A Bit Off

Rating: 5/10 (11 December 2010)

When "The Princess and The Frog" came out, we rejoiced because old fashioned animation, a strong storyline, a different yet strong heroine, and some very funny moments had all worked well to give us a new classic. It was indeed a very good movie, with marvelous music numbers and gorgeous animation.
This year, the animation, with the help of more sophisticated computers, has achieved new heights, creating a softer, more natural look, to resemble old fashioned artwork. The problem is that the other elements are not up to the technical standards. We have rather bland vocal entries in most of the leading performances, and both the music and the storyline could have been much better.
As it is the case in most of the films we see nowadays there is strong emphasis on coming up with "potentially good ideas", yet their development somehow comes short. Here our heroine's dreams, which we sympathize with, draw us into her world, and we can't help but admire the simple but strong young woman who tries to break herself free from the only world she knows. To get there, she is assisted by a dashing young man, who must learn to grow up as well.
While as the heroines of recent animated stories, all have assertive and independent personalities, mostly based on their embracing knowledge through books ("Beauty and The Beast"), poor bravado and curiosity ("The Little Mermaid"), or the aspiring chef of "The Princess and The Frog". Those characters mesmerized us, with the help of clever, intelligent lyrics, and hummable melodies. "Tangled" can't compete in either department, as the very simplistic, underdeveloped characters are poorly served by the pedestrian lyrics.
There are a couple of magic moments in the film, but even those feel forced, as part of a design, not of a fully realized work. Nothing here can match the anxiety and sadness of the furnace scene in "Toy Story", the wonder of the birth of love in "Beauty and The Beast" or witnessing mortality in "Up". Animation has grown so much recently; it's hard to feel satisfied by efforts like this film.