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.
