Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney. This week is the 5th Anniversary of Tangled. And I've made it no secret that I am a fan of this movie as I've done quite a number of reviews including a Top 6 Rapunzel Moments, a Power of The Princesses on Rapunzel and a Villains Profile on Mother Gothel. And countless countless others. But I've realized that while I've talked about this movie quite a bit in the past, I've neglected Flynn Rider as I've only done article on him in the past in one of the earliest Vs. articles as I pitted him up against Aladdin. So, I thought that to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of one of my all time favorite Disney movies, I'd return to a segment that I introduced during my Lion King event. Heroes of Disney. I did the first Heroes of Disney on Simba and as I made mention there, this is meant a counter series to Villains Profile. And while I was happy with how that one turned out, I do think that there are some other categories that also need to be addressed such as Introduction and that is alongside the other categories that will be explored that include Voice Actor, Personality Song, Sidekick, Heroic Moment, & finally What Makes Flynn A Hero. Now, if you read the previous entry, you'll notice that I left one category out, Climatic Battle and that is because that category didn't feel apt for the type of hero that Flynn is. With that out of the way, let's begin.
Voice Actor
Zachary Levi
I'll be honest and say that I'm not overly familiar with Zachary Levi's body of work. Sure, I saw him in Thor: The Dark World and I've seen a couple episodes of Chuck but couldn't get into it. So, Flynn Rider is the one character of his that I am the most familiar with. And well, Flynn isn't my favorite Tangled character, I still feel Levi does a fantastic job portraying the swashbuckler.
Introduction
We technically hear Flynn before we meet Flynn as he narrates and the first shot, we get of Flynn is on that of a Wanted Poster. And they just can't get his nose right. We first see in action with his soon -to-be former comrades, The Stabbington Brothers as he betrays them.
It's a great set up for what's to come with Flynn throughout the movie.
Personality
Flynn at the start of the movie is smug and a bit of a jerk. I remembered when I first saw this movie that throughout a good chunk of it that I didn't like Flynn Rider. I found him extremely loathsome and annoying. I was about ready to mark him as one of my least favorite Disney Princes but then we got the reveal...
Yeah, well, I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a... It's a little bit of a downer.
Huh. There was this book. A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids, "The Tales of Flynnagan Rider." Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies, either. Not that he'd ever brag about it, of course.
Well, no. Actually he had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And - and for a kid with nothing, I don't know. It just seemed like the better option. You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation.
And I realized that was the point because Flynn is an act or rather that Eugene wore to hide from his past. After Flynn reveals this story and we get to know Eugene, we learn that he's not putting on this act that is so fake, we get the chance to know the real person and learn that he is an all right guy and I've always agreed when Rapunzel said this.
For the record, I like "Eugene Fitzherbert" much better than "Flynn Rider".
In a way, the movie wanted us to know Flynn before it felt we were ready to meet Eugene. And I think that was handled rather well. And Flynn's arc in the movie is about him accepting that it's okay to be Eugene.
Song
Flynn didn't get his own in the movie but instead just a love duet between him and Rapunzel but let's look at Flynn's lyrics.
All those days chasing down a daydream
All those years living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were
Now she's here shining in the starlight
Now she's here suddenly I know
If she's here it's crystal clear
I'm where I'm meant to go
In many respects, this Flynn or Eugene rather finding his new dream and putting his days as Flynn Rider behind him because with Rapunzel by his side, he doesn't have to be just Flynn Rider anymore as Rapunzel brings out the best in him, i.e., Eugene. Now, if you want a Flynn Rider song, Tangled: The Musical can supply you with that.
And I'll just repeat what I said in my Tangled: The Musical Music Fridays.
There couldn’t be a better song than this for the charmer that is Flynn Rider. It’s a bit cornbally and cheesy but so was Flynn Rider. And that is part of why I love Flynn so much. This song in many regards reminds me of a more pop version of One Jump Ahead. And in that regard, it works really well. And while I do like that Flynn got a song, I do wish that they had given Eugene, a song but then again, you could argue that I See The Light is Eugene’s song and this is still Flynn before he accepts that it’s okay to be Eugene. This song is so silly and cheesy but I love it for that. It’s just a lot of fun.
Sidekick
Maximus
I know I know... he's not really Flynn's sidekick but you can't talk about Flynn Rider without talking about Max. The relationship that these two have is one of the strangest and funniest that I've seen in a Disney movie as Max is so dead set on capturing Flynn at all costs. And their journey is learning to trust one another throughout the movie and by the end, they kinda do.
Heroic Moment
I'd say in many respects that Flynn's heroic moment is easily when he goes back to the Tower and when Rapunzel is about heal him, he cuts her hair.
This moment as small as it may seem shows that Eugene has come to care for someone else and is finally ready to look out for someone other than just himself. This one moment is where Eugene steps up to the plate to show that he can be more than Flynn Rider. And it works wonderfully.
What Makes Flynn Rider A Hero?
Flynn Rider isn't a hero. Eugene Fitzherbert is. And in a way that is what this character such a great hero as he goes from hiding his past behind the Flynn Rider facade and using that to commit crimes and be a sleazebag but as his journey progresses throughout the film and we get to meet Eugene, we get to learn that underneath the Flynn Rider persona, there is a good person that is willing to grow and finally look out for the needs of others as observed above. And I think that is why I've come to like Flynn or rather Eugene so much over the years because I love watching this arc of growing and accepting who he is and to me that is what makes him a hero. Peace!
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