Tangled

Well, I promised you guys back in my Rapunzel Vs. Cinderella article that I'd review this film and I like to try and keep my promises. Without further ado here is my review of Tangled.






Ugh, I hate this trailer. It does the film no justice. It makes Tangled look like a DreamWorks knock-off.   When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was turned off and didn't even want to see this film because I thought Disney had lost their touch but alas I saw the film and it was great.  Yes, there were humorous spots that were tongue in cheek but at the same time, the film had a balance and wasn't all about laughter. There were serious moments and heartwarming scenes in the film too.   This trailer made me think that this film was going to be a stinker. It did nothing for me. In all honesty, I was more upset by the trailer than the name change. Which at the time a lot of fans thought was dumb. I wasn't one of them but I do understand their complaints even if at the time, I didn't agree with them.   Y'know it isn't just the trailer for this film that misrepresented it but also the  poster that was used most frequently.

Again, I feel like this poster doesn't work for the film as I don't think it fits the vibe and it doesn't give a sense of grandness about it that a lot of older Disney posters have. Now I've talked  about  this in the past when I did Top 6 Movie Posters  There I had this to say,

As much as I loved Tangled, the film's poster was underwhelming

And I still believe that about this poster. I do feel that  this Tangled poster is underwhelming but then there is  this one...

I love this poster and I feel that it works better for the film. On the same Top 6, I said this about this particular poster.

I feel that this poster gives off a better vibe of the movie and it almost gives the movie a romantic feel and I like that idea because it feels more genuine to the film.  

The Plot






The plot of this film is rather simple,  it takes the story of Rapunzel and expands it into a coming of age story that works nicely.   We really get to see Rapunzel develop and grow from a young girl into a mature young lady that is confident in herself and  it is fun to watch.  I think in part, this comes from the interaction with the other characters in the film  such as Flynn and the others.



Plot Devices




Now before I get too far into the characters, there are some plot devices that I need to take a look at.  Now I'll admit that while these essentially have the same power,   and that is why I'm grouping the Flower and Rapunzel's hair together but not with The Healing Song


The Magic Flower/Rapunzel's Hair

As we see at the beginning of the film, Mother Gothel uses the The Magic Flower to keep herself young by singing the healing song and she hid it from the kingdom because she didn't want anyone else to be able to use it but as can be seen here,   the Queen was sick while in labor with Rapunzel

The only thing that could cure her was the magic of the flower is the only thing that can cure her and it is mixed up into a medicine and she drinks it and cures her, which causes Rapunzel to be born with the long blonde hair that can glow.

Now one thing that isn't  explained and  just caught when re watching the film for this review is that,  when giving the medicine to the Queen, the healing song is not needed.  My guess is since it was smashed up, that was not needed but the movie later goes on contradict my theory as see when Rapunzel is healing Flynn because she has to sing The Healing Song.

Who knows? It might have been a continuity error for all I know and well, I think I've talked enough talking about this part, Let's move onto The Healing Song.  Also if you want to read more of my thoughts on this, check out my  Top 6 Magical Items


The Healing Song





Now for those of you wondering why, I decided to place this here instead of with the music category, I feel that yes while a song and a good one too, it fits better here because as stated up above, this song is an conjunction with the flower or Rapunzel's hair helps to heal people or in the case of Mother Gothel keep them young.



Floating Lanterns

Now there is no way, I could bring up the  plot devices without discussing the floating lanterns.  They are a very crucial part to the story,  there the reason why Rapunzel wants to leave the tower because she sees them on her birthday each year and think they mean something to her.  That is amazing and I love the idea of the kingdom sending these out as a signal in hopes of finding her. That is just so touching and also seeing little Rapunzel  looking at them from the tower at the beginning  of the film is just of many cute moments in this film.

So cute!

Characters




I'll be breaking this down into Important, Supporting, and Villains.  With that out of the way, let's begin.




Important Characters




Rapunzel voiced by Mandy Moore

Now I've always described Rapunzel at the beginning of the film as being a shy and timid flower.   I say this because of her being locked up in the tower for so long and Mother Gothel not allowing her to interact with the outside world and keeping her locked up in the tower.  Which I must admit does look pretty cool.

Man, that looks cool

Anyways getting back to Rapunzel,  it's through her trip to see the lights that she develops and become more sure of herself and learns how to advocate and stand up against those people that will do wrong to her.   Through the trip we get to see that she has a very bright and bubbly personality.   (My favorite kind)    The bright and bubbly personality fits her look and the voice is perfect.  Now I know some people have complained about celebrity voice casting in the past for films such as this but this wasn't the first Disney film to do it and it probably won't be the last and in my opinion, it didn't hurt the film because I didn't know it was Mandy Moore going into this film.     Which brings me to another point.

Perhaps I'm over thinking it here but when Rapunzel's hair is cut short, it becomes brunette, I instantly think of Mandy Moore and that is the only time.  Here's a pic of Mandy Moore. Tell me what you think.

