Film Review: Tangled

We're coming into the final stretch of the year, and most of the blank spots are filling themselves in quite nicely. This past month or so has, for the most part, delivered more than the films of this past Summer. This was definitely one of the films I was questioning, but the truth is that Disney has always delivered well out of this Thanksgiving frame. Tangled is no exception, offering everything that the studio has promised from the beginning, while adding a new spice into the mix. I can't call it original, because it's technically based on a preconceived story, but there were several points in which it felt like no other Disney princess film released before.

The film focuses on the story of Rapunzel, a princess who is kidnapped as a baby by the evil Mother Gothel who raises her as her own in order to take advantage of Rapunzel's magic hair. Yeah, it is kind of ridiculous, but that's one of the aspects the film plays up. Anyway, just when her evil (fake) mother tells her she can never leave the tower, she blackmails a handsome and cunning thief named Flynn Rider to help her on her adventure. You get the deal, and there is quite a bit of fun action thrown in along the way, along with marvelous comedy.

Diving into the Disney aspects of the film, it's a musical, which is something I couldn't be happier about. While it's true that none of these songs will leave a forever lasting impression like the classics have, it works as something of a fun throwback, and I enjoyed it. As for the characters, they're pretty awesome. Flynn Rider is the sort of guy that any girl would enlist for an adventure, and comes off a bit as Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother) with a heart. Rapunzel is a strong female character, which animated films always seem obligated towards embellishing because they don't want to seem sexist like the helpless Disney princesses of the past have been perceived as. Mother Gothel works as a fantastic villain, though never truly terrifying, but she does get props for having no magical powers at her disposal, and still coming off as evil.

And of course they have to throw in some quirky animal characters into the story, and they come in the form of Pascal the chameleon and Maximus the horse. Everybody is going to prefer the horse, because he gets so much more to work with, and he's just hilarious. There are some hilarious moments that seem like they have something of a modern twist, but at heart, it's still a cute and lovable Disney princess film. Therefore, each of the characters look absolutely adorable. The colors in this film are beautiful, and I was much sadder to be dropped out of that world than the world of Avatar. I'm not going to become clinically depressed over it, because I'm not an idiot. Overall, Tangled may not go down as a classic, but I loved it for most of the duration, and would happily see it again. However, it's not the sort of film you have to see in 3D. 2D will work just fine.

A-