Tangled

Title: Tangled
Director: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard
Studio: Disney
Genre: comedy, animation, fairy tales
Length: 100 min

Description (from official website)
When the kingdom's most wanted--and most charming--bandit Flynn Rider hides out in a mysterious tower, he's taken hostage by Rapunzel, a beautiful and fiesty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical golden hair.

Flynn's curious captor, who's looking for her ticket out of the tower where she'd been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon, and a gruff gang of pub thugs.

Reaction
This movie, much like The Frog Princess, reminds me why I loved Disney as a child. It has that old princess flare, the ditzy musical numbers and charming graphics; but this generation of princesses have no qualms kicking butt. Rapunzel and her frying pan are a sight to behold.

I was really charmed by this movie. I found Rapunzel really annoying, but she was definitely believable as a teenager girl, especially one that's been trapped in a tower all her life. And Flynn was as awesome (and hot) as you'd expect. No complaints there.

The plot was pretty expected, with not a lot of surprising twists, but it was loads of fun anyway. I'm not very familiar with the Repunzel fairytale, so I can't speak to what changes they've made. The witch made such a believable manipulative mother, and for some reason the animal companions didn't bother me--perhaps because they didn't talk, and were not overly cutsey.

Disney musicals are known for their songs, but I wasn't that impressed by the music. Some of the lyrics felt kind of forced and unremarkable, but there were a few catchy tunes. If I hear them a few more times, I might like them more.

The romance in the movie felt very natural to me. As you might expect, what starts out with mutual agression gradually softens as the two characters get to know each other. This isn't a very unique set-up, but I liked how equal they were. You'd expect a movie with this premise to begin with lies--the thief pretending to be a prince or something, in the vein of Alladin. But it didn't go that route, and I was very greatful. Rapunzel and Flynn have legitimate chemistry, and they played off of each other very well. It's still a bit cliched (trouble-maker meets innocent girl who cools his trickster heart), but not in a bad way.

Of course I also loved that Rapunzel doesn't leave her tower because she wants to fall in love, she just wants to see the world, and learn about herself.

Definitely a movie I'll be buying.

Design
This movie was gorgeous. I heard that they drew inspiration from old oil paintings for the coloring and lighting, and it turned out really well. The textures were also amazing, especially the fabrics, which I felt like I could just reach out and touch.

I haven't seen a movie in 3d in the last few years, and it seemed very appropriate for this movie. I can see why some people are so in love with the technology; it does add a new dimension (no pun intended) to the experience. I was expecting it  to make me motion-sick, but it didn't at all, and some scenes were really enhanced by the effect.

Appeal
Anyway who's a fan of CG, Disney, or princess movies of old, will probably really enjoy this movie.

Extra Points
For princesses who kick ass. We need more of them.

Also, Disney's 50th animated motion picture!

Final Rating:

4/5 gorgeous and fun, but it could have been less cliched