Now this isn't the only change that I notice with Rapunzel's shorter haircut. Call me crazy but when she had her long blonde hair, she looked a teen but as brunette, she looks more mature and much more like a young woman instead of a teenage girl.      All the same I like both looks and I guess in some ways it reminds me of Beast turning into a human at the end of his film because while I wasn't taken aback there, I was somewhat caught off guard when I saw Rapunzel as a brunette.  Weird how a Beast turning into a human didn't  phase me but instead it was a haircut.   All the same, she is my favorite
 character from this movie.



Flynn Rider/Eugene Fitzherbert  voiced by Zachary Levi

Flynn is such an interesting character in that the trailers made me want to dislike him because they showed the wrong side of him but the more I got to know about the character he became more endearing.  Especially when he reveals to Rapunzel why he decided to become a thief.  It's really sweet and it makes him a more well rounded character learning that he spent most of his life in an orphanage and never knew who his real parents were.  I think that explains part of the reason why he turned to thievery.  One word to describe him at the beginning would have be over the top suave and too much in love with himself but it was funny and through the course of the film, it was toned down.  Which I'm thankful for because I don't think I could handle the Flynn that was presented at the beginning of the film.   As Rapunzel said, she likes Eugene better then Flynn and I think when Eugene comes out he becomes a more likable character. Now, I want to bring up one of my favorite shots with Rapunzel and Flynn comes during I see The Light.  It is just so pretty and feels genuine between the two of them.

Now there is one last thing that I want to bring up regarding Flynn. I recall when seeing some people complain about one of his last the pieces of dialogue from the film

Flynn Rider: But I know what the big question is? Did Rapunzel and I ever get married? Well I am happy to say after years and years of asking, I finally said yes.
Rapunzel: Eugene!
Flynn Rider: Okay, okay. I asked her.

I've seen some reviews complain about this and I guess I can see where they're coming from because at first it seemed like Disney was going with a different direction but in my opinion, I just think it's a cute joke that perfectly closes out the film and it works well because of the fact that Flynn opens and closes the film.



Rapunzel's Parents - Not Voiced

Now I know what you may be thinking, why include these two as important characters.  Because they are. True,  we never him them speak but we don't need to. We know how much they love their daughter and we see what great lengths they'll go to bring her home.   They are the reason that Rapunzel sees the floating lanterns because they send them into the air. They're reunion with her too is one of the most touching things in the entire film.  When the guard comes into find them, he doesn't have to say anything just look on his face tells them that their daughter has been found and when they see her for the first time, wow.  I'm just surprised that I've yet to tear up at that moment.

Just the look on their faces here ring of saying their troubles are all over, your family is a whole again.



Supporting Characters




Pascal voiced by Frank Welker

Pascal at the beginning is Rapunzel's only friend.   He is very loyal to her and willing to stand by her side.  He will play games with her such as Hide and Seek or let him sew a dress and let her try it on him. When he first meets Flynn, he is wary of him and with good reason,  like Rapunzel, he's never meant anyone else and well I think he may have been wary of Flynn because he didn't want Rapunzel to be taken away.

Going back to Pascal and Flynn for a sec,  I love when the three first meet how Pascal sticks his tongue in Flynn's ear.  It is just so funny and yeah it may of the low brow moments of the film but  still find it funny.

Maximus also voiced by Frank Welker

Ah, Max.  The  Javert  of horses.   If there is a character that takes his job seriously, it is Maximus and just the way he chases after Flynn is so funny and I think the fact  that he is a horse who is so serious about tracking down a thief is rather funny and I actually have to applaud Disney because the trailers made him look as though he was Flynn's horse but that wasn't the case and it is nice to have a break from having the main character have a pet all the time. And really, we already got that with Pascal.   My personal favorite moment with Max has to be the sword/frying pan fight.

Flynn's line during this perfectly sums up this moment.

You should know that this is the strangest thing I've ever done!  

The Snuggly Duckling Thugs  voiced by  Jeffery Tambor,  Brad Garrett,  Nathan Greno,  Byron Howard.

Now I apologize if  I forgot any voice actors here as there are quite a lot of VA's for this group of people.  If there is a set of characters that seem to be overlooked in this film, it has to be the Thugs from The Snuggly Duckling.   They are just as funny as Max and Pascal.  The whole idea of them being these big thugs that have dreams of being a mime or playing piano is just so funny.  Now there are three in particular that stand out along with two lines that stand out regarding them being the old man,  the the pianist and the mime.

Can't you see me on the stage performin' mozart 

Whoaaaa! Somebody get me a glass! 'Cuz I just found me a tall drink of water.  

Besides being great comic relief characters, they are the ones that help Flynn escape to save Rapunzel after Max brought them to the kingdom.  That was touching on Max's part and it showed that he'd grown to care about Flynn and just seeing these people help Flynn was awesome but I must say that I'm glad that it was overdone with them because too much of them in the film could've dampened it.




Music






When Will My Life Begin?






