Tangled (2010)

Written by Dan Fogelman
Directed by Nathan Greno & Byron Howard

This Disney Animated Classics marathon hits its historic 50th film with, perhaps highly appropriately, a princess film. Welcome to the story of Rapunzel.

Wait, sorry. I forgot, that title is gonna scare away about 50% of children out there. Let’s try this again.

Welcome to the story of...Tangled.

A quick peek at some beautiful animation

I think it’s obvious by now that I personally think the renaming of this film, and of Frozen, from their original titles is completely absurd. It’s the bowing to pressure from a marketing perspective and not being true to the vision of the film itself. Alas, what’s done is done, and so, we have Tangled.

Beyond the title, the film is actually really well made. It’s a return to computer animation, but new processes and software allow for a different, more “Disney-Style” type of animation than the Chicken Little to Bolt era. It’s a visually stunning film, with lots of great images that, knowingly or not, really exemplifies the progress of the animated feature film since it’s inception with Snow White 73 years earlier. Take the escape from the Ugly Duckling tavern sequence; it’s fast paced, with drama, suspense, and humor mixed in, with some amazing animation, especially when the dam breaks. Compare it with the two main action sequences from Snow White: Snow running through the forest to the dwarves cottage, and the chase by the dwarves of the Queen through the same forest. It’s astounding how far the Disney artists have been able to push their craft.

The delightfully sinister Mother Gothel

My favorite part of the film is the music (“I’ve Got a Dream” notwithstanding). The film is peppered, like Princess and the Frog before it, with number after number that is both catching to the ear and thematically appropriate for the scene it accompanies. “I See the Light” is, of course, the showstopper of the film (much like the title song from Beauty and the Beast), its melody soaring like the lanterns the song (initially) refers to. A great example is also “Mother Knows Best”, performed twice. Both times it’s a villain song (Mother Gothel, as much as a trope as she is, is breathtakingly chilling in this film), but while initially its played much more carefree (with a subtext of evil), the reprise in the forest is nothing short of downright sinister. It’s a wonderful example of just how well the music is integrated into the plot.

This is absolutely gorgeous

Initially declared to be the final princess film from Disney, that was proven false a mere 3 years later with the release of a MASSIVELY successful princess film...that we’ll get to shortly. Wrapping up Tangled, however: it’s a gorgeous work of animation, made even more spectacular by showing the advancements, in all areas, of the animated feature film, forever cementing “Disney’s Folly” as a case of beating the odds.

...except for that dang title.

FINAL GRADE: A