Tangled (2010)

Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy

Synopsis:
Kidnapped as a baby and raised in seclusion in a hidden tower, Rapunzel dreams of venturing into the outside world and then one day meets a thief on the lam who she chooses to act as her guide.

Impressions:
People familiar with the production of Tangled know that Disney was going to essentially make a DreamWorks movie. That's why it's called Tangled instead of Rapunzel and why promotional images have Rapunzel and Flynn making the DreamWorks face. Thank God they backed off on this plan because, personally, I don't like most DreamWorks films and the last thing Disney needs to do is ape their inferiors. (To be fair, I think certain entries in the DreamWorks film canon are rather strong and like them quite a bit, but most of it is utter dreck or, to be charitable, simply doesn't do anything for me.) Disney has a certain talent and charm and they need to take pride in it and make the most of it. That doesn't meant they need to rest on their laurels or not look for way to innovate, but imitating other studios isn't the way to go.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the movie itself. This is the movie that gave me faith in Disney's ability to make good 3D animated movies. I pretty well skipped everything from the Post-Renaissance era and this and The Princess and the Frog brought me on board for the Revival era. On every level, this film works for me. Appealing characters, quality art and animation, catchy songs, a good mix of comedy and drama, solid performances, the works. As I mentioned in my Frozen review, I consider this movie to be more solid and cohesive, regardless of the wildly greater success Frozen enjoys.

Performances are good all-around. I find it particularly heart-warming that leads Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi had their childhood dreams of acting in a Disney film fulfilled. I also want to give special credit to the character of Mother Gothel, who is deliciously abusive and manipulative. There's a lot going on in the character dynamics that I may tackle in an analysis post.

This movie certainly belongs in the collection and holds up to repeat viewings, which is always handy if you have kids.

Rating:
Own It