Let me explain.
Last night after enjoying a wonderful birthday dinner with my husband, we decided to try and catch a flick at the theater. We had both heard great things about the new Disney movie "Tangled" and thought we'd give it a try as a happy go lucky movie is what we were both yearning to find. And for the first time in 12 years, that is exactly what we found.
Tangled is your basic fairy tale film, about a girl with magical hair who has the power to keep the old youthful, and heal the wounded or sick, being held hostage by an evil woman who wants to keep the magic power all to herself. Originally called "Rapunzel" this fairy tale stars Mandy Moore as Rapunzel, Zachary Levi as the daring and troublesome hero Flynn Rider (Eugene Fitz Herbert) and Donna Murphy as the Mother Gothel. Before I get to the performances, I'd like to commend Disney on making what I consider to be one of their best films in the past 10 years. What made this film so magical comes down to something so basic as a formula. Since 1937 it has been Disney's joy to create the formula of the fairy tale in which someone in distress (generally a female) is saved by a hero (generally a man), and they live happily ever after. It has been the success of this simple formula that has allowed Disney to experience all of the accomplishment that they have with their animated films. There is no flash, no explosions, no trickery of any kind. Instead, there is just a film with the most basic of stories yet it brings a complexity and magic to the screen that very few others have ever been able to tackle.
So why is Disney so successful in executing this formula you ask? Well, if I knew that I wouldn't be sitting here writing this blog for myself now would I?
No but seriously, that question may be up for debate, but in my opinion they are successful because they get right down to the core of what almost everyone desires to find; a happily ever after. Aside from this, Disney plain and simple knows how to tell a story. Which leads me back to Tangled. I thoroughly enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I was going to. The story although simple was fantastic because it forced the audience to actually care about what was happening with the characters. The best stories are the ones that encourage us to love the heroines and hate the villains, and Tangled accomplished this flawlessly. As I mentioned earlier, Mandy Moore plays Rapunzel, who is kidnapped as a baby because of her magical healing hair, and then trapped in a high tower by the evil Mother Gothel who uses Rapunzel's power to keep herself young. After meeting Flynn, Rapunzel recruits him to take her to witness her dream of watching the floating lights that are released everyday on her birthday and this leads the two of them on an adventure that they will never forget. As far as acting goes, I thought Mandy Moore did an excellent job as the story's hero. She was funny, likable, her timing delivering her lines was nearly perfect and although I may be a bit biased as I've always been a fan, her voice for the musical numbers was absolutely beautiful. Through her journey she meets the rogue and exciting Flynn Rider, a thief, who eventually falls in love with our beautiful leading lady after a number of dangerous escapades that threaten both of their lives. Flynn is played by Zachary Levi, who is not only incredibly likable, but he also brings a comedic factor to the character and story that I absolutely loved. I personally found myself drawn to his character the most, particularly because he had the most to learn, and I just genuinely enjoyed watching his growth as the film progressed. The villain in this story is Mother Gothel, who is played by Donna Murphy and in my opinion she nailed the part. She was likable in the sense that we as an audience were on the edges of our seats waiting for that moment to see if she would get exactly what she deserves. With the help of a few other non-speaking characters, including the brave and hilarious horse sidekick Maximus, and the brazen and tough little chameleon, Tangled overall was a fun and whimsical ride that taught us that overcoming all obstacles is worth it to obtain your dreams.
Disney has generally been right on when it comes to the musical scores that accompany their animated films, and Alan Menken absolutely hit the nail on the head with Tangled. The score was beautiful, and I loved that Disney finally went back to the days of old with a musical style animated feature. The music was enjoyable, catchy, and masterfully performed by all involved. I would like to highlight Donna Murphy performance specifically as I thought she truly brought life to all the songs that she sang. One of my favorites throughout the film was a song titled "Mother Knows Best" in which Murphy just puts her heart and soul into being the best villainess she could be and she succeeded admirably. Although there wasn't much of his singing, I actually greatly enjoyed Zachary Levi's voice and thought he really did a fantastic job despite not being a singer by profession. Mandy Moore also did a beautiful job encompassing the vocals of a princess and made us feel like we were hearing someone sing for the first time.
So there you have it. In a nutshell, I thought Tangled was one of the year's best that I've seen, and probably one of the best Disney films to come along since the late 90s. As far as a grade, I would give tangled a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars and I would highly recommend going to see this film whether you are a child or an adult. Either way, it will bring you back to the splendor that each one of felt as we watched those animated Disney classics and give you hope that life really can have a happily ever after.
This is Ashley reminding you that the schnozberries taste like schnozberries, so go ahead and lick the wall to your hearts content.
