"Tangled" movie review

On Saturday, I got to see an early screening for Disney's upcoming animated movie Tangled (in Disney 3-D, no less), and so many people have asked me for my opinion that I chose to post a review here despite the fact that this isn't a book. Well, it's based on a fairytale, so I suppose that counts...?

Disney movies are always magical. I look forward to them every year. The fact that Disney is going back to both its fairytale roots and the musical is thrilling. While I'm sad that the movie is no longer called Rapunzel, the movie was still worth its weight in gold(en hair).

First off, Alan Menken. You can't go wrong with this man. True, the songs weren't as memorable as some of his earlier Disney compositions (though that could be nostalgia talking), but they were still things worth humming outside the theater. I also love the fact that Broadway Vet Donna Murphy voiced the mother; I love this woman. I was also a big Mandy Moore fan back in her heyday, and she gave Rapunzel a lively, spunky spirit. One of the best characters was Maximus the horse. He doesn't speak a single word, but his actions really make the movie. Every scene he's in is hysterical. I think he wishes that he was born a dog due to some of his behavior patterns.

The movie looked fantastic. I actually got to see it in 3-D. It was my second time watching a movie in this fashion, so I can't speak from experience, but it looked great. One thing that makes me wary of 3-D is that a lot of action movies might be too blurry and make me sick. The 3-D used in Tangled was unobtrusive and made to make it seem as though the characters had substance. There were layers on top of one another so that it seemed as though some images were further back than others. I was impressed. I also love the way the Disney animators gave a nod to old-school animation by using backgrounds that looked like paintings, though I do wish the characters themselves were drawn in the traditional 2-D animation. The scene on the water, for example, looked stunning. I was thrilled they did that with last year's The Princess and the Frog. At the same time, by using computers to render everything, the animators were able to turn their attention to finite details. Rapunzel's hair, for example, looked AMAZING. It was super-silky; I wanted to run my fingers through it. It was incredibly realistic.

Story-wise, I was impressed with the way the writers came up with reasons and motivations behind everything that occurred in the traditional fairytale. There's a reason why Rapunzel has such long hair and why the movie's villain locks her in a tower. I also enjoyed the fact that the writers took one small aspect from the traditional story (which is obviously too adult in nature for a children's film) and incorporated into the ending. It was really well-done. That isn't to say the movie was perfect. There were times when it seemed like Disney was trying too hard to go back to its roots and replicate some of its best works. There was one scene at the beginning when Flynn is on the palace rooftop that strongly reminded me of Aladdin. There's one part where Donna Murphy's character calls someone a "lug," which reminded me strongly of a line from Hercules. One of her songs also brought images of Ursula to mind. In fact, there were a few times when The Little Mermaid sprung to mind throughout the movie, especially during the "romantic" scene. That being said, for the most part, the story remained true to itself and told a beautiful version of a classic fairytale.

If you're on the fence about whether or not to watch this, I encourage you to do so. The trailer does this movie no justice. Even if you go for half-price before noon (or take advantage of whatever deals your local theater makes for seeing movies on the cheap), it's worth seeing in the theatre, if only for the attention to detail and lush settings. Go for that reason, at least! Plus, it's a princess movie. AND a musical. It's time for us to support Disney so they'll repeat this successful formula in the future!