The Most Beautiful Disney Film Since Sleeping Beauty, Idiotic Title Nonwithstanding

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2011)

Tangled is above all else a masterpiece of animation and background. I'd never say another thing about cg again if there was a hope that even a quarter of the stuff churned out looked so stunning. It could have been a much worse film in other aspects and I would still be drooling.
Which makes it even better that it doesn't suck as much as the trailers imply. I have no explanation to offer for the crap job done on the marketing other than everyone other than the artists are a bunch of greedy bastards. Anywho, it's a charming story, not nearly as snarky and Shrek-ish as I had feared, filled with some excellent characters. Mother Gothel is an excellent villain, combining charm and evil marvelously. And as for the titularly tangled couple, both are serviceably great in a not-too-terribly-bland way. Maybe a little too quippy for their own good, but oh man, they boast some of the most attractive character design I have ever seen. There seems to be a lot of lifting from anime, with the huge saucer eyes and heart-shaped faces. The voicework was in many cases good, better than I was expecting to say the least. Donna Murphy was, of course, great and I like Zachary Levi well enough from his role as Chuck, but Mandy Moore was the sleeper hit. Frankly, all she had to do was not suck it up and I would have been floored. I still would have liked to see Kristen Chenoweth in the role, but Moore's voice definitely had a stronger note of sincerity and thankfully the nasally pop-tartness was for the most part absent in her singing.
And the songs! Actually, I am afraid to admit I cannot remember a single tune from the show, which I just saw this afternoon. I remember them as pleasant enough at the time and know I liked Mother Knows Best quite well, but they just didn't stick with me. Instead I've been humming True Love's Kiss all evening, being in the spirit of the movie while infinitely more catchy.
So all in all, Tangled was a worthy placeholder in the coveted 50th feature spot. If it had any faults, which were few, they can all be forgiven by the sheer beauty of the artistry, which really is the whole point anyways. At least if you ask me.