Review of Tangled (2010) by Seth S — 28 Jan 2014

Quick pop quiz, which of these movies cost the most to make:

A) The Dark Knight Rises.

B) Avatar.

C) Tangled.

D) The Avengers.

Seeing as this is a review of Tangled, if you didn't pick C, then you are what some would call "dense." That's right, at a whopping 260 million dollars, Tangled is the most expensive animated movie ever made (and the 2nd most expensive movie ever, bested only by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End). I say all that to say this, for Disney's 50th Animated Feature Film, they pulled out all the stops.

One would assume, with this being a real hallmark movie for such a huge studio like Disney, that this would be very self-congratulatory film. But no, Tangled is anything but. Sure it follows the Disney musical formula, but you can tell that its laughing all the way to the bank. There are so many lines (and even entire musical numbers) that are devoted to sarcastically poking fun at how ridicules those classic Disney movies are. Granted, both Enchanted and Frozen had their moments of mockery for the Disney formula, but Tangled seems like a movie entirely dedicated to scoffing at its heritage.

Because of this, you'd probably think that I don't like this movie. But that 80% chilling out at the top of this review tells you otherwise. Why? Well, because I'm not all that attached to "classic Disney." Sure, I watched and appreciated them growing up. But in retrospect, those movies were prime for the picking when it comes to sarcasm. And I guess Disney thought so too. So while I am a bit peeved that the movie makes fun of these classic movies so much, I am very forgiving. Because if you take away the sarcasm, then you take away the vast majority of the humor. And if you take away the vast majority of the humor, then there's not a whole lot of substance left in this movie. So as it is, with all of its humor and irony, Tangled is really, really good!

I won't spend much spend much time on the story, as its pretty well known by now. Repunzel (and her magic flowing hair) has been willingly trapped in a tower for 17 years. Without knowing, she has been raised by a vain enchantress named Gothel who stays in her "daughter's" good graces, only because Repunzel's hair keeps Gothel young. But on her 18th birthday, Repunzel decides to disobey her mother, and leave the tower she has been trapped in for so long.

The movie succeeds so completely in its characters and cast. Repunzel is voiced by Mandy Moore, and as Disney heroines go, she's up there! Moore gives her sufficient personality, and deftly handles all the singing. But she is somewhat overshadowed by Zachary Levi's spectacular performance as Flynn Rider. He is hilarious and awesome! Levi has a lot to thank the screenwriters for, and the screenwriters have a lot to thank Levi for. If you don't subscribe to making fun of Disney, then you'll probably hate Flynn. But for one reason or another, I think Flynn is one of the funniest Disney characters ever! And its thanks to that sense of sarcasm I mentioned earlier. Also, Donna Murphy nails it as Mother Gothel, the villain. I think she's purposefully over-the-top to make fun of past, unconsciously over-the-top Disney villains. Still, Murphy brings a lot to the movie, as an actress and a seasoned Broadway veteran.

Also of note are the animal characters, Pascal the chameleon and Maximus the horse. They're fantastic!

The musical numbers are written by Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater, with the score also being written by Menken. The movie starts out with an energetic and catchy song called "When Will My Life Begin?" The purists who don't accept this movie in the first place will doubtlessly dislike this song, because its "everything wrong with new Disney, sounding all pop-y and stuff...grrr." But I really like the song! Next up is Mother Gothel/Donna Murphy's phenomenal number, "Mother Knows Best." It's so gloriously exaggerated and choreographed! There are some brilliant lines in there, and Murphy's performance is steller. The most tongue-in-cheek song is "I've Got A Dream." Which basically exists only to poke fun at those classic Disney supporting character songs. But it goes so far into left field, it's hard not to enjoy! Then there's the movie's musical calling card, "I See the Light." It's basically this movie's version of "Let it Go" (actually vice versa, but that's of little importance). It's a very, very good song, with nice visuals around it.

The score by Alan Menken is serviceable, but it only has one stand-out moment. And that is the outstanding "Kingdom Dance." The rest of the score is solid but unsurprising.

Additionally, the movie is created in dazzling CG. Maybe Walt Disney would have chosen a more traditional, hand-drawn, 2D approach, but the CG does work very well. It's the method of the future ... kind of like this movie itself.

I mentioned this in my review of Frozen, but I'll say it again: Disney is changing. No doubt about it. And why shouldn't it? We're appalled when actors or directors keep making the same sort of movie over and over again, so why be mad when a studio chooses a new route after having more than enough success in its previous style? Well, I guess I would be mad if this new route was atrocious, but its not! With Tangled and later Frozen, Disney has proven itself more than adequately. I was about to give this movie a 7.5, based on the fact that its so cynical about its legacy, but it deserves better. With excellent characters and performances, a clever, heart-warming, and satisfying story, charming animation, and exceptional songs - Tangled is thoroughly enjoyable!

"You're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand." 8/10.