Tangled (2010)
So we watched Tangled last night, and I thought I might grab a few minutes to write about it this morning, as it’s unlikely to happen during the week. The end is almost in sight with these reviews now, and I don’t want us to run out of steam too much!
Tangled is a nice film. It’s fine. Erm...that’s kind of it. You need more? OK.
As far as story goes, it’s very traditional, holding all the familiar beats of a Disney-style coming-of-age story. Rapunzel is the traditional naive Disney heroine (in the style of Ariel or Cinderella or whoever) who wants something ‘more’, sings about it, and then meets up with plot (in the form of a handsome man) in order to be ushered along to her happy ending in the form of love and marriage, defeating the villain along the way. They certainly weren’t trying anything new here, and though they made some interesting choices that make the film very watchable, it’s too by-the-numbers and unambitious to really stand out among Disney’s greats.
The main three characters of the film are good, but let’s deal with them in a second. The second-tier characters of Tangled are very forgettable indeed. Although the idea of the Snuggly duckling ruffians is a fun one, none of them makes much of an impression - they are just a group of ugly people who are useful to our good-looking heroes. Pascal is maybe the least interesting Disney sidekick yet - he doesn’t even really have a personality. He’s just there to sell accessories. Maximus is a bit better, but he’s not enough. Of course Tangled is a very simple story, and maybe doesn’t need loads of interesting characters, but it does contribute to the overall lack of ambition about this film.
The three main characters are much better. Rapunzel is cute and certainly isn’t a damsel in distress - she’s very likeable, though that may be it in terms of her personality. Flynn Rider and Mother Gothel are the really good characters in this movie. Flynn is one of the hottest Disney princes (apart from Li Shang because dayummm) and provides the acerbic humour the movie needs to stop it from being too nicey-nicey. Mother Gothel is interesting because she’s an altogether evil, traditional Disney villain, like Ursula or Maleficent, but doesn’t have powers or grand ambitions like them. She doesn’t want to rule the Kingdom or kill anybody, she just wants to stay young and hers is a much more grounded and believable type of evil, based on manipulation of a child. And although the woman who voices her makes her delightfully evil (especially in Mother Knows Best, which is a fantastic song), she also gives her moments of chilling believability that make her really quite scary.
The animation of the film is probably one of the most bla things about it. Disney seems to have more trouble creating an individual look and feel for computer animated films than it did for its 2D animated ones. When you think about how much character The Princess and the Frog’s artwork has when compared to Tangled, the bland prettiness of it stands out even more. Tangled could easily take place in the same universe as Frozen (and does according to many internet theories) or even How to Train Your Dragon - which isn’t even from the same studio! It’s good animation, and worlds away from what they achieved only a few years before in Meet the Robinsons, but it’s nothing to rave about.
In terms of the music, this is a pretty good one. Alan is once again in charge and comes up with a clutch of great songs, that move the story along, help us understand the characters, and just feel so...Disney! It’s very satisfying. Again these songs could maybe be accused of being a tiny bit safe, but they suit the tone of the film perfectly and the cast perform them very well. Or am I just allowing my love of musicals to run away with me? The soundtrack music is far better than it needed to be - that sequence where they dance in the town square is absolutely gorgeous!
Overall Tangled is a nice and very sweet movie. I’ve watched it quite a few times and will probably watch it again. It requires nothing from me, except to enjoy it, to sing along and to go ‘aww’. Definitely a successful Disney film, but not one of their masterpieces.
So we watched Tangled last night, and I thought I might grab a few minutes to write about it this morning, as it’s unlikely to happen during the week. The end is almost in sight with these reviews now, and I don’t want us to run out of steam too much!
Tangled is a nice film. It’s fine. Erm...that’s kind of it. You need more? OK.
As far as story goes, it’s very traditional, holding all the familiar beats of a Disney-style coming-of-age story. Rapunzel is the traditional naive Disney heroine (in the style of Ariel or Cinderella or whoever) who wants something ‘more’, sings about it, and then meets up with plot (in the form of a handsome man) in order to be ushered along to her happy ending in the form of love and marriage, defeating the villain along the way. They certainly weren’t trying anything new here, and though they made some interesting choices that make the film very watchable, it’s too by-the-numbers and unambitious to really stand out among Disney’s greats.
The main three characters of the film are good, but let’s deal with them in a second. The second-tier characters of Tangled are very forgettable indeed. Although the idea of the Snuggly duckling ruffians is a fun one, none of them makes much of an impression - they are just a group of ugly people who are useful to our good-looking heroes. Pascal is maybe the least interesting Disney sidekick yet - he doesn’t even really have a personality. He’s just there to sell accessories. Maximus is a bit better, but he’s not enough. Of course Tangled is a very simple story, and maybe doesn’t need loads of interesting characters, but it does contribute to the overall lack of ambition about this film.
The three main characters are much better. Rapunzel is cute and certainly isn’t a damsel in distress - she’s very likeable, though that may be it in terms of her personality. Flynn Rider and Mother Gothel are the really good characters in this movie. Flynn is one of the hottest Disney princes (apart from Li Shang because dayummm) and provides the acerbic humour the movie needs to stop it from being too nicey-nicey. Mother Gothel is interesting because she’s an altogether evil, traditional Disney villain, like Ursula or Maleficent, but doesn’t have powers or grand ambitions like them. She doesn’t want to rule the Kingdom or kill anybody, she just wants to stay young and hers is a much more grounded and believable type of evil, based on manipulation of a child. And although the woman who voices her makes her delightfully evil (especially in Mother Knows Best, which is a fantastic song), she also gives her moments of chilling believability that make her really quite scary.
The animation of the film is probably one of the most bla things about it. Disney seems to have more trouble creating an individual look and feel for computer animated films than it did for its 2D animated ones. When you think about how much character The Princess and the Frog’s artwork has when compared to Tangled, the bland prettiness of it stands out even more. Tangled could easily take place in the same universe as Frozen (and does according to many internet theories) or even How to Train Your Dragon - which isn’t even from the same studio! It’s good animation, and worlds away from what they achieved only a few years before in Meet the Robinsons, but it’s nothing to rave about.
In terms of the music, this is a pretty good one. Alan is once again in charge and comes up with a clutch of great songs, that move the story along, help us understand the characters, and just feel so...Disney! It’s very satisfying. Again these songs could maybe be accused of being a tiny bit safe, but they suit the tone of the film perfectly and the cast perform them very well. Or am I just allowing my love of musicals to run away with me? The soundtrack music is far better than it needed to be - that sequence where they dance in the town square is absolutely gorgeous!
Overall Tangled is a nice and very sweet movie. I’ve watched it quite a few times and will probably watch it again. It requires nothing from me, except to enjoy it, to sing along and to go ‘aww’. Definitely a successful Disney film, but not one of their masterpieces.