Movie Review: Tangled

Tangled


Basic Premise:
Rapunzel is a dutiful girl who has never disobeyed her mother, not until the day of her 18th birthday. Rapunzel wants only one thing. She wants to see the floating lights up close. Flynn Ryder is the man to guide her... that is if his status as a wanted thief doesn't get them both killed first.





Review:
I was really happy when I found out Disney was doing Rapunzel. I have always felt that Disney needed to get off this historical kick and go back to the Brothers Grimm.

That happiness turned to skepticism when I found out the movie would be coming out so closely after Princess and the Frog. Usually Disney animated features have more time between them just because the complexity of the productions -- The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998), Atlantis (2001) etc you get the point.

Tangled was a computer animated feature that was beautifully rendered (as most computer animated features are). You could barely distinguish it from cel animation except in key points with the movement of the characters' hair and clothing. This new take on the Rapunzel story was a good one. Of course, being Disney, they wouldn't stick with the original fable. But this adaption is plausible and entertaining.

My major issue with the movie is the songs. I didn't feel they were up to Disney's usual standards. I love Alan Menken's work. He and Danny Elfman are two of my favorite movie composers, and they can do no wrong. So I guess I'm complaining about the lyricist.

Maybe he was rushed or he just wasn't feeling the film. Either way, you could have removed the singing and the movie would have benefited. "I've Got a Dream" was hilarious (if a bit sick at times) and "I See the Light" was good until it went from inner monologue singing to the characters singing to each other. My favorite song was "Healing Incantation," which wasn't really a song per se (you'd have to see the movie to find out why I say that).

Perhaps Disney needs to take a page out of Dreamworks's book. Not every animated feature needs singing.

Other than that (and some minor nitpicks you'd have to email me about since I don't want to break my no spoilers rule), the movie was great. I was in a theater full of children and only had an issue with the little girl beside me who refused to stay in her seat and had an annoying barrette in her hair that was self-lit. Not glowing, SELF LIT. It was like a mini-flashlight. Very annoying and a rant for another time.



Previews:
- Never Say Never - Fine. How about "not ever," because that's when I'll see this movie.

- Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Yeesh. I just saw this preview last week. Only a few more days until 10 December and then I can see the movie and not be hounded by the previews.

- Yogi Bear - As I've already said many times, I'm not seeing this.

- Smurf'd - The hubby and I have pretty much guessed that this will be like Fat Albert and the Smurfs were somehow pulled out of the TV. The teaser doesn't indicate this but it's the only thing that makes sense. The original Smurfs cartoon took place in the middle ages, not modern day NY.

- Cars 2 - You know, I thought Disney/Pixar did a good job with the first one and had a solid story that didn't need a sequel. Obviously they didn't feel the same way. They made a sequel. *sigh* There's a shark circling around and they just jumped it.

- Prom - Ummmm... Am I the only one who had two proms -- junior and senior (though it was really just the juniors being allowed to attend senior prom)? Well, whatever. Alert -- massive Cat5 hurricane level of teenage angst ahead.

- Gnomeo and Juliet - I saw the poster for this and instantly said no. I saw the trailer for it and added a "hell" to the beginning of that sentiment. It's the Romeo and Juliet story told with CGI garden gnomes. Uh... yeah... enough said.