Pretty film smothered in boring music

Rating: Null/10 (24 August 2011)

I reeeeaaally like animation. Although I love the old hand-drawn cartoons of old, I do enjoy the modern marvel of CGI animated films. I had little desire to see Tangled in theaters, especially considering it's Disney but not Pixar. However with all the great reviews and the Oscar nominated film from the typically awesome Alan Menken, I figured I should review the DVD when it came out.
The move has a beautiful opening that has a very different retelling of the start of the story from the original Grimm tale. Original: Man's pregnant wife is dying to have some lettuce and drives him to steal from a magical garden woman who then takes their child when it is born. Disney: Queen is dying of having a baby (sort of similar) and needs a magical plant to survive. Just happens to be the witch's fountain of youth plant, so she steals the baby in vengeance. Pregnant women, guys – am I right? Huh? High five.
So anyhoo, from there the movie goes typical Disney – grotesque side characters, funny/cute animals, and beautiful pop-talented singer leads. I am happy to see Zack Morris getting work as the male lead here. Or maybe just his hair. The story never really takes off into any kind of high drama like you got in days of old with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty (freakin' crap, that dragon scared me as a kid), or even The Incredibles. Sort of an "oh, that could be bad" with an "oh, that resolved painlessly."
The film had it's fun moments, but the songs weren't any of them. I think this would appeal way more to adults if the songs were catchy, as in Aladin. That said the action, animation, and story are perfect for the kidlins who might like a good fairy tale. It even has a great moral: you can never have a happy ending without being very wealthy and powerful. Also, kids, you can get a great layered cut with just one swipe from a broken mirror shard! Try it at home!
On a positive note, we did get a great Nick Pitera cover of "I See the Light."
This film would have been a strong B-range contender were in not for the plentiful sprinkling of boring songs.