Review: Tangled

Cheeky and entertaining without ever really standing out or bringing anything new to the animated genre. Perfectly good family fun, just don’t expect Beauty and the Beast.

Walt Disney Animation Studios return to the fairy tale format that made them famous with Tangled. The story is a re-telling of the Brothers Grimm tale Rapunzel, with Mandy Moore playing the longhaired princess. She’s taken as a child to live in a hidden tower by the evil elderly Gothel (posing as her mother) for the rejuvenating qualities of her hair. Every year, on Rapunzel’s birthday, the king and queen release lanterns in the hope that their lost daughter will see them and return. One night, while still a child, Rapunzel sees the lanterns and from then on dreams of seeing them up close. Eighteen years later and she is eager to see the outside world, and more importantly, the floating lanterns. Her opportunity comes in the form of the crook Flynn Rider, played by Zachary Levi, who promises to take her to see the lights. This deal does not go down well with Gothel, as she needs Rapunzel to keep her youthful looks. The chase through the kingdom ensues, with Rapunzel and Flynn getting into all types of tangles.

The update of the famous fable mixes snappy humour, touching romance, dark edges and energetic action. It does not try to go back to old school animation and storytelling like 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, although similarities in the story can be drawn with other Disney films, *cough* The Little Mermaid *cough*. As you would expect with any modern animation, the visuals are stunning and very pleasing on the eye, as Rapunzel’s hair flows smoothly across the screen with no tangles in it at all.

The less than traditional hero, Flynn provides much of the humour and swash buckling adventure in the film. He is savvy and cynical which counters the naivety and innocence of Rapunzel. The evil figure in the film Gothel (played by Broadway actress Donna Murphy) is not sinister enough for my liking; she doesn’t pose enough of a threat and wasn’t as truly scary as other Disney villains. The supporting characters Maximus, a determined horse chasing Flynn, and Pascal, Rapunzel’s charming pet chameleon, keep you entertained and hold your interest in the film.

Although having some funny moments and likeable characters, Tangled never really changes the mould or does anything different to make the film stand out. The musical numbers never really live up to the songs of Disney’s past and aren’t quite as catchy and tuneful as one would expect. Thus Tangled ends up being a perfectly acceptable family film, but nothing exceptional in anyway.