Tangled (2010)

Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Bandit who lived in a country that never got movies on time. But thanks to the magic that is the internet, she found a way to watch this…

Tangled is based on the Grimm fairytale, Rapunzel. But because this is a Disney film, the story itself isn’t as grim and (quite frankly) disturbing as the original fairytale. It’s the story of a young princess, obviously, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) who was kidnapped as a baby for her magical hair that has the ability to heal and give youth; but only when it’s on her head. For 18 years she has been kept in a tower by the evil witch that stole her so that Rapunzel’s hair can keep the witch young forever. However, Rapunzel dreams of seeing the real world, and the magical lantern display that always appears on her birthday. So when a notorious thief, Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), chooses Rapunzel’s tower to hide away in, Rapunzel jumps at the chance to use him as her guide in seeing the world.

Now, I can’t even tell you why I was so desperate to see this film when I first saw the preview… maybe because deep down I still have a knack for falling in love with the main characters of Disney movies (and Flynn Rider… whoar… not since Treasure Planet have I liked an animated guy so much, lemme tell ya), or maybe because Disney has rarely let me down, but for whatever reason, as soon as I saw the preview, I knew I had to see this movie. But as the start of this entry made clear, my stupid spit of land of a country doesn’t get films on time. Or, sometimes, at all. I decided not to risk it and turned to the net for help.

To set the record straight: I am 20 (very nearly 21) and it takes a lot in a film or animation to truly impress me. Yes, I grew up with Disney, but I also grew up with Norstein. And the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve noticed that few Disney movies (or animated features in general) impress me any more. Maybe I’ve lost my ability to unearth my inner child or maybe the quality really has just dropped off as of late. But let me tell you right now… this movie was amazing. No, it was beyond that. It was freaking awesome. This movie actually made me want to be young enough to sing along to songs again.

I can’t even tell you what it was about this movie that I liked so much, but I can certainly admit that no film since Megamind (which was wonderful on so many levels) has made me laugh this hard or actually clap my hands in delight at the ending like Tangled did. Maybe it’s something about the fact that Rapunzel wasn’t a doe-eyed (even though she had freaking huge eyes) damsel in distress – her frying pan skills impressed even Flynn – or maybe because I seriously just had a huge crush on Flynn, but this film completely and utterly won my heart over. I won’t lie… for a minute there at the end I was yelling (in a whisper of course, since I never watch films in daylight and didn’t want to wake the family) at the screen about how DISNEY ISN’T ALLOWED TO KILL OFF ITS MAIN CHARACTERS BECAUSE IT’S NOT FAIR DAMMIT IT’S JUST NOT FAIR.

I’ll admit that I really liked the script too. And now that I think back, it wasn’t actually that special… but it just worked so well. It’s a film that I know for a fact would entertain its target audience, but… it also entertained me, and I’m a cynical 20-year-old. Although I do have the mental capacity of a 4-year-old so maybe I was the target audience. What’s important is that this film is perfect Disney. I know a lot of people have heralded The Princess And The Frog as the “last ever perfect Disney film” but I disagree… for me it’s not the animation or how it’s done, it’s the feel of the film. And this film reminded me of what it was like to fly on a magic carpet with Aladdin or sing in the jungle with Simba… this film reminded me of what it was like to be a kid again and maybe that’s why it was so magical.

One final, completely unrelated, thing before I give my rating… this film has one of the most freaking sweet posters I have ever seen.

Moment of truth, guys. Ready? Alright then. This film has officially made its way to my Top Ten Animated Films after the first watch. It gets and INCREDIBLY rare 8.5/10 from me. And I would recommend it to everyone and anyone. To kids who weren’t lucky enough to grow up with films like The Lion King and Aladdin, and to adults who were, and miss the feeling of seeing the world through a child’s eyes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch the movie again, so that I can live happily ever after with this incredible feeling in my heart.

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