Tangled: A Review

I waited to post my thoughts on Tangled, the 50th animated feature in Disney's canon, until I thought most people had seen it, who want to. Spoilers abound, so read at your own risk.

All in all, I really enjoyed the movie. Jon and I went to the Palace and saw it, and didn't regret the six bucks. It was funny and cute in all the typical Disney ways. And beautiful - the animation was excellent. I wanted to say that upfront so that the rest of this post doesn't sound so harsh. Because when I say it was typical Disney...

Well, let's just review the plot, shall we?

So we start with a sick queen, who's about to have a baby. The king and his people search the whole kingdom for a magical golden flower that can cure her. But that magical flower is being hidden by a woman who uses its power to keep her youth. The people find it, pick it, and use it to make a broth that the queen drinks.* So the queen gives birth to a daughter with golden hair. The evil woman, obsessed with youth and beauty, thinks nothing of harming a little girl.

So the woman steals the baby girl away and names her Rapunzel. Rapunzel lives a relatively happy life, hidden in the forest away from her family for sixteen years.

But Rapunzel wearies of her secluded life, and wants to visit the outside world. She sings at the top of her tall tower,while she twirls around in circles, brushing her long golden hair. Oh, and she has an animal friend, too.

Meanwhile, rogueish, dashingly handsome boy is...being dashing and handsome. And running from the authorities. Because, you know, girls want bad boys. But not too bad.

Pretty squeaky-clean for a bad boy, isn't he? Yes, I know, he's not really Disney. Moving on...

Rapunzel's "mother" warns her that the world is a cruel, cruel, wicked place, and that she should never leave her tower.

But she really, really, really wants to go to the festival...er, to see the floating lights that appear every year on her sixteenth birthday. Mum says no. Luckily, the gorgeous boy happens to stumble upon her secluded hideout. After...coercion (and a lot of frying pans to the head ala Princess Peach) he agrees to take her to the lights, part of a festival the town holds every year for the missing princess.

On the way, there's a singing bar scene.

Rogue-boy gets hurt, and Rapunzel heals him with her magic hair-powers, singing to him while bathed in golden light.

So they get to the festival and have a nice time. During a song, they almost share a kiss on a boat in a lake, surrounded by lots of floating lights, but are interrupted by the big bad's twin minions.

Yup. Not making this up. Fast forwarding: There's some perceived betrayal, and Rapunzel goes back home to Mama, and Rogue-boy gets arrested. Cue hilarious jail break!

So, one dramatic rescue sequence, a falling villain death, a near-death prince, and a miraculous recovery later, Rapunzel gets reunited with her long-lost family. Everyone lives happily ever after.

Oh come on. PICK YOUR MOVIE.

Now, let me reiterate - I'm not complaining. I love me some good, old-fashioned Disney tropes. Especially for a 50th film (which is such a nice round number), it makes sense to make something formulaic, comfortable, and good. And a lot of Disney films have similarities in plot, character, and structure. But watching this movie felt a little bit too comfortable, like I'd seen it all before. Which of course, I have.

Tangled brought in almost $200 million at the box office, almost twice as much as last winter's Princess and the Frog. Now, I might be alone in liking The Princess and the Frog (I did like Hunchback of Notre Dame, after all, so that ruins some credibility), but I found that plot really original, and the songs unforgettable (I remember the flower song from Rapunzel, but that's it). Plus, it had a really strong, ambitious female protagonist, whose goal is to own her own business. Sure, Rapunzel's no wilting flower, but she has much more in common with Sleeping Beauty than Tiana. I do think Tangled appeals a bit more to younger viewers more than Princess - the colors are brighter (and there's more pink and purple, for those three year old girls), the story is simpler, and most importantly, the movie is shorter.

So if you haven't seen it, see it. It's good. But know what to expect - a short and sweet fairy tale that hearkens to the golden ages of Disney.

Love, Katie


*At this point, Jon pointed out that this movie could have had a lot to say about sustainability. There's this amazing magical flower that has the power to heal anyone forever if we can figure out how it works. Let's destroy it in order to save the queen. Sadly for us environmental hippie types, that question wasn't raised within the movie. Ah, well.