Flynn: “You were my new dream.”
Rapunzel: “And you were mine.”
Me: *cries*
Initial thoughts before viewing: I saw this 2x times in theaters because it's a freaking fantastic movie. You've been warned.
If you'd like to read a recap of Tangled, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the entire plot summary.
Highlights:
-The "I See The Light" musical sequence is pure Disney magic. Written by composer Alan Menken (who else) and lyricist Glenn Slater, "I See the Light" is a down-tempo love ballad that combines elements of folk, musical theatre and pop music. I still remember the first time I saw this sequence in 2010 - I literally gasped in the theater. It's still the most breathtaking, awe-inducing piece of animation I've ever seen, and a HUGE reason why I hold Tangled in such high esteem. I cry (hard) every time I watch Tangled because of this majestic, beautiful song and its accompanying lantern visuals. I even chose this song to walk down the aisle to at my wedding -- it's that good.
Is "I See the Light" Disney's best romance ballad? Possibly, definitely, yes. Now bring me some tissues.
-Flynn Rider is kind of a big deal. The Disney princes of the past tended to be nameless, bland, and well, forgettable. It wasn't until the Disney Renaissance era of the 1990s that we saw some fully formed prince figures who could really stand on their own (the Beast, Aladdin).
Enter Flynn Rider, a deeply reluctant hero. Reliably unreliable and even riding under a fake name, the man who turns out to be Eugene Fitzherbert is painted with a dozen little details Cinderella and Snow White’s nameless princes would’ve killed for. He opens the narrative – “this is the story of how I died” – although he quickly concedes it’s not really about him. He gets enough of a broadly-drawn back story that we begin to understand his motivations.
What's most amazing is that while Flynn grows as a person during the course of the movie from someone with short-sighted dreams of piles of money, his personality stays intact even after love. To the end, he’s still cracking jokes and playing up his self-centered act. He and Rapunzel make each other better without changing the fabric of who they really are as characters.
-Mother Gothel and Rapunzel's Relationship is Complex AF. Has a Disney princess ever been so, well, close to a villain? Certainly not. The psychological ramifications of finding out your "mother" is really your abductor cannot be understated. Mother Gothel is not your typical obvious villain. Sure, she's manipulative and narcissistic, but it's clear that Rapunzel loved and cared for her (at least until the true nature of their relationship was revealed).
But did Mother Gothel love Rapunzel? The movie is very clever about leaving clues about this for the audience. For example, whenever Mother Gothel says "I love you most", she is actually looking at or stroking Rapunzel's hair. True, Gothel kept Rapunzel happy enough (such as making her favorite dinner and collecting rare paint colors), though this might just have been to keep on being able to use Rapunzel's healing hair to remain young.
At the end of the day, Gothel and Rapunzel's relationship was abusive and complex AF -- and mesmerizing to watch unfold onscreen.
-Rapunzel's parents don't speak - and they don't have to. King Frederic and Queen Arianna have no speaking lines in the film, but it's kind of perfect that they don't. Everything you need to know about them is conveyed in their faces, their glances, and their body language. You can feel their emotions as they go through the turbulent story of their daughter being lost and then eventually found again. It's a simple and smart move on the filmmakers part to have the parents be present, but silent. They too are watching the story unfold.
Disliked:
-Plot holes galore. A lot of things about Tangled just don't make much sense. We have to have a certain suspension of disbelief, sure, but for some reason with Tangled, that's sometimes hard to do. I find myself constantly pondering the following when I watch this movie...
How did Mother Gothel discover the lyrics of the flower's healing song? The opening narration of Tangled establishes that there was only one magical flower out there and that it was lost to pretty much everyone – except Mother Gothel. The fact that you have to sing to the flower to make it work wasn't common knowledge. How did Gothel know about the song in question – and how did she work out the exact lyrics she needed to sing to unleash the flower's magic? It's never explained!
Is Rapunzel actually the princess' birth name? Or is that the name Gothel gave her? If she didn't change her name, then good God Mother Gothel's an incompetent criminal. I always assumed that Rapunzel was her original name, but the fact that baby Rapunzel is referred to by other character as "the lost princess" makes me think twice. So if Rapunzel is not her real name, what is? And does she just keep going by Rapunzel knowing that it's the name given by her kidnapper?
Why did Gothel tell Rapunzel her real birthday? Honestly, this one is a huge blunder by Gothel. This turns out to be her biggest mistake! The fact that the lanterns appear on her birthday every year is the thing that piques Rapunzel's curiosity and causes her to leave her tower.
Did Rapunzel never really notice or care that Gothel aged so rapidly? I suppose this could be chalked up to Rapunzel's sheltered, naive upbringing, but still...does Rapunzel never wonder why Gothel ages so quickly between hair treatments? Does she not suspect that her mother might be a bit older than she's letting on – by a few centuries, no less?
The big one: Why did Gothel keep Rapunzel so geographically close to her kingdom and parents?! Instead of spiriting the young princess away to a far-off country where she'd likely never be discovered, Gothel decided to put her in a tower that's pretty close to her home city. Like... what was she thinking? Sure, the tower's hard to get to, but still!
Random Thoughts I Had While Watching:
-Rapunzel has a lot in common with another Disney princess - Sleeping Beauty's Aurora. Both were taken from their homes as babies, both grew up isolated not knowing their true royal identities, both have living parents with whom they are reunited with at the end of the movie (a rarity for Disney princesses), both have brunette love interests with a white horse, and of course, the signature blonde hair. Hey, maybe they can start a support group for princesses with identity issues?
-Is Pascal the first Disney side-kick that's actually responsible for a villain's death? Sweet, loyal Pascal. Only you had the guts to take out Mother Gothel knowing that your tender-hearted Rapunzel would never hurt her fake mommy. Kudos to you, my unsuspecting chameleon friend. And kudos to the filmmakers for the charming myriad of Pascal reaction shots sprinkled throughout this movie.
Closing Thoughts:
Before the film's release, its title was changed from Rapunzel to Tangled, reportedly to market the film as gender-neutral. This doesn't bother me that much because the story is actually very successful in making you feel like Rapunzel and Flynn are equal leads.
Tangled's Impact on the Future of Disney
Tangled would go on to become the most successful Disney animated feature film since The Lion King in 1994, both critically and commercially, beginning a new style of marketing and aesthetics for the following computer-animated films from the studio, similarly to how The Little Mermaid impacted the Disney Renaissance.
The bottom line: At its finest moments, Tangled is a magical musical romp that looks and feels like a traditional hand-drawn Disney Classic in 3D. It's charming, romantic, and has a heavy dose of that good ol' Disney magic. With its fun modern take mixed in with a classic formula, Tangled is a must-see for all.
My Rating: 9/10
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