Movie Review: Tangled (2010)

My daughter is two and a half and had never been to a movie theater, so I figured that hitting a second run theater on a Monday would be perfect. We settled into our seats and watched a movie that entertained a young toddler as well as her thirty-five-year-old dad. Just when I thought Disney tackled every classic fairy tale, they pull out the story of Rapunzel. I'll admit that this is one tale that was a little fuzzy to me. I remembered Rapunzel living in a tower, and I remember something about a prince telling her to let down her hair so he could climb up it to get to her. I definitely remembered her having really long hair. What I don't remember is the story being as interesting or as much fun as Tangled was.

Buy the Tangled 3D DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack


In the movie, a king and queen are expecting a baby. The queen becomes very ill before giving birth. The only thing that can save her is a magical healing flower. The guards search and find what appears to be the only one around, so they harvest it. Little do they know that an old woman has been hiding the flower so that she can use its powers to keep herself young. The queen drinks a tea made from the flower. It heals her, but it also passes the healing ability to the newborn Rapunzel's hair. When the witch learns this, she tries to cut the hair, but that doesn't work, so she kidnaps the baby. Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, the kingdom sends up a flurry of floating lamps hoping for the princess' return.

As Rapunzel grows up, she is kept in a tower and told that it is unsafe to go out into the world. Her only friend is a chameleon named Pascal. Rapunzel dreams of going to where the lamps come from, but the old woman, who she believes to be her mother, refuses. That all changes once a thief named Flynn uses the tower as a hideout as he's running from the castle guards.

The rest of the story features a determined horse named Max, a band of thugs with varied personalities, and Flynn's former partners who he may have screwed over just a bit. The movie is visually appealing and very colorful. The vast landscapes are well detailed, but detail is expected when it comes to Disney animation. The music and songs were fun, and we were bopping in our seats at times.

The movie reminded me of The Emperor's New Groove in its style. That's my favorite Disney movie, and while Tangled isn't quite as funny, it got frequent laughs from both of us. I liked that Pascal and Max don't talk like many of their cartoon contemporaries, but they both have a ton of personality and play significant roles in the storyline. Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are great in the lead roles. The movie is full of excitement and peril, and it held our attention quite well. I'd say that Tangled is one of the best Disney features I've seen, and that includes the Pixar films.