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Movie Review: Tangled (2010)

• Mariusz Zubrowski
• Movie Reviews
• 2 responses
• --> November 28, 2010

Based on a popular Brothers Grimm fairy-tale and helmed by Nathan Greco and Byron Howard (screenplay by Dan Fogelman), Tangled is the simple yet elegant tale of a young princess named Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore), who is born of a mysterious and all-healing flower, whose abilities have transferred over to her golden hair. But, as an infant, she is kidnapped and forced to live in a tower which was built by Gothel (voiced by Donna Murphy), an old-hag who insists on keeping the hair’s power to reverse the aging process all for herself. Once Rapunzel grows up to a teenager, though, she yearns for the outside world, particularly to see an annual festival in which lanterns are released into the night sky (unknowing that these are meant as a message from her parents). However, Mother Gothel refuses to let Rapunzel leave, claiming that there are evil beings on the outside. Rapunzel soon finds her solution in Flynn Ryder (voiced by Zachary Levi), a bandit on the run from royal guards (she uses the royal crown which he stole, as a bargaining chip). Nevertheless, she falls in love, which leads the duo to some hairy (pun intended) situations (all of which involved Mother Gothel chasing them).

The simplicity of Tangled is a double-edged sword. In one respect, this allows the story to maintain the classic Disney spirit, without being bogged down with the stereotypical army of evil, tyrannical king, etc. However, this also leads to some incredibly predictable scenes. More often than not, though, the film’s characters, namely Flynn and Rapunzel, are fleshed out enough for Tangled to remain not only entertaining, but also relevant.

It too feels like it’s been too long since the original spirit and ingenuity of Walt Disney have been exemplified. Tangled serves as the antidote to the ever-evolving, and increasingly cheap, array of tween-pop icons that strut the Disney name. It will entertain all of those disapproving former-fans, who feel personally affected by what has become a mainstream example of the demonic presence of profit in media — let’s call it the “Anti-Walt” for dramatic effect.

The thing about Tangled , which was generally dismissed as garbage, pre-release, is that instead of having plenty of pop-culture references, and amateurish slapstick, it features an abundance of heart, that is present in all of the film’s characters. Additionally, the story, which appears bare-bones at first glance, is quite potent thematically, with ideas such as selfishness and triumph over oppression — perhaps being a subtle allegory for Nathan Greno and Byron Howard’s need to rekindle the Disney name.

But a story this elegant requires an equal amount of visual beauty, and this film delivers. Character models and landscapes are done with textures and colors that seem to be hand-drawn, but instead were created by the New-Age technology that we’ve all become accustomed to: computer graphics. However, this mix of classicism and technology never clash, in fact, they produce fantastic chemistry. Though Tangled does have a few kinks in visual department; the 3D is too gimmicky and there are a couple of headache inducing sequences, such as when we get an up-close and personal look at Rapunzel’s beloved lanterns. This particular scene is straining in that it emits an almost blinding wall of lights.

The musical numbers are also a tad weak. Lyrically, they aren’t impressing, and some border on being superfluous. However, even the weakest songs are catchy, and aren’t quite damning to the overall product. (It is surprising how well Moore, Levi, and Murphy can sing, though).

Nathan Greco, Byron Howard, and Dan Fogelman strike gold with Tangled , which is fresh and entertaining for both kids and adults. But based on the fact that Rapunzel could pull people up using her hair, the film did leave me with one question: What conditioner does she use?

Eventually I'll put something nifty here. Until then, know that I'm watching you. Closely.

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'Movie Review: Tangled (2010)' have 2 comments

December 10, 2010 @ 6:23 pm Tucker

Tangled is good but not one of Disney’s best animated features. I could have done away with the horse who thought he was a dog (wtf??) and the chameleon. Why does Disney always have to have the animal sidekick???

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January 2, 2011 @ 12:50 pm Katy

I took my daughter to see this..it was absolutely adorable. It had enough action and story line to make up for the song sequences. I actually teared up..yes, lame, I know..at parts. I can’t wait for it to come out on video..LOL.

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Movie review: ‘Tangled’

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For “Tangled,” the studio’s 50th feature-length cartoon, the team at Disney has taken a deep breath and tried to be all things to all animation-loving people. There are some hiccups along the way, but by the end there is success.

Whether you like stirring adventure or sentimental romance, traditional fairy tales or stories of modern families, musicals or comedies, even blonds or brunets, “Tangled” has something for you. Sampling so many animation touchstones has its risks, but once “Tangled” calms down and accepts the essential sweetness of its better nature the rewards are clear.

As directed by Nathan Greno and “Bolt” co-director Byron Howard, one of those rewards is a gorgeous computer-animated look that features rich landscapes and characters that look fuller and more lifelike than they have in the past.

“Tangled” can be forgiven if it takes some time to find its footing. It is after all a story of a lost princess that does a lot to appeal to boys, a retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale that (in this country at least) decided it was wiser to avoid the name itself, and a movie with five Alan Menken songs that doesn’t call itself a musical.

That initial shakiness is amplified by the irritating and overly glib nature of co-protagonist Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi), a devil-may-care bandit who is introduced spewing more smart remarks than a Comedy Store regular. Like a refugee from a “ Shrek” sequel, Flynn calls Rapunzel “blondie” and says “I don’t do back story” when asked about his past.

This comment notwithstanding, it is Flynn who fills us in on Rapunzel’s history. The daughter of a king and queen (honest!), she was spirited away as an infant and raised by a devious woman named Mother Gothel (brassy theater veteran Donna Murphy) who keeps the girl in the dark about her real parents and locks her up in a tower because contact with Rapunzel’s magical hair keeps Mother G. eternally young.

As envisioned by Disney hair technicians Xinmin Zhao and Kelly Ward (who devoted 10 years of her life and a PhD thesis to pondering how to computer animate hair), that mane is quite the force of nature, 70 feet long and capable of many things, including tying people up and batting them down.

Rapunzel, it should be emphasized, is hardly defined by her hair. As voiced by former tween idol Mandy Moore, this is a very modern young woman, about to turn 18 and, with only a wise chameleon (is there any other kind?) named Pascal as companion, especially anxious to get out of the tower and see the world.

What Rapunzel is especially eager to see up close are a group of floating lanterns filling the sky that she’s only observed from a great distance. It’s the one thing she wants for her 18th birthday, but for Mother Gothel anything that takes Rapunzel out of the tower is a non-starter.

A guilt-tripping, overprotective, super-manipulative parent from hell, Mother Gothel is given to saying things like “skip the drama, stay with momma.” Though given to sugarcoating her tyranny, Mother Gothel declares in a weak moment, “You’re not leaving this tower, ever.”

Not to worry. An on-the-run Flynn Rider appears, and circumstances conspire so that he agrees to take Rapunzel to see the lanterns. Though both are clearly destined for each other, the movie has the good sense not to force that realization on them, or us.

Once Rapunzel gets out of the tower, Flynn Rider thankfully calms down and the film, written by Dan Fogelman with song lyrics by Glenn Slater, gets both funnier and more adventurous by taking on more of Rapunzel’s sunny personality.

The young lady charms a bossy, overzealous army horse named Maximus (the film’s funniest character) and disarms a gang of bloodthirsty ruffians by asking them about their dreams: A murderous gentleman named Hook Hand ( Brad Garrett) is, as it turns out, a would-be pianist who would rather be thought “deadly for my killer show-tune medley.”

Busy as it is, “Tangled” also finds time to include enough action and adventure sequences, including wild chases, hairbreadth escapes and an enormous flood, to allow even the fussiest small boys to feel it’s worth their time.

It takes a bit of doing, but when “Tangled’s” core sweetness asserts itself and the film dares to wear its heart on its sleeve in a climactic scene featuring 46,000 paper lanterns, it’s been worth the wait. Mother Gothel may have a point when she insists that “the world is dark and selfish and cruel,” but that’s why we’re so grateful for films like this.

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‘tangled’ – film review.

It would have been nice if Disney's self-touted 50th animated feature were one of its best, a film that could stand with the studio's classics, but the world will have to make do with 'Tangled,' a passably entertaining hodgepodge of old and new animation techniques, mixed sensibilities and hedged commercial calculations.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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The Grimm yarn of Rapunzel, the girl with the long, golden hair, has been tangled , twisted and extended to get her out of the tower and into the company of a dashing bad boy, musicalized in old-school Broadway fashion and shot through with broad comedy and action rendered in vivid 3D. The Disney name and the studio’s all-powerful promo combined are sure to propel this profitably through the holiday season and beyond, though the question lingers as to the extent of resistance preteen boys will show to this girl-centric romp.

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Walt Disney himself pondered an animated Rapunzel feature as far back as the 1940s, and there are two major elements in the film his studio finally has produced that strongly register as Disney trademarks: the flawlessly prettified rendering of nature and the leading characters as well as the incisive portrait of an evil, manipulative villainess. On the more current side of the ledger are the forthrightly adventurous heroine, egregiously present-day phraseology (“Best day ever!”) and the previously unimagined uses to which Rapunzel puts her 70 feet of golden hair, including as a whip and lasso. So shimmering and lush are the girl’s locks that shampoo commercials never will look the same.

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Transformed from the original tale’s daughter of poor parents into a princess kidnapped by the scheming Mother Gothel for the power the girl’s golden locks have to keep the woman ageless, the story devised by screenwriter Dan Fogelman ( Cars, Bolt ) pivots on the tension between Gothel’s need to keep Rapunzel away from the outside world and the yearning of the captive, who’s about to turn 18, to discover it. “When Will My Life Begin?” — the initial musical number from star Disney composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slate r — not only enunciates her desires but shows that, during her youthful isolation, she has been extensively exposed to the arts through reading, painting, music and so on.

Still, given the modern take here, it might have been amusing to acknowledge that growing up in solitary confinement might give a girl some complexes, neuroses and misconceptions about life on the outside. Once she absconds with a dashing thief (not a prince) with the unlikely moniker of Flynn Rider, a bumpy learning curve as to the real world could have provided a bountiful extra layer of humor and behavioral interest.

As it is, the film contents itself with charting the inevitable conversion of Flynn from the charming scoundrel who with two hulking highwaymen types steal the royal crown to a domesticated escort suitable for the daughter of the idyllic realm’s king and queen. Along the way, there is a rollicking encounter in a roadside tavern with a band of ruffians who turn out to be as congenial and musically prone as the seven dwarfs as well as the shenanigans of a comically vigilant white horse, all of which reflects the antic showbizzy approach one associates with John Lasseter, the driving force behind Pixar who now also runs Disney Animation.

Although she is sidelined for significant periods, there still is the determined Mother Gothel to reckon with. One can’t quite put her in the pantheon of evil alongside Snow White’s queen or the Wicked Witch of the West, but she’s a formidable first cousin as she stops at nothing to maintain her hold on her prize. No small part of her power stems from the dynamite performance of Broadway star Donna Murphy, who socks over her dialogue and musical vocalizations with insinuating flair.

In markedly blander roles, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi do agreeably expressive work with utilitarian dialogue that feels too contemporaneously American and sturdy songs in a throwback style. It’s hard to think of a modern film with a more pristine appearance; every frame looks like it’s just been cleaned and polished by Cinderella herself.

The 3D work is excellent, though the discrepancy in screen brightness between what is seen with and without glasses never has been more pronounced, at least at the screening caught; normally, one can expect the image to dim by 25-30% upon donning 3D shades, but here the light of the film onscreen was cut roughly in half.

Opens: Wednesday, Nov. 24 (Disney) Production: Walt Disney Animation Studios Cast (voices): Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett , Paul F. Tompkins, Richard Kiel Directors: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard Screenwriter: Dan Fogelman Executive producers: John Lasseter, Glen Keane Producer: Ron Conli Production designer: Douglas Roberts Music: Alan Menken Original songs: Alan Menken (music), Glenn Slater (lyrics) Editor: Tim Mertens Rated PG, 100 minutes

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Tangled is a perfect pick for the family over the holiday weekend, a movie that includes all of the essential ingredients of a cherished Disney classic, with an infusion of all of the best that updated technology and contemporary humor have to offer. This film truly does deliver the best of both worlds.

At its core, Tangled is a tale as timeless as it is timely. It is a story of self discovery, flight from the nest, and coming of age - it's also a film that speaks to anyone who has faced, or is facing, the trials and tribulations of growing up.

The movie focuses on Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore), who is cusping on her 18 th birthday and has never seen the world beyond the tower that the duplicitous Mother Gothel (voiced by Donna Murphy) spirited her away to as a baby.

