Tangled – Review
February 4, 2011 14 Comments
Tangled (2010) 
Directed by Nathan Greno, Byron Howard. Starring Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
Disney’s 50th animated feature came at a time which was overloaded by all types of cartoons. With the likes of Madagascar, Ice Age and especially Shrek, which had been so irreverent towards fairy tales (and princesses singing to birds) it seemed almost impossible for the Mouse House to go back to their origins and produce another fairy tale.
And yet, the wonderful thing about Tangled is that underneath all the pointy/tricksy 3D effects, the visual splendor , the ultra-saturated colours, and the sharp humour (which we’ve now become to expect from these types of films), it is actually a very traditional Disney story and yes it has a princess singing to birds barefoot in the forest. And you know what? It works!!!
It has been slightly updated for the 21st century audience, but it has not lost the heart and the magic: here the princess is not just pretty, but she’s also a strong character with more personality and internal conflicts than most of the previous Disney princesses put together (The scene where she she’s just been rescued and her mood changes from happy to terrorised to desperate , all in the space of few seconds, is pure genius).
But don’t worry, there’s a great male hero too, Ryder, looking as hot as ever (apparently there were meetings held at Disney to make sure that every little girl would fall in love with him), but also charming, funny and playing against expectations, with lines line “I don’t do singing” or “I don’t do back-stories”.
But it’s Mother Gothel who pretty much steals the show: she’s not just one of the most memorable baddie of the last few years, but probably up there with the stepmother from Cinderella and the Queen from Snowhite (Yes, really!). And, in the best Disney tradition (SPOILER ALERT) she will eventually fall down to her death.
And since it’s a Disney fairytale, there are animals sidekicks too. Maximus, the horse (hilarious!! you just wish the was more of him) and the cute chameleon Pascal (which was most probably born out from various brainstorm-meetings thinking of toys and merchandising).
But brushing aside any cynics thoughts, this film is a joy to watch and it looks absolutely gorgeous: the first time the Mother goes up the tower and the music swells over the wide landscape is breath-taking (even my son said “wow” aloud), the sequence in which thousands of floating lanterns light up the night sky is truly magical (also allowing the animators to really use the 3D to maximum effect). The characters look more alive than most real life actors: you can see their chest moving as they breathe, the veins on their neck pulsing before they speak, and they’re eyes are so real that it really feels they are looking at each other. Not to mention the details and care put into Rapunzel’s golden hair as she hurls it around, and even uses it as a weapon, a hook, a whip and a swing. What fun!
And talking about fun, the action set pieces are so exciting and perfectly choreographed (The scene with the water, all the chases in the forest, swinging from trees or riding horses..).
This is what animation should do: make the impossible look possible.
This is an immersive glorious 3D experience, perfectly calibrated and yet seems effortless at the same time.
Great characters, clean and simple storytelling (yes, it’s all pretty formulaic, but so are the best fairy-tales for kids!), rich in colours and details.
It may not aim as high as some the classic Pixar masterpieces, but in my book it’s family perfection. One of my favourite of the last 20 years.
On Disney + (or just buy the bluray!)
8/10
Check out my review of Toy Story 3 too
About MovieGeek
MovieGeekBlog 
Pingback: Toy Story 3 – Review « moviegeekblog
Great review.. Am looking forward to watching this movie..
Do check out my co-blogger’s review at http://letstalkfilms.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/let-down-your-hair-rapunzel/ 🙂
p.s. Loved your blog layout.. 😀
thanks a lot.
So I’m not the only one who’s noticed! Most of the Disney villains have a habit of falling out of conveniently placed windows, or just… Well. Falling.
I think it’s because it’s easier than seeing someone stabbed or shot, because despite its humor, Disney’s main audience are still children, and with a villain falling to their death, the audience doesn’t have to see the death.
I enjoyed your review. I agree that the flow of the movie didn’t feel forced in any way. I think it was easy to follow and I loved that it wasn’t overstuffed with music.
Pingback: Tangled – Review (via moviegeekblog) | The Calculable
I loved it! My second favorite animated movie of the year, after “How to Train Your Dragon” 🙂
.. Hey.. What about Toy Story3 though?
Great review. I was so pleasantly surprised to see that they weren’t giving in and throwing out an easy to make computer animated movie.
I really really want to see this. Might go and see it this weekend. Glad you gave it a good review because I am looking forward to it. Disney isn’t necessarily always brilliant, but they seem to have gotten it right with “Tangled”. TRUE GRIT tomorrow night as part of Double Feature Friday though. Can’t wait!
Also, I saw “Mean Streets” for the first time recently. I enjoyed it, but I did have a bit of a gripe too: http://tinyurl.com/5ttb5fq
Let us know if you liked it in the end.
By the way, I agree about your review of “Mean Streets” including the predictability of its ending, though I wonder if it’s now predictable because of 40 years of cinema copying the format…
Pingback: #AMovieADay – 2020 | MovieGeekBlog
Pingback: Rio | MovieGeekBlog