I  love this song!  As soon I heard this song, I knew that I was going to love Rapunzel.   This is a great song  and it makes Rapunzel so endearing and it helps me to like her  nay love her.   Sure, it may be one of those "I Want" songs  but it helps in setting up the character of Rapunzel and letting us in on what she really wants out of life.


When Will My Life Begin? (Reprise 1)




If there is one thing that this film does well with it's music is the reprises are darn good and some better than the original song.  Now I wouldn't go as far to say that about this song but I like it for the fact that it adds another layer to Rapunzel and gives the audience more of an insight into what she wants.


Mother Knows Best





This song, this song!  I despise this song!   If  I  had to pick  out what song I think is the worst in this film, it be this one.  It's not a good villain song. It's too over the top and it feels like it'd be better suited for stage than a film.   It's just too corny and cheesy.   The sound of it just doesn't work for me.



When Will My Life Begin? (Reprise 2)




Here again, this is a great reprise and it continues on  with the development of Rapunzel and I like how it starts with the internal struggle that Rapunzel is feeling but through the course of the film, she is finally able to feel free.    That is such a great idea and the intrustmentals help in selling me on this song.

I've Got a Dream

I don't know how to feel about this song.  On the one hand, it serves no purpose and it stops the film but it is so funny and this is in my opinion how an over the top song should be done.  It's so absurd that I can't help but to love it.   It's so random yet it works.   Yeah, I know I complained about Pink Elephants stopping the film for nothing but this one I'm willing to let slide.  I don't know why.  I just love it.   I think that it helps that the scene is just so absurd and this song fits.


Mother Knows Best (Reprise)




Remember what I said about reprises sometimes being better in this film. I give you exhibit A.   This is more like it,  this is I want from a villain song.  It actually feels like something a villain would sing and it feels more subtle then the first version and just the way, Mother Gothel  says "Rapunzel knows best"  instead  makes it feel more threatening because  she's talking down to Rapunzel and I love that idea.  It is great and this is the superior villain song.


I See The Light






This song was robbed at the Oscars as was this movie.  I'll just go on record saying that I think this film is  miles better than Toy Story 3.  Anyways to the song, I love it. It is just so perfect.  It is one of the most beautiful love songs that I've heard in a long time from Disney.   Now  I probably wasn't the only one but when I first saw this number I thought of Kiss The Girl and yeah, it was mainly because of the boat but there were enough differences there to not compare it too much.


Something That I Want





Now this isn't something I normally do.  I usually don't look at songs that are played over the end credits but there was something about this song that made me decide to do that. Before re watching the film for this review, I never paid much attention to this song because it's part of the end credits and that's ashame because it's pretty good.  It's a fun song and I may have to add this to my ITunes library along with the other Tangled songs already on there.







Villains




We're almost done, just have the villains and My Final Thoughts to get through.







The Stabbington Brothers  both voiced by Ron Pearlman

Now just like the Thugs from The Snuggly Duckling, I feel as though these two. The Stabbington Brothers, they are just great villains.   They're cold hearted, ruthless and out for revenge after Flynn for leaving them to take the fall for the steal.   They feel like a true threat to our heroes and it seems as though, they'll stop at nothing to get it and when they team up with Mother Gothel,  it doesn't feel as though they're henchmen but rather partners with her.  That is such an awesome feeling.  One of my favorite moments with them is after they attack Flynn and tie him in up in a boat misleading Rapunzel to think that he left of his own freewill and just the way they approach her is intimidating.  The cloudiness and darkness of the night really helps to add to that moment.

Mother Gothel voiced by Donna Murphy

Now on the surface, Mother Gothel is a cookie cutter villain. She really doesn't bring anything new to the table and and one of the less memorable villains in recent memory.  Though while I say that,  there is one thing that confuses me about her.  It's known and shown at the beginning of the film that she kidnaps Rapunzel as a baby and I don't know but there were certain times during the film that it seemed as though her relationship with Rapunzel at times felt real.   There were a few moments that it felt as though she actually cared for her but then we see that she is only using Rapunzel to keep her young.   Still it confuses me and I don't know what else to say other than this character.  I wouldn't say she's my least favorite but she has some of the most groan worthy lines in the film such as when she has Rapunzel look in the mirror. Though she does have one line that sticks out to me that is actually a repeat of a line she said earlier.

Mother Gothel: You want me to be the bad guy? Fine. 
[Advances toward Rapunzel threateningly] 
Mother Gothel: Now I'm the bad guy...  

Just as the reprise of Mother Knows Best makes her seem more threatening, this line also makes her feel more threatening and I like how they reused a line earlier in the film that was basically a throwaway line and used it again to make her threatening.  That is a nice move on the part of the writing.   Also the delivery of this line helps to make Mother Gothel feel like more of a threat.



My Final Thoughts




I  think this review is pretty good indicator that I really like this film. It is just everything I love from Disney and it feels like a classic while still feeling modern. That is one of the many things I love about this film and add in the fact that most of the characters are likable and the music is solid in my opinion save for one song. This film is slowly finding it's way onto my list of favorites from Disney.