Rapunzel has been gifted with a mane of magical hair, which Gothel needs in order to maintain her youth and avoid the inevitable perils of mortality. The hair has been imbued with the essence of our very source of life, the sun. When Rapunzel's mother, the Queen, was pregnant, she became deathly ill, so all in the kingdom were sent forth to find a cure. What they found was a flower that had been nourished by one drop of pure sunlight.

Gothel had been using the flower to stay young and alive, but it was taken to the Queen for healing and the Queen passed the healing magic to her daughter. So Gothel stole the child and raised her as her own, determined to never again lose the source of her youth.

Rapunzel experiences a traditional “awakening” (in a sense) when the dashing Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi), sails into her tower and illustrates the vitality and life that is out there in the world just beyond her window; that awakening is more of a mutual exchange in this film.

Flynn and Rapunzel awaken each other to who they really are, and what they truly desire. Thus, it is a romance born of the most ideal circumstances: two people who bring out the best in each other, rather than a traditional "one needs the other" arrangement.

Long gone is the traditional “damsel in distress” tale. For decades now, films have taken the archetype of the shrinking violet and turned it on its head; in most live-action films she is now - more often than not - replaced by a female who is instead shrieking and violent. Certainly, fairytales are often “untangled” and retold with an eye on contemporary tastes ( Shrek being the most notable and successful example). What is lovely about Rapunzel is that she maintains the innocence and sweetness of a traditional Disney princess, and yet represents the independent spirit and ingenuity of a modern heroine.

What is also fascinating about this film is that the villainess (Gothel) masks her villainy in the guise of love. She does not have the wealth of Cruella De Ville, nor the magic of Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent. She is only equipped with an arsenal of emotional manipulation and self-esteem grenades, designed to keep Rapunzel afraid of the world and herself. As such, she is an amazing archetype for the devouring mother that many women must (to greater or lesser degrees) face in order to get free, and fully come into their own.

The character of Flynn Rider provides much of the humor in the film, as well as the swashbuckling adventure. As I said in my interview with Zachary Levi , Flynn has more in common with a G rated Han Solo, than a bland Prince Charming. His (still somehow innocent) cynicism and Rapunzel's intelligent naivete  give them both somewhere to travel as characters. Their voyage ultimately leads them to themselves, and each other.

Tangled is also full of fresh enchanting characters who don't talk: Maximus, a dog-like horse who is as “dogged” and relentless in his pursuit of justice as he is loving, loyal, and physically reprimanding; and Pascal, an expressive chameleon who is always ready to gently or forcefully guide Rapunzel, and educate Flynn as needed.

Finally, the King and Queen, Rapunzel's original parents, bring the “one tear, for every laugh” that Walt Disney prescribed for his movies.

In terms of story, Tangled successfully translates Grimm's classic tale of a young woman trapped in a tower into a fast moving, sprawling, and charmingly comedic adventure; one that is as emotionally evocative and archetypal as any of the beloved Disney tales. Writer Dan Fogelman ( Bolt , Cars) has crafted a script that is alive with rich characters, an accessible sense of irony, and an abiding tale with a twenty-first century twist.

Directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard ( Bolt ) use the 3D CGI to draw the audience into the story and the emotional state of the characters. The film has some of the most well-developed character design in recent animation (including Rapunzel's subtle, and endearing, slight overbite), and yet it still has the organic feel of hand-drawn animation. Alan Menken's music is as catchy, uplifting and effecting as one would expect.

The film makes gorgeous use of light as a visual motif, and metaphor for all that we are capable of, and hold within us if we accept, and make use, of our own unique nature; both its majesty and its limitations.

Persnickety teenagers may not be ready to love this film, but on the whole Tangled offers audiences a much needed respite from the normal marquee staples, and reaches past our defenses to the part of ourselves that still wants to believe in magic.

Tangled Trailer:

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An adaptation of the fairytale of Rapunzel, Disney's Tangled follows the long-haired princess as she journeys to discover her real identity. Kidnapped as a child by the evil Mother Gothel in order to exploit the healing properties of her magical hair, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has lived her whole life isolated in a tower. A chance encounter with a smooth-talking fugitive called Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) sees Rapunzel venture out into the dangerous world to find the kingdom of Corona and unlock the secrets of her past.

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• Common Sense Says
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Common Sense Media Review

Fantastic princess adventure is fun, with great messages.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Tangled is a reimagining of the classic Rapunzel tale and a Disney "princess" movie that's sure to entertain both boys and girls. Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) isn't the typical princess in need of rescuing; she does her fair share of saving Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) -- who's no…

Why Age 5+?

Cartoonish action violence includes chases, close calls, and a lot of escapes --

Many licensed dolls, books, and toys that are constantly promoted.

Characters go to a restaurant where tough-looking characters are eating and drin

Infrequent rude language like "stupid" and "dumb."

Rapunzel and Flynn flirt, exchange longing looks, and eventually hold hands and

Any Positive Content?

Sweet messages about honesty, friendship, looking past appearances, and love. Ra

Rapunzel is curious and perpetually optimistic, looking for the good in every si

Kids learn the importance of seeing beyond appearances -- all those "thugs" in t

Violence & Scariness

Cartoonish action violence includes chases, close calls, and a lot of escapes -- evading arrows, steadily rising water, fire, and a big group of the king's soldiers. Characters are hit on the head with a frying pan and kicked in the head. Characters hold knives and spears in threatening ways. Mother comes across as creepy and is mean to Rapunzel; she also tries to kill Flynn (he's pierced with a knife and appears dead). A character falls to her death but sort of vanishes before she hits the ground. Some kids may be disturbed by Mother's transformation and her eventual demise.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Characters go to a restaurant where tough-looking characters are eating and drinking, and one character slurs his speech a bit and acts "drunk," but young kids probably won't pick up on that -- to them it will seem as though he just looks and acts silly.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Rapunzel and Flynn flirt, exchange longing looks, and eventually hold hands and kiss. Mother uses her youthful appearance to lure men to do her bidding.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Sweet messages about honesty, friendship, looking past appearances, and love. Rapunzel sees past Flynn's reputation as a thief to the brave, kind-hearted man she eventually falls in love with, while Flynn realizes that Rapunzel's naive optimism and curiosity are good and inspiring. She sees the best in people, including him, and that helps him act like the best man he can be. Additional messages of empathy, self-control, and gratitude. Also an empowering message for girls: It's not just the boys who save princesses; princesses can do the rescuing, too.

Positive Role Models

Rapunzel is curious and perpetually optimistic, looking for the good in every situation and person. She feels guilty when she thinks she's broken Mother's rules, she gives everyone a chance, and she inspires those around her to act more righteously. She's kind, loving, and selfless. Mother, on the other hand, is the epitome of selfishness and cruelty -- but it's clear that she's in the wrong. Flynn is a thief, but he makes better choices as the story unfolds and demonstrates integrity.

Educational Value

Kids learn the importance of seeing beyond appearances -- all those "thugs" in the pub had sweet, generous dreams "deep down inside."

Parents need to know that Tangled is a reimagining of the classic Rapunzel tale and a Disney "princess" movie that's sure to entertain both boys and girls. Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore ) isn't the typical princess in need of rescuing; she does her fair share of saving Flynn Rider ( Zachary Levi ) -- who's no Prince Charming. There's a lot of romantic chemistry between them (flirting, gazing, and eventually hand-holding, embracing, and a kiss or two), as well as a couple of creepy scenes in which the youthful-looking Mother Gothel uses her beauty to lure men to do what she wants. Expect some nearly constant cartoon violence -- one character dies, another one nearly dies after being pierced by a knife, and there are plenty of last-minute escapes from arrows, horse-mounted soldiers, fire, etc. Characters are hit on the head with a frying pan and kicked in the head; others hold knives and spears in threatening ways. The movie's messages about girl power and seeing beyond appearances are positive and inspiring; kids will learn that we all have dreams, and we should do everything we can to make them come true. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (212)
• Kids say (256)

Based on 212 parent reviews

Not for intuitive young viewers-too violent

What's the story.

Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, TANGLED follows the story of Princess Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore ), who -- thanks to a special flower that her mother the queen ate during a difficult pregnancy -- has magical, ever-growing hair with the power to heal and rejuvenate. But it's only used to keep her Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) -- a deceitful old crone who kidnapped Rapunzel as a baby -- looking young and beautiful. Locked away in a hidden tower, Rapunzel's deepest wish is to see the beautiful "stars" that light up the sky on her birthday every year. When a rogue thief named Flynn Ryder ( Zachary Levi) discovers her tower, she keeps him trapped in her hair until he promises to take her to see the soaring lanterns ... and get her back to the tower before Mother Gothel returns from a three-day errand. In exchange, Rapunzel vows to return the jeweled crown that Flynn stole. On their adventure, the two grow closer and closer -- but Mother Gothel and Flynn's rivals will do their best to keep Rapunzel from realizing the truth.

Is It Any Good?

It's a relief to see that Disney can still conjure up a princess movie to rival its all-time greats. In 2009 there was the lovely, hopeful Tiana in The Princess and the Frog , and now there's another fairy tale heroine who's worthy of adoration: Tangled' s Rapunzel. She's guileless, strong, and beautiful -- and so breathtakingly good that you can't help but weep with her when she thinks all hope is lost. And her chemistry with Flynn is so heart-flutteringly good that you don't even need to use the kids as an excuse to watch: This is a perfect date-night pick. Their relationship is built on mutual respect and trust, something completely missing in many earlier Disney movies. And it's Flynn who nearly dies and requires Rapunzel to save him, not the other way around! What a refreshing turn on the age-old damsel-in-distress meets dashing-prince story.

As for the dramatic tension, it's best in the form of Mother Gothel -- brilliantly played by Murphy, whose signature Broadway voice (on fabulous display in the amazing number "Mother Knows Best") adds the necessary punch to Moore's sweet, airy vocals. Mother is, at least as princess film villains go, a personal favorite. In a youth-obsessed culture, who couldn't extend the tiniest bit of sympathy for an ancient, shriveled old hag who'd rather look like a young Sophia Loren -meets- Cher ? Composer Alan Menken's songs -- from Murphy's show-stopper to Moore's eternally optimistic "When Will My Life Begin," the inspiring "I've Got a Dream," and the love song "I See the Light" -- are all great, as is singer-songwriter Grace Potter's theme, "Something I Want." Tangled has it all -- lovable characters, fantastic songs, and a powerful message about how your life can change if other people believe in you and your dreams.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the message in Tangled that it's never too late to realize a dream -- whether it's seeing lanterns or becoming a pianist. Do you have any "someday" dreams?

How is Rapunzel similar to and different from other Disney princesses? Is she the typical damsel in distress? How does she show the traits of courage , curiosity , and empathy over the course of the movie?

Kids: What made you want to see this movie -- the story or all the ads and product tie-ins? Do you want a product because the movie characters are pictured on it?

Do you think Mother loved Rapunzel, or was she just using her? What about Rapunzel's feelings for Mother? Why did Rapunzel think Flynn wouldn't love her if she didn't have her magical blond hair anymore?

How do the characters in Tangled demonstrate gratitude , integrity , and self-control ? Why are these important character strengths ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 24, 2010
• On DVD or streaming : March 29, 2011
• Cast : Donna Murphy , Mandy Moore , Zachary Levi
• Directors : Byron Howard , Nathan Greno
• Inclusion Information : Gay directors, Female actors
• Studio : Walt Disney Pictures
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Adventures , Music and Sing-Along
• Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity , Empathy , Gratitude , Integrity , Self-control
• Run time : 92 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : brief mild violence
• Last updated : August 26, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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What to watch next.

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Tangled : Disney's Ripping Rapunzel

• Tangled : Disney's Ripping Rapunzel" data-count="horizontal" data-related="TIMEPolitics,techland" class="twitter-share-button">Tweet

A scene from Tangled

Ever since Walt's day, Disney animators have thought that a musical film could be made from the Grimm brothers' story. It has the skeletal plot — yearning heroine, wicked overseer and male savior — of Disney cartoon epics in the studio's early years (Snow White, Cinderella) and its '90s renaissance (The Little Mermaid , Beauty and the Beast) . As of 2005, Rapunzel Unbraided , as it was known, was to be the first feature directed by honored Disney animator Glen Keane. Five years later, in a history as long and twisted as its heroine's hair, there's finally a movie, with Byron Howard and Nathan Greno directing and Keane back in his customary role as character animator supreme.

