotistical personality.
Tangled remains family-friendly throughout and incorporates clean humor. It is overall a cute, enjoyable film that I plan on seeing again and would recommend to my friends and family.
The 100-minute movie is rated PG for brief mild violence and is playing at most local theaters. For tickets and showtimes, visit Fandango.
For more movie reviews, read the Dec. 7 article, ‘Burlesque’ presents Broadway-style masterpiece.
lisa camden • Sep 7, 2011 at 12:02 am
good job boys!! i know you put a lot of work into asking the girls just the right way!!! and girls, you are gonna have a great time!!