Tangled

Remember the good ol’ days of Disney with “Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King”? Well, the good ol’ Disney is back with creative story-telling, characters and fun music in “Tangled”.

“Tangled” is a twist of Rapunzel. The basic story is there; the princess Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) is captured by an old wicked woman named Mother Gothel (voiced by Donna Murphy) and kept in a tower. However, there are some new characters and aspects in “Tangled”.

Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi) is a thief, who steals the not-so-well guarded princess crown. While running away from the palace guards, he stumbles across Rapunzel’s hidden tower. Rapunzel ties him up with her hair and makes him a deal, if he takes her out to see the mysterious lanterns that light up the sky every year on her birthday, she will give him back the stolen crown. Flynn reluctantly agrees and Rapunzel and her trusty pet chameleon, Pascal leave the tower and take an adventure in the outside world.

“Tangled” is a unique twist on the classic fairy-tale and while some stories twist a little too much, this film provides enough difference that it is fresh, but stays true to the original idea. The added elements actually make the story better for a full-length film. It also provides a good plot with action, romance and lots of humor.

The humor is “Tangled” with please both younger and older audiences. There is humorous dialogue as well as slapstick humor. The script (Dan Fogelman) provides a good balance of laughs between kids and adults making neither party bored with the film.

Much of the humor is due to the characters. Rapunzel is a cautious because of all her years living in confinement. She knows what she wants and she’s not going to let anyone get in her way. A little naïve at times, which receives a lot of laughs, her character is very much the soul of the film. Rapunzel is also perfectly voice-acted by Moore whose softer voice fits with her character’s personality.

Flynn on the other hand is confident, adventurous and fast-thinking. His dream is to be rich and he steals to fulfill that dream. He is the receiver of much of slapstick stunts, but at times he gives funny lines to Rapunzel (or “Blondie” as he calls her). His character is what moves the plot. Levi’s strong voice fits Flynn’s character and he delivers the comic lines flawlessly.

With the supporting cast, Mother Gothel is a wonderful villain that becomes more and more dislikable as the film progresses. Murphy voices her well by providing a harsh tone. Pascal plays the loyal animal of Rapunzel which makes kids especially laugh. Another key animal in the supporting area is Maximus a palace guard horse— although at times he acts like a dog—he and Flynn constantly fight each causing laughter due to the uncommonness of the situation. All characters are creative with different personalities and they help tell the story and make it funny and heart-warming.

Just like the classic Disney films, “Tangled” also entertains audiences with music (Alan Menken) and lyrics (Glenn Slater). The songs help audiences hear what the characters are thinking in a fun way. The up-beat songs have fast-paced words and clever rhymes. The slow songs have thoughtful lyrics and moving music.

All of the cast sing beautifully in their songs with no one coming up flat. “Tangled” fails to contain as many as songs as other Disney films since it has only four or five songs. So those who do not appreciate musicals will not be annoyed because most of the film is without singing. However, for those who do like singing, “Tangled” provides enough songs to please those audiences. Once again “Tangled” provides a balance that will make both types of audiences happy.

The animation (Kiran Bhakta Joshi and Steve Goldberg) is stunning. Rapunzel’s long, golden hair shines and the green of the forest or the blue of the water is vibrant with color. Also, none of the characters look the same; all are unique with their faces and body shape. However, the general animation stays true to the usual Disney animation, although it is a bit more modern.

In a world where many films lack a pulse, “Tangled” keeps a heart-beat and provide all ages with a film that has a heart. It also helps to have lively lyrics, classic comedy and artful animation. Audiences are more than happy to get tangled up in the story and characters of “Tangled”.