If it had taken more chances with its tone and narrative, Tangled would be far more than what it is: sweet family entertainment

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2011)

Disney's fiftieth animated feature is an appropriation of the Rapunzel fairytale. We are told that a magic flower was found to cure a sick queen as she was giving birth to her daughter Rapunzel (Mandy Moore). Gothel (Donna Murphy), an evil old woman, learnt that the healing power of the flower was embodied in Rapunzel's hair. Gothel kidnaps the baby Rapunzel and locks her in a tower for eighteen years, telling her that she is her real mother and ensuring that her long golden hair is never cut to preserve the powers. Every year on Rapunzel's birthday her parents prepare a light show, hoping that she will return. Rapunzel wishes to see the lights for herself and asks her Gothel if she can be let out of the castle. Gothel dismisses the request, stating that it is too dangerous. Meanwhile, a thief named Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) is being hunted for stealing a tiara. During his escape he stumbles upon Rapunzel's hidden tower while Gothel is out. Rapunzel knocks him out and hides the jewel. When he awakens she promises to only tell him where it is as long as he takes her to see the lights in the sky and he reluctantly agrees.
As Pixar have worked to bridge the gap between animation and more humanist narratives, Disney has returned to an old fashioned and exaggerated brand of filmmaking. Tangled feels like the sort of film that Disney would have made back in the early 90s. It's driven more by playful, slapstick humour and action rather than a multilayered plot. Yet the two main characters (voiced very enthusiastically by Levi and Moore) at least have some consciousness about their identities. Rapunzel's ethical dilemma stems from being an adolescent girl on the verge of adulthood. She is divided by feelings of excitement and anxiety to explore the real world. Rider's own identity is eventually revealed to be as fabricated as hers too, lending some minor but welcome variations to the standard Disney coming of age tale. The film is also a musical too but thankfully there are just a few of these needless numbers. Unless you are a fan of Mandy Moore's singing voice these songs just seemed dated. The lyrics are just a little too cute and clean, rather than memorable and edgy.
Tangled is showing in 2D and 3D but the former showcases the film at its most luminous. The visual scheme is continuously bright, making strong use of the primary colours and enriching the film's expansive, green landscapes. In the final quarter of the film there is one sequence that is so charming and quietly beautiful that it will eventually become a signature image of Disney pictures. Interestingly, the film's very warm and cute feel is in many ways representative of Rapunzel's optimism. The colour found when her feet touch the grass for the very first time is contrasted with darker tones to the aesthetics as the danger becomes more immediate. This is no more prominent than in a surprisingly fearless and emotional climax. If the rest of the film had taken more chances with its tone and narrative, Tangled would be far more than what it is: sweet family entertainment.