If Walt Disney Feature Animation has a wheelhouse, it is the musical princess fairytale. Last year’s attempt (the classically animated The Princess and the Frog) fizzled somewhat, but Disney is back again this holiday season with Tangled, an expanded and updated version of the story of Rapunzel.
Bringing the story fully into a 21st century sensibility required a few changes. First, unlike The Princess and the Frog, Tangled fully embraces CGI and 3-D projection. While I may be a bit tired of 3-D at this point, it was quite a success with the under-10 crowd at my theater.
Things were changed around thematically, too. In the original stories from the Brothers Grimm (which in turn were based on stories going back at least a thousand years), Rapunzel is of common birth and is eventually rescued by a prince. These days, that just won’t fly—so in Disney’s version, she’s actually royalty (albeit kidnapped royalty) and her “rescuer,” Flynn Ryder, is the one of base origins, as an orphan-turned-thief.
Also, “rescuer” isn’t quite right. Flynn doesn’t so much rescue Rapunzel as provide her with an opportunity that she takes full advantage of. This more independent heroine will continue on display as she generally works her own way out of trouble and solves her own problems, making Rapunzel is fully a modern independent woman, complete with a very attractive “princess” dress that will certainly sell well for years to come.
©Disney
For those who have a lifetime of Disney movies under their belt, Tangled is going to feel like an amalgamation of Disney’s best beats. Alan Menken returns to provide songs and score for his first animated feature in seven years—and while there is nothing to complain about, it is very much recognizable as Menken doing princess music.
Similarly, the movie itself touches on familiar beats, resulting in a feeling that somehow I was watching a Beauty and the Beast mashup with The Little Mermaid. That is not to say, though, that the result isn’t fun—it is—and at times, a lot of fun. Directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, along with screenwriter Dan Fogelman, also move away from familiar Disney formats, with a greater emphasis on gags and jokes. For example, after Rapunzel knocks Flynn Ryder cold with a frying pan, the movie quick-cuts through a dozen unsuccessful attempts at cramming him into an armoir. The result is much more “cartooney” than might be expected, where physics and characterization frequently take a backseat to getting a laugh. Hopefully, this won’t become a new house style, but the balance is maintained for much fun.
The voice casting is a bit disjointed. Mandy Moore is Rapunzel and while she does a great job singing, her speaking voice somehow didn’t match well—a little too big or something. Conversely, Donna Murphy is great as Mother Gothel (“the bad guy”) when speaking, but when singing, seemed to mostly echo Ursula from The Little Mermaid, and the heavy menace is out of sync with the rest of the movie.
Zachary Levi (Chuck on the TV show Chuck) isn’t asked to sing much, and does a fine job as amoral cutpurse Flynn Ryder. Those three are pretty much the only people who have more than a couple lines through the entire movie, though Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, and Brad Garrett are sprinkled throughout in small parts. The other main characters are (in Disney princess tradition) Pascal, Rapunzel’s best friend who just happened to be a smart-aleck chameleon, and Maximus, a fully sentient, if non-verbal, horse from the palace guard.
©Disney
So yes, Tangled doesn’t really break any new ground, but it’s a great example of how even the familiar, when handled well, can be good. It isn’t up at the levels achieved during Disney Animation’s second Golden Age (The Little Mermaid through The Lion King) but Tangled is the best thing they’ve done in many years, and should make a great family event for your Thanksgiving weekend.
Tangled is a Walt Disney Pictures release
- Wide release on Wednesday, November 24
- Directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard
- Screenplay by Dan Fogelman
- Starring Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
- Rated PG for brief mild violence.
- Alex Rating: 7 out of 10
