Movie Review: 'Tangled' Lives Up to Disney Legacy

It's hard to believe that it has taken Disney almost a full generation to get back to telling the type of story that made movies like "The Little Mermaid (1989)," "Beauty and the Beast (1991)," and "Aladdin (1992)" timeless classics, but better late than never. Engaging, funny, well written, and superbly animated, "Tangled" can just as easily past for a date movie as it does for a kid's film. By the time the closing credits role and the applause begin, you will feel that the ten dollars you shelled out where well spent.

The Plot:

While "Tangled" is only loosely faithful to the telling of the Grimm's Fairy Tale, the story includes the golden haired Rapunzal (voiced by Mandy Moore), an evil enchantress named Gothel (Donna Murphy), and a charming thief, Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), standing in for the prince. Chasing after the magical qualities of the girl's hair (which stems from a mystique flower used to keep her mother, the queen, alive after an illness), Gothel kidnaps the young princess and raises her in a tower. The villainess then uses the hair's magical powers to stay forever young. To do so she passes herself off as the girl's mother and keeps the naïve girl away from the rest of the world. All of that suddenly changes when Rapunzal has a chance encountered with Flynn upon her eighteenth birthday, and sneaks off to go see the festival of floating lanterns that the kingdom holds annually on her birthday. Along the way there is the usual danger, romance, and happy ending that are vital to these types of tales.

What Works:

Though animated the characters are well developed, as is the relationship between Rapunzal and the domineering Gothel. In an effort to keep Rapunzal in place, Gothel wields guilt as effectively as a knight wields a sword, which gives the villainess a richness seldom seen in an animated character. Likewise, Rapunzal has her own layer of complexity, showing a winsome mixture of strength, naiveté, and teenage angst. Flynn's charm is brought to life by Levi, and the supporting cast includes a pet chameleon named Pascal, a brew of Vikings with odd "dreams," and a relentless military horse named Maximus.

Adding to the magic is the music of Alan Menken, who has a mantel full of Academy Awards to his name courtesy of "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and The Beast," "Aladdin," and "Pocahontas."

Rating:

To say "Tangled" is a kid's movie is to sell it short as adults will enjoy it and laugh along just as much. "Tangled" also fits the role of a date movie, provided you don't mind holding hands and making gooey eyes at each other while being surrounded by a theater full of popcorn eating kids.