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Tangled is the single greatest animated feature made by Disney since The Lion King. It takes on the "classic" Disney princess feel, being reminiscent of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. It's the story of Rapunzel, the long-haired princess who's locked away in a tall tower. |
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In this new version of Rapunzel, the princess Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) is stolen from her royal parents shortly after birth, because her hair is a veritable fountain of youth. Rapunzel is trapped in the tower both by its size, and also because the person she believes to be her mother has told her horror stories about the world and the evils that it holds. She is fine with staying in her safe, sheltered tower until she develops an insatiable desire to see the flying lanterns that take over the skies on her birthday every year. After her mother denies her incessant requests to go she the lights, she tricks her mother into the leaving the area on a quest for a birthday gift. While mother is away, a thief names Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) tries to hide in Rapunzel's tower. This is Rapunzel's first interaction with a person who's not her mother, and she quickly coerces Flynn to take her to see the flying lanterns. Along the way, the two run in a decent amount of mischief, and start to develop feelings for each other.
This film really succeeds in its storytelling. Written by hit-or-miss screenwriter Dan Fogelman (Fred Claus, Cars, Bolt), this script definitely falls in the "win" category. Two of the most interesting characters don't even have a line in the script (Maximus the horse and Pascal the chameleon), but are still very much a part of the story, in the way other characters interact with them, and the sounds and expressions they make. Being able to create silent but interesting characters is a feat.
Most importantly, it just feels like a Disney cartoon is supposed to feel. There's a princess in a classic story arc, and a hansom unlikely hero, and a lot of great musical song-and-dance numbers.
4 stars. |
