Let's All Let Down Our Hair with "Tangled"

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2010)

With or without 3-D, "Tangled" looks set to overtake last year's under-achieving "The Princess and the Frog" at the box-office. What's more, its non-verbal horse named Maximus is bound to give Shrek's talkative Donkey a run for the money! The tale of Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore) gets a revisionist twist here and she is 'rescued' not by a handsome prince on a white horse but a young, egoistic bandit (Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider) and a horse (named Maximus) that thinks it is a dog. The villain is Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), the narcissistic witch who imprisons our princess in a secluded tower.
Like "Beauty & The Beast" and "The Little Mermaid", "Rapunzel" also comes with musical and dance numbers. Except for 'Mother Knows Best', most of them have yet to catch on with the public. They may not be as catchy as those of Little Mermaid but given time, some may actually work their magic.
What I like best are the solid Disney characterisations, especially of its animals. Mandy Moore's Rapunzel suitably represents Every Girl who is forced to stay home; Flynn plays the Bad Boy-type who sorely needs to be tamed and corrected by the proverbial Love; and the manipulative Mother Gothel aptly reflects the way some kids view their over-protective parent.
The show-stealers are the mandatory animal sidekicks - a chameleon named Pascal and the palace horse Maximus. These are not just supporting characters but they have actual 'acting' duties as well. And the fact that they do not speak, helps to boost realism and makes them even funnier. Of course, the action is popcorn stuff but the social themes it explores make for worthy parental contemplation. A fitting film for everyone to let down their hair. - By LIM CHANG MOH (limchangmoh.blogspot.com)