Film Review #46: Tangled

The Princess and the Frog was winning the critical award for the artists.  And we all know about how controversial the marketing decisions were for this film, but for this film to outgross Aladdin?  This film must have been something really special.  And...well...it's pretty good, but certainly not up to snuff with the other Renaissance films.  Nevertheless, this film is currently the second most successful film released by Walt Disney Feature Animation (The Lion King), and deserves to be talked about with some of the finest in Disney Animation.

Plot: A magic flower has mystical healing abilities.  For old hag Mother Gothel, it is a fountain of youth, keeping her alive well past her time by simply singing a song.  The King's men find the flower and use it to heal the sick Queen, who gives birth to a beautiful little princess named Rapunzel.  But one night, the princess was kidnapped by Mother Gothel and taken to a tower deep within the forest to help her keep herself youthful.  In order for the spell to work longer, Gothel brushes Rapunzel's hair so it could grow longer and longer.

Several years later, Rapunzel dreams of seeing the mysterious light show held in the Kingdom, but Gothel refuses to let her leave the tower.  A thief named Flint Ryder sneaks into the tower after stealing the princess's tiara.  Rapunzel takes the crown and offers to return it to him in exchange for him taking her to the kingdom to see the lights.  So the duo head into the woods, dodging bandits, an extreme law abiding horse with a grudge, the wrath of Gothel, and their own budding emotions for each other.

What's Bad?: Like Brother Bear, this film has more modern dialogue than other Disney films like Beauty and the Beast.  Mandy Moore, while a fairly strong Rapunzel, seems a bit too modern for a period fairy tale like this.  And also, Mother Gothel is a pretty weak villain for this movie.  The only thing she has going for her is her psychological grip on Rapunzel's mind, like Frollo and Lady Tremaine had.  But while Lady Tremaine had her sadistic and cruel intentions to use and Frollo had an extra layer of psychotic and emotional depth, Gothel really had nothing else going for her.  In most instances, she doesn't seem to want to be a villain.

What's Good?: The animation in this movie is top notch.  When I heard how much money went into this film, I knew this film must either have had an all star cast, or breathtaking animation.  Every shot in this film is a stunning shot.  The only comparable film in terms of artistic beauty is Sleeping Beauty.  The finest scene is the scene of the King and Queen before they let out the lights.  The animation of the king's face is so emotionally gripping, we hardly notice that there is no dialogue in the scene.

After the horrid writing of Home on the Range's music, Alan Menken is back to writing good Disney songs, as the songs and score of this movie are pretty good.  There isn't a standout song like "Be Our Guest" or "A Whole New World", but the collective whole is fairly strong.

Overall: While no masterpiece, Tangled is an impressive and almost daunting achievement in the history of animation.  The animation is top notch and the characters are fairly strong.  I highly recommend this one, it is a gem.

Report Card:

Hero:                           85
Heroine:                      96
Villain:                         71
Side Characters:         92
Songs:                          87
Musical Score:            90
Animation:                   100
Special Effects:           100
Story:                            94
Themes:                        90

Final Score:                   91