A Disney classic to rival loin king, mermaid and beast.

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2011)

The first thing to say about this movie is that it IS Disney. It is clear that it was originally intended to be traditional 2D Disney animation. Sadly since Pixar has been on the scene the 2D animation department has struggled to keep up with their new rebellious little step brother in terms of story and, indeed - success. Rapunzel was never the most exciting fairy tale ever which is why it has taken so long to use it as a basis for a film. Luckily the writers have done a sterling job at making sense of the whole tale, giving a reason for her to be in the tower and a use for having such long hair etc Then it was taken over and the decision was made to make it a CG 3D movie. And I should say, it's about time. Disney have tried in the past with limited success without Pixar showing them the way. Bolt and Meet the Robinsons were both very OK films but struggled to have that special"something" to make people endear to them. They lacked the "heart" of Disney's beloved classics. Tangled takes the tradition of 2D classics and puts them into a nice looking CG 3D package. The result is the best film Disney has done in an age and lays a foundation for a bright new future. Let's now talk about the film. It's musical, very musical with lots of sing songs and dancing. Problem? It wasn't for Beast or Lion King so it's not a problem here. It's funny, sharp witted, warm and scary in equal measures. It has small characters like the chameleon, maximus the horse and the old drunk in the Snuggly Duckling pub that makes you instantly like them as well as the main characters. Rapunzel and Flynn are entertaining and their relationship is as good as Belle and the Beast's in terms of believability. The main bug bear I have with this film is that it may kill 2D features completely. Why would Disney go back if they can now make great films this way? All I know is that Pixar better beware, they are very established now and can run the risk of becoming fomulaic with Disney taking up the slack and moving back out in front again. (CARS 2 and MONSTERS INC 2 suggests that Pixar may be running low on steam). Here's hoping the next one is even half as good... P.S. go watch it.