The title was changed to Tangled because The Princess and the Frog was no great shakes at the box office and because Disney wanted to make the project seem less ... girlish. The trailers suggest that the movie is an action comedy about a roguish guy (Flynn) whose mission is to storm the tower and free the girl inside. But no: this is your basic, and very enjoyable, Disney princess musical, an empowerment tale to teach bright, dreamy girls how to grow to maturity — and outgrow the adults in charge.

In the Grimm version, the husband in a childless couple sneaks into the garden of Gothel the witch to steal a flower that guarantees fertility; the witch catches him and demands the couple's firstborn, whom she raises as her captive daughter until a prince shows up, etc. (Ignored in all versions is this question: If Rapunzel can secure her tresses to a hook to allow the witch to climb up and down, why can't she hook the end of her coiffure and climb down it?) Here Gothel discovers that the girl's hair somehow brings eternal youth, or at least chic middle age, to an old witch. She can swan around as long as her victim stays locked up. Gothel knows the secret that many American parents act out but are slow to acknowledge: that confining their teens in enforced preadolescence helps them feel younger too.

As if uneasy at being left behind by the competition, this Disney near classic wades into the DreamWorks style of sitcom gags and anachronistic sass. ("Sorry, Blondie," Flynn tells Rapunzel at one point, "I don't do backstory.") But the visual palette is more sophisticated, especially in the scenes where sparkling nocturnal lanterns illuminate Rapunzel's birthday, and the film gradually achieves the complex mix of romance, comedy, adventure and heart that defines the best Disney features. The inevitable animal friends — a horse for Flynn and a chameleon for Rapunzel — radiate plenty of personality without speaking. Moore does well by her slightly underwritten role, while Murphy, a treasured musical-theater diva for a quarter-century (The Human Comedy, Song of Singapore, Passion, The King and I) ) makes Gothel one of the most potent schemers in the Disney canon. Visually, the character suggests Bebe Neuwirth in her Morticia Addams get-up, but no one can summon the malice in humor, and the fun in pain, like this prima Donna.

The songs, with lyrics by Glenn Slater, don't sound on first hearing like top-drawer Menken, but they smoothly fill their functions. The opener, "When Will My Life Begin," is the heroine's "I wanna" song, a Disney tradition that stretches back to Snow White's "Some Day My Prince Will Come." The witch's "Mother Knows Best" is a pot of poisoned honey from the killer queen bee. Menken and Slater also contribute a generically tuneful love ballad, "I See the Light," which is sure to be nominated for a Best Song Oscar, and a criminals' chorus called "I've Got a Dream." Proclaiming that every scurvy brigand is at heart just a Broadway gypsy between shows, it's the score's main example of roistering wit. The song will play superbly as the second-act opener in the stage version we're imagining, for which we can also award Murphy a just slightly premature Tony as Best Actress in a Musical.

First, though, the movie version has to be a hit. So give the kids a break from mopey Harry and the dawdling Hallows — give yourself a break too — and get caught up in Tangled .

Tangled Review

28 Jan 2011

100 minutes

It seems like an odd thing to mention off the bat, but the light in Tangled is just gorgeous. It glimmers and glows, bouncing off surfaces and gleaming on curves. That’s important when you’ve got a character whose long, shiny golden hair is essential to the plot, but more important is the way the light touches every surface in the film, making this the best-looking Disney since Sleeping Beauty. That, of course, was an almost abstract, medieval art-inspired affair; this appears a dreamier, more Romantic effort, but don’t let that fool you. This is surprisingly action-packed, its tone surprisingly modern and its plot simply surprising – no mean feat for another Disney fairy tale.

After the unspectacular commercial success of The Princess And The Frog, this skews towards the action end of the spectrum, that title change from Rapunzel to the gender-neutral Tangled indicating an impulse away from girliness and tradition. But the studio’s claim — that the new title reflects the fact that this is very much a two-hander, with Mandy Moore’s innocent but (inevitably) feisty Rapunzel and Zachary Levi’s street-wise yet clueless Flynn sharing the lead — is borne out. The pair face off against barbarians and guards and get a few dazzling action sequences. Both get decent character development too, and base their growing love story on more than a single longing glance.

Donna Murphy’s Mother Gothel, meanwhile, provides Disney with its first passive-aggressive villain. She’s a monster of the first order, but the fact that she’s entirely bereft of superpowers and reliant on her considerable wits to keep her going makes her strangely admirable, too.

The other stars are comic scene-stealer and police horse extraordinaire Maximus, who seems to think he’s a bloodhound, and Alan Menken, who composed the songs and score. Yes, this is a Disney musical, with Menken pitching the songs somewhere between the sincere melodies of his Little Mermaid and the comedy of his early work on the likes of Little Shop Of Horrors. It all feeds into a film that is still recognisably Disney, just a little funnier.

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Tangled Reviews

Bolstered by an array of snappy original songs composed by Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater in tandem with a superbly droll screenplay by Dan Fogelman, “Tangled” is eminently captivating, impossible to resist and, for the easily prone, tear-jerking.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jan 10, 2024

It might not be Pixar, but the colors, textures, and details modeled after French Rococo oil-and-canvas paintings are amazing.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 4, 2023

It’s all very bright and colorful, no doubt accentuated beyond the norm for the sake of 3D’s downfall dimming effect. Still, there’s no sense of wonder about the production.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 3, 2023

At its finest moments, this production emanates the nostalgic feel of classic 2-D animated Disney films.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 30, 2020

Disney comes closer to nailing the mix of entertainment and emotional resonance that has become a trademark of the Pixar films.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 25, 2020

What the adaptation by Dan Fogelman offers is an updated rosary of the best that Disney had valued in past times. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Apr 16, 2020

The highest compliment I can give the animators is at times I forgot I was watching a computer animated 3D movie.

Full Review | Jul 24, 2019

A glorious throwback, a toe-tapping, swoon-worthy fairy tale extravaganza the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 7, 2019

It's not classic Disney... but it is still good enough to appease families looking for a night out at the movies.

Full Review | May 8, 2019

For me it is a quick top 10 favorite.

Full Review | Original Score: A+ | Feb 22, 2019

Tangled is a delightful rendition of a well-known fantasy that can be enjoyed by Disney animation and fairytale fans of all ages.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Feb 16, 2019

A welcome reminder of some of Disney's best works. The animation is exquisite, the script fantastic, and the leads all perform well.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 4, 2018

Disney found the right combination of heart, laughs, and fairy dust to make a princess movie with the appeal of its classics and that's also right in 2010.

Full Review | Apr 4, 2018

A heroine who finds love and freedom after she loses acres of blond Barbie hair -- these days, that's a radical fable.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 8, 2014

This snappy role reversal may or may not appeal to young men, but it inspires some classic knockabout screwball comedy and an exciting, vertiginous escape sequence.

Full Review | Dec 8, 2014

A tight little package that sings and dances, Tangled is a well-conditioned and rather shiny little piece of entertainment.

This is your basic, and very enjoyable, Disney princess musical, an empowerment tale to teach bright, dreamy girls how to grow to maturity -- and outgrow the adults in charge.

If this is what old-fashioned means, then bring it on.

Rapunzel gets a very ordinary updating in this Disney picture, raiding duller moments from the Shrek movies for ideas, and sporting a laboured selection of Broadway-style showtunes.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 8, 2014

While it lasts, the magic works.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 8, 2014

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Just 17 Reasons "Tangled" Is The Best Disney Film Of All Time, In Honor Of Its Anniversary

*Sigh* Just waiting for my own personal Eugene Fitzherbert.

BuzzFeed Staff

It has officially been 10 years since Tangled — the BEST Disney movie — came into our lives, changing them forever, no doubt.

But not everyone seems to think so! It definitely did not get the hype Frozen got.

Because I truly do not believe that Tangled gets its due, I have compiled a list of all the reasons it's the best. Read on to see!

Spoilers ahead, I guess?

1. It has one of the best intros.

Sure, Disney movies with great song and scenery intros are wonderful (like Aladdin and The Lion King ). But one of my favorite Disney intros is The Emperor's New Groove, and this feels very much like that, while being even darker and a little more serious. It's funny and introduces us to Flynn really well, but also provides some beautiful animation and a legendlike backstory that makes the film feel even more like an old fairy tale.

2. Rapunzel's hair is the best computer animation I have ever seen.

Long hair is notoriously difficult to animate, which is why cartoon characters so often have updos and braids. The amount of work and care that went into Rapunzel's hair was incredible . It truly looks like actual hair and not just a cartoon mass.

3. Mandy Moore was born to be a Disney princess.

I literally couldn't think of anyone I would want to be a Disney princess more, except for maybe Julie Andrews when she was younger. Mandy is truly a real-life Disney princess, and her unique voice was absolutely perfect to play someone of Rapunzel's age and personality.

4. Flynn Rider/Eugene Fitzherbert is the best Disney prince of all time, and I will fight you about this.

First of all, he's definitely the hottest. The directors literally had women employees come into a meeting with pictures of hot men to help them decide what Flynn would look like. For his personality, they were inspired by Ferris Bueller and Indiana Jones . It modernizes the movie so much to have a sassy, overconfident, yet emotionally repressed male hero, and he works absolutely perfectly with Rapunzel's naivete, curiosity, and surprising capability.

5. And his relationship with Rapunzel is a beautiful thing.

It just built so naturally! It threw away a lot of the love-at-first-sight tropes — unlike a lot of other Disney films, there is no wedding or "I love you" in this film. The series even expands on that, showing Flynn and Rapunzel's relationship maturing with them. I love that it's a little more realistic while also being super sweet — you really see them soften to each other and bring out the best in each other. Also, "too sweet for this world" meets "sassy and jaded" is my favorite trope.

6. Tangled 's music was written by Alan Menken, who scored all of your fave Disney films.

Alan Menken scored all the Disney Renaissance movies, including Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Pocahontas . I will say that while I don't absolutely love all the songs in Tangled , they have this really familiar Disney feel to them. And the score is absolutely incredible — I used to listen to it while just doing homework.

7. Tangled has some of the best animal sidekicks...

I'mma let you finish, but Maximus is the best Disney animal of ALL TIME. OF ALL TIME!!! He is truly the most expressive of all the Disney animal sidekicks, without saying a single word. The animation of his face and his movements ooze so much personality. It's also great to see a sidekick who's actively working against our main characters for part of the film and then has to reluctantly tag along for the rest — he's a complicated character, which is saying a lot for an animal sidekick with no dialogue. And there's Pascal, who basically KILLS MOTHER GOTHEL in the end, so he gets points too.

8. Tangled is absolutely hilarious.

Listen, the scene where Flynn fights off a bunch of guards plus Maximus (a HORSE) with a frying pan is one of the funniest scenes of any Disney movie (not to mention being super action packed and animated to perfection), and it doesn't stop here. Rapunzel and Flynn's meeting is hilarious, and Flynn and Maximus's banter is amazing. The best part is when Flynn realizes that Maximus has rescued him and tries to have a sweet Disney moment, and then Maximus shuts it down with just one look.

9. ...but also incredibly dark.

Maybe this is just me, but I love when fairy tales are dark (as many original fairy tales were). Tangled 's premise is incredibly dark: A kidnapped girl literally spends 18 years in captivity with a woman who pretends to be her mother but who really just wants her for her magical powers. Less than an hour into the film, Flynn and Rapunzel get trapped in a mine and give up on trying to get out, accepting death and confessing secrets to each other. When Flynn goes to rescue Rapunzel at the end, he finds Rapunzel chained up and being taken away by Mother Gothel, and he then gets stabbed, causing Rapunzel to promise Gothel a life of obedience if she can heal him. Yes, it has a happy ending, but it's refreshing to see Disney delve into darker territory first.

10. Along with that, the villain is one of the most complicated and interesting Disney villains.

At the end of the film, you're not sure if Mother Gothel has ever truly cared for Rapunzel, or just what Rapunzel's hair did for her. You don't get that closure, which is so realistic. She's not a traditional two-dimensional villain. She has a goal we can understand, and she does treat Rapunzel like a daughter in many ways. Her villainy is far more manipulative and sneaky, and you get the feeling that she thinks she's doing nothing wrong.

11. And her relationship with Rapunzel is not at all black and white.

Despite realizing that Gothel is not her mom and she's manipulated Rapunzel her entire life, and also seeing her stab Eugene, Rapunzel still reaches out for her when she falls out the window. This is far more realistic than I would've expected from Disney. Gothel has raised her, after all. Rapunzel still cares about her, which adds a layer of complexity to a movie like this, which normally would've been very black and white.

