Review - Tangled

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2012)

I loved Disney when I was a kid. After the blue and white Disney logo (which has been changed since then), I would sit back and enjoy adventure, fantasy, castles, romance, sword fights, songs, magic spells, talking animals, and...well, you get the idea! I used to watch and re-watch several of their animated films. I have to admit, even now that I'm no longer a Disney lover, I still have to admit that I still consider many of their old animated films (including the ones I've listed above) to be good. In fact, I've given many of these films either three, three-and-a-half, or four star ratings. Nowadays, the only animated Disney films I've really been interested in have been Pixar films. But I have to admit, I really enjoyed Tangled, which I saw for the first time last week.
At the beginning, a queen is gravely ill, but is cured by the powers of a magic flower. Soon afterward, she bears a baby girl, Rapunzel, who actually inherits the magic flower's powers. However, baby Princess Rapunzel is kidnapped in the middle of the night by Mother Gothel, who wants to stay young via the magic healing powers within Rapunzel's hair, so she raises Rapunzel in a tower. Now a teenager, Rapunzel's hair is extremely long, and she has spent her entire life in the tower, and is curious about the outside world. One day, a thief named Flynn Rider, who is on the run, scales the tower and hides inside, and is taken captive by Rapunzel. She hides the tiara he has recently stolen and agrees to give it back only if he takes her to the place where the floating lights appear on her birthday each year. On this journey, she truly discovers the outside world, and, eventually, who she really is.
The story isn't original, and it's a bit predictable, but that's not a problem at all. Besides, this is true for many of Disney's animated films. But it's a good story, and Disney takes it and applies unique and memorable elements and charm to it, and some songs too. Disney even draws ideas and elements from some of its previous films. I think it's safe to say that Tangled is a mix of past and present in terms of Disney. It contains a lot of old Disney-type elements, formats, and methods of storytelling among other things, but with the application of modern CGI animation, and some other modern elements.
I was expecting this film to be geared more towards kids, but it's actually a good film for anyone. It is very much a family movie. Sure, there are some kid-oriented elements, and some slapstick humor that the kids would enjoy, but there are also things that adults would appreciate; even the more childish elements I just mentioned are not so extreme, and are perfectly enjoyable for adults. The film has a lot of good humor, but it also has a good sense of character, story, depth, and emotion. The characters are not flat, but are actually very good, and so are the relationships between them. The characters are truly lovable, especially Flynn and Rapunzel (and of these two, especially the latter), and offer genuine emotion. Their attitudes and personalities contain both older and modern elements. There are even a couple of hilarious sidekicks - a chameleon named Pascal and a horse named Maximus (my favorite of which was the latter).
CGI technology and effects have progressed even further since this film came out, but still, the animation in this film is beautiful. Everything is well designed, and with great detail and scope - the characters, the scenery, Rapunzel's hair...everything. And this animation is not just eye candy - it's used wisely, and it actually works well with the script and helps with the emotion and narrative, like it's supposed to. The film offers some very memorable things (characters, scenes, images, and much more) including a truly unforgettable, visually beautiful, and emotionally powerful scene involving floating lanterns.
The voice actors all put on good performances, especially Mandy Moore as Rapunzel. They all really bring their characters to life. The music in this film is good, both the songs and the standard underscore. The songs could have been better, but they are pretty good and perfectly enjoyable as they are, especially "When Will My Life Begin?" (sung by Rapunzel about five minutes into the film) and "I See the Light" (sung by Rapunzel and Flynn during the lantern scene I mentioned in the last paragraph). I really have to give the filmmakers a major thumbs up for Rapunzel herself. She is very well designed (especially her hair), and is absolutely beautiful. And not only that, she is hot. Her personality and liveliness are very attractive as well, and she really captures the heart. She and Flynn are great together, and their romantic relationship is handled very well - it's not corny, it's actually charming and emotional (and, yes, with bits of humor here and there).
The film is good as it is, but it still could have been better. The one criticism I do have is that there are some things about the story and characters, especially in the third act, that I think could have been handled better and given more depth, and should have involved more character complexity. However, despite this, the film works, and it does have a pretty good sense of depth, character, humor, and emotion as it is. It combines and balances all of its elements pretty well. You laugh when you're supposed to, cry when you're supposed to, etc.
Overall, Tangled isn't great, but it's good, and, in my opinion, one of the best Disney animated features in years. It's funny, charming, clever, witty, solid, and full of heart and soul, and I'm actually considering buying the DVD.
My Rating: ***1/2 (out of****)