Review:
When the first trailer came out, I was dubious. Then the reviews started to hit and they were surprisingly good, so I moseyed on in to theaters to see Disney’s 50th animated film, and I have to tell you, I absolutely loved it. This film took me back to my ten year old self seeing Beauty and the Beast for the first time – Tangled is old school Disney, in the very best sense.
Ever since John Lasseter (Mr. Pixar himself) was put in charge of all of Disney’s animated fare, Disney has been on the comeback trail in a big way, and I think The Princess and the Frog was the stepping stone to Tangled‘s triumphant return to form. With a score by Alan Menken (who you probably remember from his work on Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid), Tangled‘s music actually works within the story, instead of the painful artifice of recent Disney years where they threw in songs for sheer soundtrack sales instead of story value (as in Mulan). And the music itself, while not quite up to Little Mermaid level, is definitely on par with Aladdin. Tangled’s central theme, the song Rapunzel uses to draw the magic out of her hair, is absolutely lovely and the evil Mother’s song, Mother Knows Best, is fantastic fun. If I was ten, I would have bought the soundtrack the minute I got home.
One of my favorite parts of this film is how the villainness is a wonderfully different kind of evil, the most psychological Disney villain yet. Two-time Tony award winning actress Donna Murphy does a fantastic job with the voice of the evil Mother Gothel, who is so deliciously manipulative that she keeps Rapunzel a willing prisoner, controlling her with the sly use of guilt and affection. I also like that Rapunzel is a feisty girl and Princess or not, she is very much making her own story, instead of the classic helpless Disney princess waiting to be rescued.
I was a little worried going in, as I’m very familiar with the two actors voicing the leads – Zachary Levi (from Chuck) and Mandy Moore – and I was afraid it would get in the way of my enjoyment of the film, that I would be picturing them when I heard their voices instead of buying into the characters. Happily, once the film began it never crossed my mind. They both did a great job.
Going in, I was also frankly downright skeptical of the humor in this film, as the trailers made it seem very over the top, just overt and obnoxious, but I was wonderfully surprised and charmed by how funny this film actually is. I was laughing out loud, literally. Pascal, the chameleon, and Maximus, the horse, steal practically every scene they’re in. And honestly, I think this is where Disney still trumps Dreamworks Animation, with the deft use of humor that is absolutely true to the world and characters of the film. Ever since Shrek, Dreamworks just can’t resist bringing modern touches and colloquialisms to their films, especially in the comedic moments, and though they’re funny I find they jar me out of completely immersing in the fantasy world. Much as I enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda, there is just that undeniable modern flavor, whereas Disney makes you believe the magic (though they too dabbled with it, back in Aladdin).
There is a high caliber of filmmaking all around in this film. Not only is the CGI lovely, but there was a hearkening back to classic film techniques, with a wonderful silent film style moment between the Monarchs, to show how much they miss their kidnapped daughter, and plenty of old vaudeville flavor. And though I still believe hand-drawn animation (last seen in The Princess and the Frog) does add that extra something special, Tangled is the first CGI film I’ve seen that didn’t make me feel as if I was watching a CGI film. The technology has come a long way in the last few years.
So yes, I am absolutely going to buy this movie. Thank you, John Lasseter, for bringing back the Disney I remember.
I was a little annoyed that they had to make Rapunzel a princess instead of simply the witches’ neighbor – blatantly a “Disney princess’ marketing decision. And a big-eyed Bratz doll look-alike at that. Cringe. Other than that, I agree, the Pixar animation was cute, and that the horse and the chameleon were fantastic. A big thank-you to whoever insisted that these high-personality animals be voiceless. Talking would have ruined it.