12. Rapunzel is a super-strong, powerful Disney princess who triumphs over the villain in an empowering way.

So many times, the princess needs to be rescued. Here, Rapunzel actually has to rescue Flynn — in multiple ways, multiple times. I also love the confrontation between Rapunzel and Gothel when Rapunzel realizes the truth. It's so powerful to see a Disney princess actually get angry and stand up for herself, even against someone she loves — because people you love can still be terrible people. I think that's so important for young girls to see.

13. She also doesn't need Flynn — and her happy ending is not him.

So many Disney princesses have this thirst for adventure that's sort of tossed aside at the end in favor of love. Rapunzel's dream does change to Flynn (after her original dream is fulfilled), but that's not her only goal or care. The movie ends with Rapunzel finding her family and her place, because that's what matters most to her. Flynn is an important part of her life, but he isn't her entire life. And if you watch the series, it's all about her NOT wanting to settle down and wanting to continue a life of adventure.

14. With Tangled, we finally got a Disney film where the parents weren't dead!

For decades, a staple of Disney films has been the whole "dead parents" thing. To be honest, it's getting a little old, and it's starting to seem like lazy writing to explain why these teenagers end up in these situations or why their remaining parent is overly cautious. I love the new twist in Tangled , where both her parents are alive but have lost her.

15. The animation of the landscapes and backgrounds is truly amazing.

The water in the dam-breaking scene LOOKS SO GOOD! There are so many different landscapes, and every one is animated to perfection. The lantern scene alone deserves an Oscar.

16. The mood coloring in Tangled is just SO good.

Another thing I felt Tangled does so well is changing the tone of the colors based on the mood. When Flynn goes to rescue Rapunzel at the end, the tone is noticeably less bright. It gets darker when he goes up into the tower and is stabbed — until Gothel falls out the window, when it gets lighter but is still less bright. After Rapunzel heals Eugene, the color comes back. It all blends so seamlessly!

17. And finally, it was good enough to spawn an ENTIRE TV SHOW.

Tangled: The Series is honestly so cute and has amazing character arcs and bomb music. ("Nothing Left to Lose" is a jam!!) I know other Disney films have had series (like that Lilo & Stitch one), but I do not remember them being very good.

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Movie Review: Tangled

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DVD Cover Copyright Disney

It is golden anniversary time! Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Rapunzel,” Tangled was theatrically released on November 24, 2010 as the fiftieth full length animated feature in Disney history, an occasion acknowledged through the Walt Disney Animation Studios card prior to the movie.

At 100 minutes in length, Tangled was Disney’s longest animated feature since Fantasia (1940), which clocked in at 126 minutes.

Tangled was the brainchild of Disney animator Glen Keane, who created Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989) and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast (1991). (1)

Keane’s concept, originally entitled “Rapunzel Unbraided,” was approved in February 2003 with the caveat that the film be computer animated. Keane was initially infuriated at the proposed departure from hand-drawn animation but acquiesced upon encouragement from then-Disney Animation President David Stanton. (2) Keane, however, suffered a heart attack and was unable to direct the film; his role was filled by the duo of Byron Howard and Nathan Greno. (3)

Disney Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter exuded much enthusiasm for Tanged prior to its release. Lasseter said, “This film is as good as a Pixar film, but it’s classic Disney, and I love that: heart, humor, beauty, music, wonderment, the love story. Some people believe audiences today have grown past what is classic Disney storytelling, that they have become too cynical for it. I will never believe that.” (4)

Disney took a pair of gambles in marketing its new feature. As the mediocre box office performance of The Princess and the Frog (2009) was believed to be caused by that film’s obvious princess story not appealing to boys, Disney changed the name of its upcoming film from the overt “Rapunzel” to the covert “Tangled” and deemphasized the film’s significant musical element. Concerning the latter decision, Lasseter said, “I didn’t want people to rush to categorize it—‘Oh, that’s one of those Disney musicals.’” (5)

Coupled with strong critical reviews, these decisions contributed to a successful theatrical run for Tangled . (6)

Plot Summary

Long ago in the Kingdom of Corona, the King and Queen bore a beautiful baby daughter, whose birth culminated a tumultuous yet glorious period. The Queen nearly died during pregnancy and was saved only by the powers of a magical golden flower, which descended from the heavens centuries earlier. In any event, the baby and the Queen are now healthy, so all is good; right? Well, not so much. You see, an evil woman named Mother Gothel had obtained a monopoly on the magic flower such as to survive for hundreds of years, an invincibility that is imperiled when the royal family takes the flower. Fortunately for Gothel, the flower’s magic has infiltrated the soul of the Princess, and our antagonist successfully kidnaps the newborn in the middle of the night to regain her magical monopoly.

For eighteen years, Gothel raises the baby, called Rapunzel, as her own child. Gothel treats the girl well superficially, but, fearing the loss of the magic hidden inside Rapunzel, the old lady denounces the outside world and forbids her “daughter” from leaving her bedroom tower.

Then, spontaneously, on the eve of Rapunzel’s eighteenth birthday, a wanted man named Flynn Rider climbs into the teen’s bedroom. The fugitive agrees to grant Rapunzel the one thing she wants for her birthday, a trip to the palace to see the annual unleashing of lanterns.

By leaving the tower, Rapunzel has taken a giant leap forward. Has Gothel permanently lost control of Rapunzel?

A complex personality makes Gothel one of Disney’s greatest villains. Whereas some Disney antagonists, such as Lady Tremaine from Cinderella (1950), are overtly cruel, Gothel masks her evilness beneath a fake kindness. By pretending to care for Rapunzel, Gothel convinces the girl of true love, a sentiment not actually possessed by the old lady.

Though Rapunzel is deceived by Gothel, the latter’s cruelty is obvious to the audience, making one hate her that much more.

One key theme of Tangled is the superficiality of mankind. People often try to act like someone they are not in order to attain popularity. Below the surface, Flynn Rider is the alter ego of a kindhearted young man named Eugene Fitzherbert, while Mother Gothel is a cold and calculating witch.

On a related note, Flynn Rider loves Rapunzel for her heart, not her hair. She is just as wonderful to him as a brunette because she is a good person.

Exciting moments are incorporated throughout Tangled . Such scenes include chases, sword fights, and a catastrophic dam rupture.

Tangled ’s score was composed by Disney legend Alan Menken, who previously composed the music for The Little Mermaid , Beauty and the Beast , Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), and Home on the Range (2004).

Unfortunately, I think Tangled is Menken’s weakest effort with Disney. The numbers are, with the exception of “Incantation Song,” largely forgettable. “Incantation Song,” which Gothel and Rapunzel sing while utilizing the magic flower’s power, is incredibly beautiful in its short doses. Its incorporation when Rapunzel heals Flynn Rider’s hand contributes to one of the most heartwarming moments in Disney history.

Flynn Rider exudes bluntness, and he is horrified by his appearance on wanted posters. Indeed, his nose is inaccurate. Darn artists!

Rapunzel excels at many endeavors, including art, astronomy, music, horse training, and hitting intruders in the head with frying pans.

A pair of animals, Maximus the horse and Pascal the chameleon, provides comic relief. Maximus would make a good solider.

Relationship to Other Disney Films

Gothel is similar to Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame in that she feigns kindness and exudes a hatred of the outside world such as to coerce a child to remain in a tower. Additionally, Flynn Rider’s appearance and personality remind me of Notre Dame ’s Pheobus.

A kidnapping of a baby also occurs in Hercules .

Like the title character from Robin Hood (1973), Flynn Rider is wanted by the government.

Flynn Rider swings through the wilderness like the title character from Tarzan (1999).

In the Parks

Part of Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is themed after Tangled . This locale functions as a rest area and features the tower from the movie. For what it is worth, the bathrooms in this area are arguably the most beautifully themed at Walt Disney World.

Photo Copyright Liliane Opsomer

Guests at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park in California can interact with Rapunzel throughout the day at “Princess Fairytale Hall” and “Fantasy Faire,” respectively.

Its mediocre soundtrack notwithstanding, Tangled is a great movie with an engaging story. You may well cry at points. I did.

1) Holson, L. (2005, September 18). Has the Sky Stopped Falling at Disney?: Goodbye, Pencils. Hello, Computers. A Studio Reanimates. New York Times , p. B1. Retrieved July 12, 2015, from http://0-search.proquest.com.alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us/docview/93038254?accountid=35174

2) Ibid., p. B10.

3) Barnes, B. (2010, November 21). Disney Ties Lots of Hopes To Lots of Hair: [Arts and Leisure Desk]. New York Times , p. AR.8. Retrieved July 12, 2015, from http://0-search.proquest.com.alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us/docview/807554876?accountid=35174

6) Barnes, B. (2010, November 29). Disney Spins ‘Tangled’ Hair Into Box-Office Gold: [Brief]. New York Times , p. C.3. Retrieved July 12, 2015, from http://0-search.proquest.com.alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us/docview/814455252?accountid=35174

What do you think of Tangled? Let me know in the comments!

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Why Tangled Is Disney’s Most Feminist Film

It’s fair to say that Disney is on something of a roll at the moment. The House of Mouse’s output has been so consistently spectacular of late that some critics have decreed we are living in the “Second Disney Renaissance.” It’s a reference to that glorious period from 1989 to 1999 which saw some of the studio’s greatest animated classics, from The Little Mermaid to Pocahontas to Mulan , and which also saw Disney fully embrace one of the strongest (and most lucrative) facets of its brand: the Disney Princess .

Just as this new golden age has seen Disney mastering thoroughly modern 3D animation, so too have the films presented us with a new breed of thoroughly modern woman. Honey Lemon and GoGo, the female members of Big Hero 6 , are gifted scientists whose powers come from their fields of expertise. Wreck-It Ralph ’s sardonic Sergeant Calhoun and Zootropolis ’ Judy Hopps are both authority figures. We’ve even had some much-needed diversity, with characters of colour like Tiana ( The Princess and the Frog ) and newcomer Moana taking centre stage.

And then there’s Frozen .

Honestly, what more can be said about that film that hasn’t already been said? Frozen is a masterful blend of old and new; a film that evokes the feeling of every classic Disney Princess story down to the last detail while subtly lampooning all the things they’ve been getting wrong for decades. Not only did it give us gorgeous visuals, adorable sidekicks, and that song, it also gave us two great Disney Princesses that were both instant feminist icons to boot, and a love story that proves that you don’t need a man to be happy. Could anything be more feminist than that?

Well, you’ve seen the title of this article, so obviously the answer is yes. While at first glance Tangled might feel like an unwritten script from the 1990s that’s been given a fresh coat of paint, its story is far more progressive than that of Frozen , and Rapunzel has more feminism in her flowing locks than Anna and Elsa put together. Which is impressive considering she spends the entire movie barefoot.

Courtesy of: Disney

Obviously, the original fairytale – involving a helpless princess rescued from her tower by a prince who climbs a rope made of her hair – isn’t the most empowering of starting positions. And it’s equally true that Rapunzel and Mother Gothel (more on her later) are the only female characters in the narrative . But Tangled cleverly warps said narrative in a myriad of subtle ways right from the off. Yes, Rapunzel spends plenty of her time in captivity doing traditional, domestic chores like baking and cleaning, but she’s also incredibly well-read and well-rounded: she plays chess, studies astronomy to map the stars, and even learns ventriloquy. She also proves to be quick-witted and resourceful, using her hair to incapacitate other characters on multiple occasions. There’s even a recurring joke wherein frying pans prove to be more useful as weapons than swords – how’s that for a subversion of gender roles?

By comparison, Elsa has spent her life in a self-imposed exile, doing nothing but preparing for the task of ruling their kingdom. Anna, meanwhile, makes a myriad of moronic decisions throughout Frozen , ranging from wandering out into a snowy wilderness in summer gear to agreeing to marry a dude she met just a few hours previously. Yes, this is also part of the meta-narrative everybody loves, but it doesn’t stop it from being a dumb decision.

There are other ways in which Tangled undermines our expectations of gender roles, even with its mostly male cast. Frozen opens with   a group of manly ice farmers going about their manly work singing a manly song. It’s a decidedly more traditional group than the ruffians and mercenaries of the Snuggly Duckling. Sure, they’re all built like brick shithouses and bristling with weapons, but they also find time to practice floral arranging, interior design and collecting teeny tiny ceramic unicorns.  

In Tangled , Rapunzel’s motivations are clear right from the opening song. She leaves her tower because she wants to investigate the floating lanterns she sees every year, and pragmatically chooses to use the world-wise Flynn Rider as her guide to reach them . In Frozen meanwhile, Anna sings about one thing: finding her Happily Ever After. Well, that and stuffing chocolate in her face. Marriage is at the forefront of everything Anna does – she goes in search of Elsa out of sisterly love, but also because she wants to change Elsa’s mind about Prince Hans.

