Tangled (November 24, 2010)

This is the first Disney Princess movie I watched in theaters and remains one of my favorite modern Disney animated films. The story is loosely based on the classic Rapunzel fairytale and tells the story of a lost, young princess with magical, long blonde hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. Against her mother's wishes, she accepts the aid of a thief to take her out into the outside world which she has never seen. First off, the animation has improved drastically from Disney’s first forays into the computer animated scene to a point where, even 7 years on, the graphics still look fantastic. The character design is beautiful, as well as the effects (the lights, the magic, and the water in particular really stand out). The material rendering as well is well done and believable (The satin shine of Rapunzel’s dress, the metallic luster on the knights’ armor and Rapunzel’s trusty frying pan, and the general lusciousness of the hair- which is no easy feat!) But the characters themselves is what makes this movie truly shine and hold up to repeated viewings. Rapunzel is a spunky young lady that, while naïve, is strong, brave, and kind. She is ready to take on the world and complete her journey to see the floating lanterns that, curiously, are always released on her birthday. Flynn Rider is her foil, a sarcastic, wisecracking thief with a devil may care attitude and swashbuckling good looks to match! The animal sidekicks, Maximus and Pascal, are super funny and adorable. Mother Gothel, the primary antagonist is deliciously selfish and cruel (and gets a great villain song in, “Mother Knows Best”). I honestly think that He is the best and most developed Disney prince thus far and I hope (Kristoff non withstanding- I will go into him in my Frozen review) male love interests in Disney movies can continue to get more screen time. Lastly, the songs are also all wonderful- my favorites being “I See the Light” and “When Will My Life Begin” (and again, both have truly magical visuals). Overall, Tangled is amazing- it has great songs and visuals, and endearing characters, it holds up to multiple viewings and has not aged a bit since its release in 2010.

Final Rating: 9.5/10