“They’re taking adventure to new lengths.
Feisty teenager Rapunzel, who has long and magical hair, wants to go and see sky lanterns on her eighteenth birthday, but she’s bound to a tower by her overprotective mother. She strikes a deal with Flynn Rider, a charming wanted thief, and the duo set off on an action-packed escapade.” – Letterboxd Synopsis
I’m not the biggest Disney animation fan. There are movies in their slate that I love, like The Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Mulan, Princess and the Frog, and Fantasia among others. To me this movie was one that I had seen in passing years and years ago but never got the chance to fully appreciate and with the last Disney movie I’ve watched being Wish (ew) Its really nice to go back and watch a really good movie from Disney.
Pretty much everyone knows the story of Repunzel and I really enjoyed this take on the age old fairy tale. I loved the coming of age aspects here. This story is about Repunzel seeing the world after a sheltered life and how trusting can be hard, but it’s possible. I think it’s a really sweet story. Flynn is a fun character. Maximus the horse was absolutely hilarious, and I enjoyed how they just let Mother Gothel be a villain. There was no redeeming her in the end, there was no need to. She was just a bad, manipulative person. She literally made Repunzel elevator her up using her hair everyday knowing full well that there is another entrance to the tower she could use. Which I think a lot of behaviours and dialogue has and will continue to hit and be eye opening to some people who watch this film because it is very real dialogue. The manipulation tactics and the way she speaks will hit home for some people, and so will Repunzel’s rebellion and feelings about the world. That’s why I think this journey is so sweet.
The animation is gorgeous. There are some awe-inspiring scenes. I think in particular I just loved how emotive the animals are even though they don’t say a word. The horse especially. I loved that guy. There’s also a whole scene with just instrumental, no dialogue, no lyrics, the instruments just breathe life into this wonderful moment and it’s lovely. The music in this movie is really good too. It’s not my favorite soundtrack from Disney Animated movies, but I love how it retains that musical feeling, whereas some modern Disney movies can feel like their numbers are just mostly bland pop songs, this feels like a musical and that’s how I personally prefer it.
So yeah, I’m glad I got to revisit Tangled. It’s made me want to revisit a bunch more Disney movies from my childhood and before I was born. It’s a great take on the fairy tale with really good musical numbers and animation and very well written character relationships paired with great characters in their own right. Tangled is a fun time.
Tangled – 8/10