Courtesy of: Tangled

For Rapunzel, meanwhile, the Happily Ever After is a happy bonus. She even ends up being the one who proposes to Flynn. The same goes for the wonderfully sarcastic Mother Gothel. Sure, she exploits Rapunzel’s magical hair to keep herself looking young and beautiful, but there’s no string of lovers coming to the tower to visit her – it’s purely for her own happiness. And while she may be a kidnapper, Stockholm Syndrome works both ways: she loves and cares for Rapunzel as if she was her own, and raises her for 18 years as a single parent – something that’s lacking from a lot of Disney movies.

None of this is to try and paint Frozen as an intrinsically bad movie. In fact, it’s a damn good one (with the exception of those stupid bloody trolls). But despite its visible effort to be a more progressive breed of Disney movie, it still falls back on the House of Mouse’s old habits. Sometimes, you have to look somewhere more old-fashioned to find something really forward-thinking.

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An Analysis of the Character Animation in Disney’s Tangled

Introduction.

In the short time since PIXAR Animation created the first 3D computer animated feature film, Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995), 3D computer graphics (CG) have replaced the classical 2D realist styling of Disney Animation to become the dominant aesthetic form of mainstream animation. (1) The dominance of 3D CG in animated films (over traditional mediums) is largely due to the remediation of the fundamental principles of animation. Although Tangled (Nathan Greno and Bryan Howard, 2010) is not Disney’s first CG animated film, it is the first time they have attempted to use the medium to tell a classic Disney-style fairy tale. This paper offers an analysis of the character animation in Tangled to develop a deeper understanding of how Disney has approached the extension of their traditional aesthetic into the CG medium. It should be noted that frame counts used in this paper will vary from the original production. This being an unfortunate by-product of the digital encoding for DVD release and subsequent re-encoding and manipulation to allow me to step through the film frame-by-frame. This is not a major concern for this analysis as the frame count is used to simply highlight the variation in timing for the character movement as it appears on screen and not intended to be an accurate record of the exact frame count used by the animator during production.

A single drop of sunlight falls from the heavens and from it grows a magical golden flower. An old woman, Mother Gothel, learns of the magical properties of the flower and for centuries uses its power to retain her youth. One day, while pregnant, the queen of a nearby kingdom falls ill and the flower is used to restore her and her unborn child, Rapunzel, to health. When Rapunzel is born, the magical properties of the flower are embodied in her hair. Mother Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel and locks her in a tower deep in the forest. She raises her as her own daughter and uses the magical properties of Rapunzel’s hair to retain her own youth. On her birthday each year, Rapunzel is able to see floating lights in the night sky from her tower window. Rapunzel longs to see the floating lights unaware that they are actually floating lanterns released by her family and the community in memory of the lost princess.

After stealing a royal crown from Rapunzel’s family, Eugene Fitzherbert (aka Flynn Rider) is chased into the forest by the palace guard. He unwittingly finds his way to Rapunzel’s tower while looking for a place to hide. Rapunzel convinces Eugene to take her to see the floating lanterns and so they embark on a journey to the castle at the centre of the city. Mother Gothel discovers Rapunzel has left the tower for the city. As her own life depends on Rapunzel’s magical hair, she plots to return Rapunzel to the tower and have Flynn put to death by the palace guard. Shortly after her return to the tower, Rapunzel figures out that she is the lost princess. Flynn escapes prison with the help of some thugs that Rapunzel befriended on their journey. He returns to rescue Rapunzel from the tower only to be stabbed by Mother Gothel. Before Rapunzel can heal him, Flynn cuts the hair from Rapunzel’s head and breaks the magical bond between Rapunzel and Mother Gothel’s life.  Without the magic of the golden flower, Mother Gothel ages rapidly turning to dust while Flynn, unable to be healed, dies from his wound. In her grief, Rapunzel sheds a single tear, which unknown to Rapunzel carries the magical properties of the original flower. As the tear is absorbed into Flynn’s skin his life is restored and they return to Rapunzel’s kingdom to live happily ever after.

Tangled is Disney Animation Studio’s 50 th animated feature film and the studio’s first fairy tale musical to be created using 3D CG animation. The films original director, Glen Keane, played an important part in the film’s visual development. As a Disney animator since 1974, Glen Keane had the opportunity to receive training from animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston who were the progenitors of the fundamental principles of animation as documented in their text The Illusion of Life : Disney Animation . (2) Keane originally wanted the film to be animated using a traditional 2D animation process, however, the Disney studio executives David Stainton and Dick Cook would only approve the film for production if it were created using the 3D CG medium. In response to this requirement, Keane called a meeting with both 2D and 3D Disney animators to discuss the pros and cons of the two mediums. From that meeting it was decided that they would go ahead and create the film using 3D CG animation but do so in such a way as to become an extension of the traditional 2D Disney aesthetic. (3) The “Disney aesthetic” is a reference to the naturalistic animation that conforms to the principles of animation as described by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston in The Illusion of Life : Disney Animation.

In order to achieve this extension of the Disney aesthetic, there was a need to develop new creative processes and technologies that would allow the animators to use the 3D medium in a more traditional way. For example, by using a digital drawing device known as a Wacom Cintiq, Keane was able to critique the CG animator’s work by drawing on top of their animation on the computer. Keane’s “draw-overs” and animation notes allowed the character animators to refine their CG animation to create an organic feel that resonated with the traditional Disney aesthetic. There was also a need to create new ways of controlling Rapunzel’s hair. Rapunzel’s hair forms an important part of the story and character action, it was therefore ideal for the hair to respond to high levels of art direction. Animator Jesus Canal describes Rapunzel’s hair as being an important part of her character that required a great deal of collaboration between the animator and the technical team. (4) The technical team developed a system that combined rig-based key-frame animation with hair simulation. This allowed the character animators to control the motion, poses and silhouettes of the hair in response to Keane’s “draw-overs.” (5) This deliberate effort to extend the Disney aesthetic to the CG medium makes Tangled ideally suited to close analysis.

Another significant aesthetic element of Tangled is the overall art direction, which was inspired from previous Disney films such as Pinocchio (Norman Ferguson and T. Hee, 1940) and Cinderella (Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson, 1950) along with the Rococo style art of French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806). Fragonard’s The Swing (1767) provided early inspiration for the art style, as Art Director Dave Goetz explains, the “undulating forms, decorative colour, rich details, and period fantasy subject matter, would lend itself well to a romantic comedy.” (6) The rounded shapes found in Cinderella were used to inspire the character design, according to the film’s director Byron Howard they wanted to capture the familiarity that comes from watching a Disney classic character. (7) .  As the first Disney fairy tale hero to be designed in CG, the artists were careful not to make Flynn Rider appear too mechanical. By relaxing his expressions the design is able to remain angular yet fit within the soft rounded world created for Tangled . A signature ‘shape language’ was developed to fuse the thickness of Pinocchio with the lyrical and graceful shapes of Cinderella. (8)

The term ‘shape language’ refers to a design philosophy that “unifies the film by using the same visual vernacular and guiding design principles throughout every scene and setting.” (9) Pinocchio for example avoids the use of right angles and strait lines together with a compacting of shapes. Cinderella on the other hand achieves a comfortable and intimate world through the use of flowing lines arranged in rhythms that create graceful and appealing compositions.   (10) As something created on a computer, 3D CG animation often appears inorganic and ridged. To create a more organic feel in Tangled, artists adopted a shape language that reduces the use of parallel lines by “wedging” straight shapes against curves. (11) In Tangled , the character motions, gestures and expressions reinforce the influence of the shape language as a unifying concept.  

As previously stated, the visual style of Tangled is the result of a deliberate effort to extend the traditional Disney aesthetic to the CG medium. Disney style animation typically adheres to the 12 Principles of Animation as described in The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation (12) and is often referred to as ‘cartoon style’ animation. According to Bishko (13) these principles of animation are not complete movement concepts and their application can result in formulaic animation that relies upon specific movement patterns. At times there are clearly identifiable movement patterns appropriated from the 2D medium in Tangled . For example a classic “cartoon take” as described by Richard Williams (14) can be seen when the palace guard turns around to find that the crown he was guarding has just been taken by Flynn Rider.

First Pose: Guard is taken by surprise.

Second Pose: He anticipates turning around by moving in a downward motion. There is some subtle squashing of the head.

Third Pose: He moves upward to “accent” the movement. There is some stretching of the head.

Forth Pose: He settles into the final resting position having now completed the action of turning around in response to his surprise.

As this sequence demonstrates, Tangled does feature typical cartoon patterns of movement even if their application is very subtle. Despite this however, for the most part characters in Tangled appear to be authentic as opposed to clichéd, formulaic animation. The character motion is often very subdued with actions that are relevant to the context of the story and the character’s intent. According to Bishko characterisation is authentic when there is “congruence between a character’s intent and its resulting action”.   (15) An example of authenticity in Tangled can be found in how Rapunzel reacts to seeing the floating lanterns in the lantern scene.

Rapunzel’s reaction to seeing the lights is important to maintaining the authenticity of her character. This moment not only resolves her life long dream of seeing the lights but also shows a transition to her new dream; being with Flynn. When Rapunzel is apprehensive about seeing the lights rise into the sky, she asks Flynn what she is to do if they turn out to be everything she dreamed they would be. To which Flynn responds by telling her she will get to find a new dream. The scene is pivotal to consolidating who Rapunzel was before meeting Flynn and who she will become in the later part of the film. There is a subtle moment when we see Rapunzel’s thought process as her focus shifts from the lights to Flynn and their possible future together.  The lantern scene begins with Rapunzel and Flynn in a boat placing flowers in the water.

As she leans forward and looks into the water, Rapunzel sees the reflection of a single lantern floating up into the night sky.  She looks up at the sky and holds her pose for approximately 40 frames before the film cuts to a point of view shot revealing the single lantern floating in the sky. An impulsive movement follows this short pause as she pushes herself up and scrambles toward the front of the boat for a better view of the floating lantern. There is a noticeable lack of cartoon motion such as squash and stretch as Rapunzel propels herself toward the front of the boat. Without taking her eyes off the floating lantern she almost falls onto the figurehead. At that moment nothing else has her attention while she clings to the boats figurehead. In contrast to her frantic scurry toward the bow, she is now almost motionless, moving only to counter the motion of the boat floating in the water.

She holds this position for approximately 60 frames, only moving to adjust the grip of her left hand and to move her head closer to the scrolled figurehead. After adjusting her position by moving from one side of the figurehead to the other, in 20 frames, Rapunzel holds almost perfectly still for another 20 frames before the shot cuts to another point of view shot. We see the single lantern has drifted further into the sky while a large quantity of lanterns slowly floats up above the castle wall. Cutting back and forth between a close up of Rapunzel and the floating lanterns we see that Rapunzel is holding the same pose as the night sky fills with lights.

Rapunzel slowly blinks, relaxes her shoulders and brings her head down to rest on the ship’s figurehead. This pose and facial expression is a reference to an earlier shot in the film in which Rapunzel is a young child looking at the lanterns from her tower window.

Rapunzel as a child sneaks a look at the floating lanterns. She dreams to one day see the lights.

Rapunzel reflects on her childhood dream of seeing the floating lights.

This moment indicates that the floating lanterns have been a childhood comfort for Rapunzel in the way a child may find security in a cherished blanket or toy. She holds that position for as many as 35 frames before it cuts to a shot of Pascal. Returning again to a mid shot of Rapunzel we see she is gazing up at the lanterns in the same held pose. She holds this pose for approximately 60 frames with nothing more than some subtle eye movement and blinks. The eyes and her blinking show her inner thought process as she realises she is still there with Flynn. She drops her right arm down and we see her expression change. Leading the action with her eyes, she turns to look at Flynn who has prepared two lanterns for them to release into the night sky.  At this point Rapunzel’s movement changes from slow and deeply thoughtful to an almost childlike excitement as she hurries to sit down with Flynn.

The subdued motion, held pose and lack of cartoon style is significant in this scene as it demonstrates that cartoon patterns of movement have not been used. Rather the animators have focussed on creating motion that is authentic and therefore believable. The action is appropriate for this character at this moment as the lanterns have a deep emotional meaning for Rapunzel; they have been her link to the outside world while locked in a tower for 18 years. There is also a familiarity in the performance because we have seen her gaze at the lights as a child.  Had the animator chosen to have Rapunzel jump around with excitement as if she were at a fireworks display, that had no emotional connection to her, it would have resulted in a character action that was not authentic and therefore not believable. According to Bishko’s criteria for authenticity in character animation, an action such as the one just given would not be authentic because there would be incongruence between the character’s intent and its resulting action.

