Disney returns to form

Rating: 7/10 (20 December 2010)

I was very pleased with last year's The Princess and the Frog, and this year Disney has again impressed me. Tangled brings back the likes of Glen Keane and Alan Menken in a visually delightful and fun reprise of the sort of films Disney produced twenty years ago, although the dialogue and pacing is noticeably modernized; such is either good or bad, depending on, among other factors, your age. Alan's creative touch in the film's songs is immediately recognizable to older Disney fans, as is, regrettably, the inevitable use of Autotune (although Mandy Moore is a perfect choice for a Disney heroine, as she both acts and sings exquisitely). The two leads speak much as two teenagers today would, although some of Flynn's lines are too corny to tolerate.
No review of this film would be complete without praise for the stunning backgrounds and perfectly calibrated lighting, as well as Rapunzel's incredibly rendered hair; I, not normally a fan of computer animation, was visually satiated throughout the entire picture. The visual style of Tangled was clearly less photorealistic than simply photogenic, which is a sight for sore eyes after an industry-wide bombardment of gaudy effects for the better part of a decade.
In summary, long-time followers of Disney would do well to see Tangled, as would children who have yet to be introduced to the studio's work.