Tangled contains many strong story-telling poses that are often held completely still for several frames. The technique is known as a ‘hold’ and is common practice in 2D animation because a hold allows the audience time to absorb the attitude of a strong pose (16) and as Williams explains, “very often a hold is the strongest statement we can make”. (17) Holds are therefore a technique typical of 2D animation where an animator may slow a character into a pose and hold that pose for several frames. Held poses typically are a problem in the 3D CG medium because as Lasseter explains the combination of the realistic look and smooth motion causes the motion to “die” when the character enters a held pose. (18) The held poses in Tangled therefore conflict with the common practice of 3D CG animation. Yet in Tangled there are moments when characters are completely motionless, in the lantern scene for example, Rapunzel holds a static pose for almost 2 seconds. Other examples can be found throughout Tangled including an early shot that introduces Flynn Rider on top of the palace roof.

This is the first time we see a clear shot of Flynn after he has made his way across the roof tops, the use of a hold gives the audience a chance to absorb the attitude of his pose. In this shot, Flynn holds for approximately 30 frames yet remains plausibly alive despite the absence of motion. In fact there are multiple moments in which Flynn is completely still in this sequence.

The shot below shows Flynn Rider in a close up with two fellow thieves behind him.  Even though we have a close up of Flynn’s face, the animator still holds his pose for as many as 20 frames.  Of note in this situation is that the absence of motion on Flynn allows our attention to be redirected to the background characters. When the animator wants to shift our attention back to Flynn Rider the two characters in the background move only slightly while Flynn moves. The flicking motion of Flynn’s right hand again sends our attention to the background characters as Flynn settles into a held pose for another 20 frames.

Pose 1: Flynn holds this pose for 20 frames while the characters in the background move.

Pose 2: Flynn moves into this pose and holds for another 20 frames while the background characters are moving. The hand movement re-directs our attention back to the two in the background.

In this case, the held pose functions as a way of influencing where our attention is focussed. Tangled therefore successfully uses holds to allow the audience time to absorb a character pose and to influence the audience’s attention, however, it does little to explain why the characters remain plausibly alive despite the absence of motion. There are several concepts that support the use of holds in Tangled . This includes a concept known from 2D animation as a ‘moving hold’ and other concepts adapted from life drawing and figurative sculpture called ‘rhythm, tilt and twist’.

According to Thomas and Johnston, Disney animators realised that when a drawing was held for too long “the flow of action was broken, the illusion of dimension was lost, and the drawing began to look flat”.   (19) To address this problem, animators would use what is known as the “moving hold”. The concept of a moving hold is relatively simple to grasp. Thomas and Johnston, explain a moving hold as simply two drawings that maintain all the elements of the pose but with one more extreme than the other. (20) Williams adds that it is important that not everything comes to stop at once and that it can be helpful to have the character blink as they stop. (21)

Moving holds are not the only hold used throughout Tangled. As already identified there are times at which the hold is literally a held pose absent of any motion.  Recalling a conversation with Frank Thomas, Nancy Beiman calls this kind of hold a “pure hold” and uses the analogy of punctuation to explain the difference between a ‘moving hold’ and a ‘pure hold’. She explains that moving holds work like a comma in a sentence while ‘pure holds’ act as a full stop:

Imagine. If. Every. Sentence. Was. Like. This. It’s far better, really, to vary our punctuation. (22)

In Tangled the ‘punctuation’ is varied as Thomas suggests, at times the animators make use of a moving hold and when appropriate a ‘pure hold’.  When pure holds are used, it is the pose design that maintains the illusion of life.

Tangled shows us that a well posed character can communicate story, attitude, and emotion even without movement. This indicates that pose design is possibly the most important element of character animation. Early Disney animator, Ham Luske, believed that animation was only as good as the poses and that timing, overlapping action and follow through were not enough to create good animation. (23)

According to the animators who worked on the film, animation supervisor Glen Keane placed an importance on the character poses over motion and would continually push the animators to loosen up the pose by incorporate ‘rhythm’, ‘tilt’ and ‘twist’ in the pose design. (24) As elements of pose design, rhythm, tilt and twist work together to create appealing story-telling poses that help support the illusion of life.

The use of tilt and twist are relatively obvious throughout the character pose. The head, shoulders and hips are titled on a single plane to create a pose based on the principles of contrapposto . The contrapposto pose creates asymmetry and the illusion of weight distributed through the body.  Twist is used to create appealing poses that convey a sense depth in the composition of the image and a life-like movement quality in the figure. Twist in these poses is a simplified approach to the concept of figura serpentinata . This is a term used to describe a serpentine twisting of the figure around a central axis. (25)

In Tangled, the characters often appear in a contorted yet graceful pose with the lower limbs facing in an opposite direction to the torso. The promotional image above illustrates an exaggeration of tilt and twist applied to the characters. Rhythm is a more abstract concept than tilt and twist and is more difficult to identify throughout the film.

There are a variety of approaches to explaining the concept of rhythm in pose design. According to Andrew Loomis, rhythm is a “flow of continuous line resulting in a sense of unity and grace”. (26) He goes on to describe the feeling of rhythm as a “follow-through” of various contours of the body. Lines flowing along a contour of the body follow-through the solid form and are “picked up” by another contour. Michael Mattessi has a more functional explanation, he describes rhythm as a seamless interplay of forces in the body that helps it stay balanced, or creates equilibrium. (27) Rhythm is created when the attitude or direction of one line or force applies itself towards the next.

The image below shows the subtle application of rhythm, tilt and twist applied to Rapunzel to create an appealing pose.

Figure 1: An example of Rhythm, Tilt and Twist

In this image the green lines indicate tilt applied to the hips, shoulders and eyes. The head is tilted up and to the side to counter the shoulders. The yellow line indicates the outside of the neck is in alignment to the inside of the weight bearing foot giving a sense of balance.  The red ‘S’ shaped line gives an example of rhythm as the contour from the hip is ‘picked up’ by the torso. The shoulders and hips are also twisted; the shoulders are facing toward the camera and the hips point toward screen right. The lower limbs are offset creating depth and a more natural looking life-like pose.

Note the eyes even have a sense of tilt that helps direct the audience’s attention.

Rhythm, tilt and twist work together throughout Tangled to reduce the often-stiff appearance of CG animation and bring forth a more organic feeling closer to that of life drawing. In addition to sophisticated pose design, there is also a diverse range of motion present throughout the film.

At times – like the lantern scene discussed earlier – the characters move with very subdued action and minimal cartoon style motion. In contrast to this, there are moments of very broad character action that feature a lot of squash, stretch, smears and timing that is typical of a more stylised cartoon approach. For example in the scene where Rapunzel and Flynn visit the Snuggly Duckling the characters tend to ‘pop’ from pose to pose with a lot of stretch applied to the transitional frames between each pose.

The character’s head appears as a rounded shape.

While in motion the head is stretched out of shape.

Another example can be seen in the struggle between Flynn and the horse Maximus.  In this scene, Flynn is trying to escape from Maximus with the crown he has stolen. Maximus tries to retrieve the crown before Flynn and they wrestle their way forward.

The character pose is in full extension and the animator has stretched the entire body to emphasise the forces acting upon the body

As Flynn impacts the ground, notice that the body appears flat, and the rib cage and buttocks is noticeably squashed down

The character is also stretched, which maintains the volume of the character during the squash. In this image Flynn’s shape returns to a normal state.

The use of broad cartoon motion has been used throughout Tangled during moments of comic relief. Emotional moments are handled with a more subdued motion and character action. This indicates the movement style can change throughout an animated film so long as it reflects the context of the scene.

The eyes are another important communication device used throughout Tangled. The eye shape, pupil motion, blinking and the eyebrows work together to communicate character emotion, thought process and subtext.  The saccadic motion (eye darts) in particular sustains the illusion of a living being and illustrates internal thought processes. Flynn Rider’s death is a scene where the animation of Rapunzel’s eyes were integral to portraying the performance.

After Gothel stabs and mortally wounds Flynn Rider, Rapunzel pleads with her to let her heal him. Bound in chains, Rapunzel looks up at Gothel and promises to go with Gothel if she allows her to heal Flynn.  While making the promise, Rapunzel does not blink and there is very little saccadic motion in her eyes. There is some subtle micro flexing of the lower eyelids and tightening of the eyebrows. The absence of the blink and eye movement in this case punctuates the promise that Rapunzel is making. Earlier in the film she states that she never breaks a promise, so what she is saying to Gothel is the truth. Rapunzel’s eyes behave differently when Gothel falls from the window to her death. Rapunzel holds her eyes wide open and in a series of six eye darts, her eyes make their way over to look toward Flynn.  The eye darts vary in speed and distance and her eyes begin to slowly relax as her attention shifts to Flynn.

This is a classic example of showing the change in thought process for Rapunzel. Gothel raised her and the shock of seeing her ‘mother’ falling to her death has an emotional impact on Rapunzel. As an audience we see her pause and then come to terms with what has happened as she then returns her attention to the now dying Flynn Rider. The eye darts and shape of the eyes communicates all of this to the audience in as few as 100 frames before she turns her head toward Flynn. The moment after Flynn dies illustrates the eye movement working together with the eye shape and eyebrows.

Rapunzel pleads with Gothel to let her heal Flynn, promising to go with her if she does.

Realising Gothel has just died, Rapunzel pauses as she come to terms with the loss of who she has thought to be her mother all of her life.

Flynn Rider dies and Rapunzel is grief stricken. Note the complete change in eye shape.

At this moment the eyes are a completely different shape to how they appear throughout most of the film. They are now half closed and taper off toward the edges. There is little to no saccadic eye movement in this moment and for what is there it is hard to pick up through the smaller eye opening as Rapunzel begins to cry. She blinks slowly, taking as many as 5 frames to close her eyes, which remain almost shut, opening only slightly before blinking again. There is a subtle flex of the orbicularis oculi (the muscle surrounding the eye), which does not affect the eyebrow but shows a tightening of the area between the upper eyelid and the eyebrow. This is then extended to the entire eyebrow as the movement radiates out to include the lower eyelid and upper cheek. The micro gestures in moments like this are so effective in Tangled that the audience is able to forget that Rapunzel is a digital puppet and truly believe she cares for Flynn.

Glen Keane’s knowledge of traditional animation and his willingness to work in the 3D CG medium with technicians and CG trained animators such as John Kahrs and Clay Kaytis – amongst many others – has further developed the application of traditional principles to the 3D CG medium.  By focusing on non-formulaic performance centred animation, Tangled demonstrates a sophisticated use of the traditional animation principles to successfully convey the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters. Keane’s traditional animation sensibilities have resulted in the use of strong storytelling poses that use rhythm, tilt and twist to maintain the illusion of life.

The focus on strong story telling poses and a reduction of gestures results in subdued motion that prevents characters in Tangled from being “over animated”. The concept of rhythm within the pose results in all body parts working together to express the essence of motion and support the use of longer holds without causing a breakdown in the illusion of life. When the film calls for action or comedy there is notably different movement qualities in the character action.   Tangled blends subdued character action and realistic motion with moments of broad cartoon motion. In particular there is a strong presence of squash and stretch and cartoon patterns of motion and timing. The motion in Tangled therefore reflects the emotional context of the scene helping to progress the story in an engaging manner.

The weight and physicality of the characters is portrayed through a sophisticated use of timing and spacing with the moments of physical interaction between characters and objects appearing to plausibly influence each other through various forces acting on the body.  Moments of subdued character action allow for nuances in the character motion, in particular the character eyes are critical to conveying their inner thoughts and emotion to the audience. The subtlety in the movement conveys a performance possibly unachievable in the 2D medium. Tangled has applied the traditional principles of animation to the 3D CG medium with a degree of sophistication that often makes them difficult to identify. However, as I have shown in this analysis, the traditional principles of animation have been applied and the result is fluent and organic CG animation that successfully extends the traditional Disney aesthetic into the 3D CG medium.

This article has been peer reviewed.

The Five Keys to Telling a Great Story According to Tangled

Over on Fairy Tale Central , my other blog I co-author with Arielle and Faith , we’ve been featuring the story of Rapunzel for all the month of May. And, naturally, when one thinks Rapunzel, they’re minds probably jump straight to TANGLED.

I adore the original fairy tale of the girl with impossibly long hair stuck in a tower. The concept is rather fascinating, with such great story fodder. But my absolute favorite adaptation is most definitely Tangled. Actually, my favorite animated movie of all time is Tangled. Which is saying something, ‘cause I like a lot of animated movies. BUT GUYS. TANGLED.

With that said. In honor of featuring Rapunzel over on FTC, I thought it would be super fun to examine Tangled over here and look at why it’s one of the most beloved animated movies out there. There’s so much to learn from it! Disney is seriously a master at story making. A lot can be learned from watching their movies. (Yes, I totally watch movies and call it work. Sometimes being a writer is awesome. Bwahahaha.)

ANYWAYS. Let’s pick this story apart (my favorite activity #nerd ) and examine some of the elements that turned it into an instant classic.

This is, obviously, the #1 most important thing for any story. As much as I love big, epic plots, if the characters bore me, I won’t care about all the things going on around them. It goes the other way too. I’m not a huge contemporary or historical fiction reader, but if one has particularly loveable characters? Sign me up! I think most people feel the same. Storytelling is all about the characters. And I think that’s where Disney finds their success.

Who doesn’t love Buzz and Woody’s epic friendship? Or poor Hiro and loveable Baymax? Or Anna and Kristoff, the most adorkable cinnamon rolls? These are people we can root for, characters who take our hearts and won’t give them back. #Rude

And, probably my most favorite Disney duo to exist, is Rapunzel and Flynn (or Eugene, whatever you want to call him). But WHY?

The biggest key to creating great characters is making them relatable. Even if we’ve never been locked in a tower all our lives (hopefully not!) or are renowned thieves (again, hopefully not) , Rapunzel’s and Flynn’s struggles are tangible. We can understand their choices in life. They make SENSE.

Rapunzel has known nothing but the tower walls for her entire 18 years of life. Her “mother” has instilled fear within her, but she can’t help but think there has to be something more out there. I think we can all, at some point in our lives, relate to wanting more but letting fear hold us back. Rapunzel taking matters into her own hands, overcoming her fears, and stepping out into the wide world is inspiring. We are rooting for her because she’s showing us we, too, can overcome our fears and do the grand things we’ve always dreamed of. And that right there is how you write characters. You give them emotional struggles your audience can relate to, let them fail every now and again, but, in the end, show that they can succeed. Stirring your audience’s soul is the true joy of a story-maker.

Aside from Rapunzel’s circumstances and reliability, she’s also just an utterly lovable ball of cinnamon roll goodness. She’s got such a bright and vivid personality. But her personality also makes sense.

That’s another thing with characters. There has to be a logical reason for who they are. Our circumstances and the people around us shape us, after all. It’s really annoying when a fictional character doesn’t have any basis for who they are.

Rapunzel is innocent, creative, and a dreamer. Which is perfectly logical for her lifestyle. She’s never been out in the world. She’s never been exposed to anything beyond her cozy little life in the tower. With nothing to do but read and paint, naturally she’s creative. But, as an almost-18-year-old, of course she’s a dreamer, of course she hopes for more in life. These things make sense. She’s also bubbly, kind, and a little awkward—the pudding on top that would make anyone in the world die for that sweet summer child.

Speaking of people who would die for Rapunzel…

FLYNN. My most favorite of the Disney males!

Flynn’s life is drastically different from Rapunzel’s, but he still has a relatable and logical personality. Flynn was Eugene Fitzherbert, the poor boy in the orphanage who was always made fun of. When he grew up, he aspired to be something grand, and became Flynn Rider, the renowned, charismatic, charming thief. His background led him to not-so-great choices. But, deep down, he’s still that little boy in the orphanage who wanted something more, just like Rapunzel.

We like Flynn because, yes, he’s charismatic and charming, but also because he sympathize with him. We understand making bad choices in order to try to get something better out of life, and the struggles it is to become who we should be.

Both Rapunzel and Flynn have FANTASTIC PERSONALITIES that pop off the screen (no cardboard cutouts here), their dreams and desires form from RELATABLE problems, and their actions in life are LOGICAL due to their current circumstances.

Vivid personalities, relatable problems, and logical actions—that’s how great characters and, in turn, stories are made!

As much as I adore fairy tales, the instalove sometimes makes me want to poke my eyes out with a fork. Ahem. It’s bad. And it’s not just in the original tales either. It happens far too often in retellings as well. I think people rationalize it by thinking, “Hey, it happened in the original tale, so why not my story?” NO. Please stahp. People don’t fall in love instantly. That’s called attraction, not love. How can you be in love with a person if you don’t even know what their personality is??? That makes no logical sense.

Thankfully, Disney has learned from their past mistakes (gotta love how they made fun of instalove in Frozen).

And…just…brb while I flail for a while because AAAAHHHHHH!!!! Rapunzel and Flynn are like my OTP!!!

There is no instalove in Tangled. In fact, Rapunzel and Flynn really aren’t even all that attracted to one another at first. I mean, Rapunzel didn’t even fall for The Smolder, she’s a tougher girl than all the rest of us eheheh.

Rapunzel uses her actual brain and ties up this strange man who lands into her tower, and Flynn is a little freaked out to wake up tied in yards of hair. It’s great! And it makes sense.

The romance doesn’t even begin to develop until we’re a good halfway through the movie. After the two have gotten to know one another, and have helped each other out of multiple scrapes, then they start to think maybe they are attracted to the other. Once they actually, ya know, know who the other person is. In Flynn’s lifestyle, he’s never really been exposed to such a kind, innocent woman and it’s refreshing to him. While Rapunzel, who always sees the good in people (she brought out the soft side of every single one of those thugs in The Snuggly Duckling after all), knows there’s more to Flynn than a thief.

After nearly dying in the flooded mines and working together to escape, they have a quiet moment and, at last, reveal who they really are. It is then that they start to fall for one another. Not through attraction, but because they genuinely are starting to care for the other person.

The next day, they make it to castle town and spend an entire day together, sharing interests and fun and more and more getting to know one another.

They have time together. They talk and laugh and save one another’s lives and open up to the other person. And thus, by the time we make it to the floating lantern scene, we can 100% believe that they have, genuinely, fallen in love. Whereas if they had been wanting to kiss since the second Flynn stumbled into the tower, we’d all be groaning at the heavy, unrealistic romance we’ve been exposed to. Or…I would anyway. Eheh.

Then, to wrap it all up, after Mother Gothel stabs Flynn, he cuts Rapunzel’s hair before she can heal him so she won’t have to be imprisoned by Gothel anymore. The man who had only ever lived for himself for so long, sacrificed everything so Rapunzel could be free.

Again, if there had been instalove, his sacrifice would have seemed unrealistic. It wouldn’t have had as much impact. But, as it was, it was a beautiful, tear-jerking moment.

The slow, steady, sweet pace of their romance made it 10000% more satisfying once they finally got together in the end. AND their personalities work together. They’re both a little adventurous, both a little stubborn, and had both been dealt one in life. Rapunzel’s kind, gentle heart makes Flynn a better man, and Flynn’s sacrificial spirit is everything Rapunzel has ever needed in her loveless life.

THEY’RE JUST A GREAT COUPLE OKAY. I LOVE THEM!!! Serious romance subplot goals right there.

The romance wasn’t the only point that had great pacing. The entire plot was so perfectly balanced.

I actually did a post last year on pacing and used Tangled as an example, so I’ll try to be brief (I know, I know. Christine being brief? Is that possible? I’m trying my best, guys!).

Tangled uses the proper method of sandwiching quiet moments between exciting ones. After the introduction scene, we have the real opening scene with Rapunzel in her tower, giving us a good look at her ordinary life so we can then root for her to escape her circumstances. We then jump to an exciting scene of Flynn stealing the crown. This scene does two things, it brings in some excitement while also showing Flynn’s ordinary life. (Every scene has to have a purpose, and any time you can make one scene hold multiple purposes, that’s even better!) We then go back to Rapunzel’s quiet life, and then Flynn entering the tower.

The movie continues this back and forth pacing, assuring there are plenty of action scenes to keep us interested, but also quiet moments so we can catch our breaths, as well as get to know the characters.

Midway, we have the big scene where Rapunzel and Flynn escape from the guards through the secrete passageway in The Snuggly Duckling (yes, I totally snort every time I type that, it’s the best XD) , there’s a fight scene, and then they nearly drown in the flooding mines.

This is quite a long action scene so, to balance it out and give everyone a bit of a breather, we then have the sweet fireside chat moment where Rapunzel heals Flynn’s hand with her magic hair, and Flynn reveals who he really is. After this, we’re then back to some action when Gothel shows up and tries to convince Rapunzel Flynn doesn’t really care for her.

It’s all in the balance! Too much action can make your audience tired, as well as not give us a chance to really get to know the characters. But too many slow scenes will, well, put people to sleep.

Every scene in Tangled had purpose. It moved the plot forward, gave us insights into the characters so we can learn to love them, and kept our interest all the way through.

Okay, okay, I’m done. I really did try to keep it brief…

What would Tangled be without Gothel? Well, a plotless movie, but that’s beside the point. (Or maybe that is the point? Ahem, anyway.)

Gothel is truly one of the most chilling villains Disney has ever created. And I think a big reason is because, at first, she seems kind of harmless.

In the movie, we have three forces going against Rapunzel and Flynn—the palace guards, the Stabbington Brothers, and Gothel. And yet, amidst trained swordsman and barbaric thugs, Gothel is the scariest antagonist.

The Stabbington Brothers aren’t all that compelling because, well, they’re just a couple of brutes. Being big, strong, and scary does not always make a good villain. Sometimes it’s the psychology, not the physical strength.

Even though we know right from the start that Gothel stole Rapunzel away and is the villain, we kind of begin to wonder if maybe she’s not all bad. She seems to genuinely care for Rapunzel, is often gentle with her, and even tells her she loves her. Besides, how can you raise that sweet summer child for 18 years and not utterly love her, come on?

But then things get a little chilling. Gothel hunts Rapunzel down, plays mind tricks on her, and makes a deal with the Stabbington brothers. These are not the actions of a worried, loving mother.

When Rapunzel realizes she’s the lost princess and, finally, stands up to her “mother”, Gothel’s full nature is finally revealed. Next thing we know, Rapunzel is chained up and Gothel stabs Flynn in his attempted rescue. Her obsession with staying forever youthful completely corrupted her mind. She couldn’t see past anything but holding onto the magic in Rapunzel’s hair. No matter what. Even though she wasn’t a swordsman like the palace guards or giant and deadly like the Stabbington Brothers, her willingness to do anything to get what she wants made her a far more superior foe than any others.

And, to top it off, she’s got personality too. She’s witty, charismatic, and clever. Very clever. Gothel brilliantly played mind games with Rapunzel to make Rapunzel respect her enough to obey whatever she said. If she had been an outright cruel villain, Rapunzel most likely would have rebelled. But she was just loving enough to gain Rapunzel’s affection, and just controlling and passive-aggressive enough to keep Rapunzel under her thumb without much trouble. The complexity of her role brought such depth to the movie.

Way too often villains are portrayed as these brutish, ultra powerful, personality-less forces that merely takes a few punches to defeat. And, well, that’s boring.

Despite being one of the least powerful villains, Gothel was one of the most formidable foes in all the Disney films due to her complexity, charismatic personality, and cleverness.

Lastly, what truly makes Tangled stand out is the unique element interwoven into the story—Rapunzel’s hair.

Of course, the story of Rapunzel isn’t a new one. Lololol it’s been around for a while. XD BUT Disney’s reasoning for her having such long hair was something new.

There’s a lot of retellings out there, but most of the ones I’ve read had no explanation as to why Rapunzel’s hair is long. Which is kind of annoying. People don’t just have yards of hair for no reason. But Tangled, at last, made sense of her never cutting her hair. And it was such a unique reason!

Last year at Realm Makers, Nadine Brandes did a class on how to pitch your book. Aside from a great setting, characters, and problem, she said your book should also have a “golden nugget”, that “oooh factor”.  Every book should have that one special thing that makes it stand out from all the other stories out there.

Rapunzel’s magical hair was Tangled’s “golden nugget”. Not only was it fascinating to follow a protagonist with ridiculously long hair, it also brought everything together in a fun, original way. It gave the story of Rapunzel , one we have heard a thousand times over, a new, fresh twist. Something that’s not easy to do when it comes to fairy tale retellings!

Adding in a unique element to your story is the key to making it stand out in a world of “no originality”.

So there we are! Five reasons why Tangled is one of the best animated movies out there. It took all the essential story ingredients and wrote them brilliantly.

Great characters, a believable romance, balanced pacing, a compelling antagonist, and a golden nugget—the five ingredients to making any story great. (Actually, romance is entirely optional. Despite what Hollywood leads us to believe, you can have a great story without romance. >.> But if you are going to have romance in your story, please make it believable and not just there for the sake of romance. Please I beg of you. )

If you can’t tell, I reeeally love Tangled.

Do you agree with my Tangled assessment? Do you have anything more to add? What are some movies you think are great for gleaning writing wisdom from? (No, I’m totally not asking so I’ll have an excuse to watch movies instead of be productive. Pssshhh.) Also feel free to flail with me about this movie because TANGLED. <333

• Post published: May 20, 2019
• Post category: Writing
• Post comments: 35 Comments

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Agh I loved this post so much!!!!!

Tangled is SUCH a good movie. I mean, I will always love Frozen, and I think I like it better just because I’ve seen it more times? Lol. BUT TANGLED.

I especially love your points about the characters to root for! I mean, that’s kind of the reason I love the new live-action Cinderella more than the old animated one. I never cared for any of the characters in the old one, but Cate Blanchett’s evil stepmother is SO evil and Ella and Kit and the king are all such wonderful sweethearts and asdfgdkafjdj that movie. <3 <3 <3 I love it so much and I think that's probably why! Characters, man! Good characters make such a difference!!!

I've always drawn inspiration from any good fantasy movie (especially LOTR, haha), because I looooove big epic stuff and that movie is the epitome of big epic stuff. Character arcs! Battle scenes! Sacrifices! Stabbing people in the feels! Collect them all! XD

Ah, yes, believable and slow-burn romance, the bane of my existence. It doesn't help when everything including the voices in your head are screaming at you to just make the romance happen NOW and you're like "BUT SLOW BURN". I don't think I'll ever write a romance that ISN'T slowburn (alright, I lied, in the current version of Watched, it's definitely crush at first sight. That needs work. Lol.) But also FLYNN AND RAPUNZEL ARE MY OTP. The precious babies. SO MUCH LOVE. *squeezes them*

I have nothing to say about my own pacing. It's horrendous. Lol.

Mother Gothel is the CREEPIEST villain of all time. I love that, though! The abuse is done so realistically and it's absolutely chilling. I'm actually using her as a model for one of my own villains who's an abusive piece of crap and needs to just die (lol), because I think Disney did a really great job with her and her relationship with Rapunzel. So evil but so so so so well done.

And the golden nugget is so haaaard xD I always try to have unique stuff but then I'm like…yeah probably not. I feel like I probably fail at that far more often than I succeed. But I do try! It's just HARD.

This post was amazing and brilliant (but then, so is Tangled, so I'm not surprised in the least xD) Loved it, Christine!!!! <3

EEP. THANK YOU!!! 😀 I had fun putting it together. Mainly because it gave me an excuse to flail about Tangled. *grins*

I ADORE Frozen! It’s suuuuch a good movie. But for some reason I love Tangled even more. I think I just like the characters and setting more? I don’t know! BUT THEY’RE BOTH AMAZING.

I 100000% agree with the Cinderella thing! I mean, I LOVE the old animated Cinderella because it was basically my childhood and I thought Cinderella was so sweet. BUT. It’s true none of the characters were really developed. They focused more on developing the pets than the PEOPLE. Lol. BUT THE NEW CINDERELLA IS EVERYTHING AND ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE MOVIES ON THIS EARTH AND SLKJDLSJFLJ YES. Disney has at last mastered making lovable characters!

“Collect them all!” LOLOLOL. It’s true though! LotR and Maleficent and Tangled and just all these epic movies inspire me soooo much!

Slow burn romances are the way to goooo! 😀 Hehe. But YES. They can be SO hard, which is why I think too many stories feature instalove. Finding that perfect pacing for romance is such a difficult thing. UGH. BUT RAPUNZEL AND FLYNN WERE PERFECT AND MY OTP TOO AND JUST YASSS. <3

Oh man, Gothel was so messed up. o.O Disney did almost TOO good a job because DUDE. She was so vile! But...I loved that. Such a brilliant villain! That's so fun you're using her as a model for one of your own villains. She's a GREAT one to model after! Though I feel sorry for your characters. o.o

UGH. I feel you on the golden nugget thing! I can talk to the talk but that does noooot mean I can walk the walk. XD I'm not sure I can pinpoint if my stories have one either. Definitely something I need to work on. Why must writing be so HARD??? (And yet we love it. We're so weird. XD)

THANK YOU, FAITH!!!

Awesome post, Christine! *braces for wave of people to barrage me* I . . . don’t really like Tangled. *winces* But WAIT! Before I get attacked by the hordes, let me attempt to defend myself. I’m not saying it’s a poorly-made movie. I agree with ALL your points! And I like all but the last half-hour of the movie. But – I do think I watched it when I was too young, and I was FREAKED OUT by the ending. I’ve never really gotten over that feeling, honestly. Maybe I’ll watch it again someday, I don’t know. But anyways – great post! Flynn is the BEST, and HECK YES to creepy villains like Mother Gothel! (Although she’s probably 99% of the reason I didn’t like the movie, so *shrugs*)

Thank you! ^_^

*LE GAAAASP* WHAAAAT???? Lolll. Juuust kidding! You are FINE, Nicole! We still totally love you! <3 That actually makes a LOT of sense. Since I'm literally an old woman and was 18 when it came out, it's never even occurred to me that the ending can be really disturbing to younger people. o.o Like...you have opened my eyes! But yeah. Like I said, Gothel is basically THE most chilling villain of ever, so YES. I can imagine that could freak someone out! That makes total sense it's not your favorite because of that! No shame there!

Fabulous post! You’re totally right about Disney storytelling being amazing–especially Tangled!! I recently read Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull (president of Pixar and Disney animation) and it was really fascinating to see how a story evolves throughout the creative process/how the production team puts their own spin on time-old story aspects to create an appealing film.

Thank you! And YES. Disney/Pixar has absolutely mastered the art of storytelling!

Ooooh, that sounds like SUCH an interesting read! I will have to remember that one. It is truly a fascinating thing. I just love the art of story making! ^_^

YES OH MY GOSH I LOVE TANGLED *clears throat*

And I do love the romance! Rapunzel and Eugene balance each other out so well. Sometimes when one character is SO sweet and the other character is SO cynical, it can kind of fall into one of two problems, either where I’m going, ‘Okay, this character is so sappy? Why are you hanging out with them when you clearly have a way more serious outlook on things? You actually seem to be just fine and don’t need some manic pixie dream girl/boy to ‘open you up’?’ Or else it’s the other way around and I just…Why is the character hanging around some incredibly cynical person who clearly has no respect for them or their worldview? Actually, the respect is probably what makes this relationship work. Both Eugene and Rapunzel have a lot of respect for each other, even though they don’t always agree, and Eugene never thinks of Rapunzel as stupid just because she’s more naive than he is.

In all fairness to early Disney, time works differently in musicals, so the instalove never bothered me THAT much? It’s all very stylized. What bugged me was in films like Cinderella where the hero got exactly two seconds of screen time. The MICE got more screen time than the poor prince did. Was he even named?

I think Gothel is so scary because she feels like someone you could actually meet? People like the villain in Cinderella (can’t be bothered to look up her name, sorry) and Gaston feel a little more removed for some reason, even though people like that definitely exist. But a narcissistic mother who claims to love their child but is really just using them to prop up their own ego? brr. We’ve probably all run into at least a more toned down version of that once in our lives. (We’ve probably all run into a more toned down Gaston, too, but I think Gaston is so exaggerated he’s a little less believable.)

Anyway, this was such a good post! Which character do you like more, Rapunzel or Eugene? (I know, I’m asking the hard questions.)

YAAAAY!!! IT IS SERIOUSLY THE BEST!!!

Okay I love ALL your thoughts here! Such a great discussion! I do know what you mean about the cynical people getting together with the ultra perky people. Sometimes it seems a liiiittle far fetched. BUT I’ve actually discovered more serious people often are drawn to super bubbly people, and vice versa. I’ve seen it many, many times in real life amongst friends and such. It’s kinda cute really! I guess they balance each other out? I don’t know. Buuut, on the flip side of that, you are 100% right about the respect thing! THAT is where it’s a very poisonous relationship, and it happens WAY too often in fiction. If the characters don’t respect each other, they do NOT need to get together. Respect is everything in a relationship. Yes, bantering is a lot of fun in fiction, which is why I think we get a lot of couples who don’t necessarily respect one another. But…eh. That definitely sends off a bad message. So I totally agree there! And you make SUCH a good point that Rapunzel and Flynn work because they DO respect one another. They have such wildly different lives, and yet neither judges the other on their life choices. It’s a beautiful thing!

You make another good point on the musical thing! I’ve never really thought about how time works different with them. o.O Huh. But yes, that makes sense! Look at you, opening my eyes! But I do agree the original animated Disney Cinderella should have focused SOME on the prince and not so much on the pets. I adore that movie, buuut it had problems for sure. XD

OOOOH. That is So true about Gothel! She’s very much someone you might meet! And THAT is another way to make a villain utterly terrifying. All these caricatures aren’t very scary because, like you said, they’re not really people we’ll ever deal with. But Gothel is different! In fact, I had read that the Tangled team got together a group of their female employees and asked them to list negative traits about their mothers, and they based Gothel off all those traits. So she very much is a realistic type of character!

Whew, this is getting long, but I loooooove all the things you brought up! You made so many good points! 😀

BUT NUUUU. Don’t ask me who I like better! THAT’S AN IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION. *flails* I honestly think I love them both equally. I can’t choose between them! HOW COULD YOU ASKS SUCH AN EVIL THING???

Aww, you’re so nice, I am…not usually very insightful. At all. XD

And yes, I think the witty banter is a major reason why people like to write and read that, but DANG does it grate on my nerves when done badly. Same with the enemies to lovers trope. It’s my absolute favorite when done well, and my absolute most-hated when done badly.

And that is a very good point you make about real life relationships! Sometimes I forget that fiction =/= real life XD

I did not know that about the Tangled team basing Mother Gothel on the traits the employees hated in their moms! That is so interesting!

EEP it’s beautiful. Tangled is simply the best. I really like the “golden nugget” thing. And ooh yes the PACING. That was genius, you’re right.

YESSSS! Tangled is my one true love! There’s so much storytelling goodness to be learned from it! ^_^

AHHHH TANGLED IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN EXISTENCEEE.

The first time I watched it, I was just… kind of blown away by it? I didn’t really know why, it was just SO GOOD. And as I’ve watched it again (and again… and again…) I’ve come to appreciate the romance, the story, just everything that makes it so good.

For real though, can we talk about the romance for a minute?? It’s funny because they do literally fall in love in like twenty-four hours, but it just WORKS! It doesn’t leave you going “mmhmm, yeah, of course they fall in love in a day”. It’s just so well done. And thinking about how Flynn sacrificed himself for her… UGH MY HEART.

I strongly believe this movie deserves 1000000x more attention than Frozen. xD

theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com

THIS IS LITERALLY ME EXACTLY!!! After seeing in theaters for the first time, I felt like my life had changed. Okay, that may be dramatic… But but but it was EVERYTHING. And uggghhhh. Every bit of it is so perfect!

It is totally true that they fall in love within 24 hours! But somehow it WORKS. YES. It never felt rushed or unrealistic. IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL. *sobs happy tears*

YESSS. FINALLY. Someone who loves Tangled more! I thought I was alone in the world. I mean, I love Frozen. LOVE. It totally deserves the hype. BUT. It seems like once it came out, people forgot the pure gold Tangled is? Like noooo. Don’t abandoned my beloved movie! I’m soooo happy to find someone who loves it as much as me! 😀

That’s not even that dramatic, I know exactly what you mean! The first time I watched it, it was on my mind the whole next day. It’s just such a special movie. <3

Yesss! When Frozen first came out I was like, this is gonna have to be pretty darn amazing to beat Tangled like everyone's acting like it has. Then I watched it and it was great, but just… noooot Tangled. I don't think anything will ever beat Tangled. ;D

Once again you have voiced (er…typed?) my thoughts! It stuck with me, too, after the first time I saw it! And YEP. I adored Frozen but it wasn’t the saaame. Disney will have to work some SERIOUS magic to make an animated film that tops Tangled for me. XD

I seriously think we’re twins. xD

It’s totally looking that way! *GRINS*

*100% agrees with everything Christine said in this post*

Like, YES!! You picked the movie apart in such a brilliant way!! I think the reason Tangled is so popular is because they did such an AMAZING job on it!! In my opinion, I think Tangled is better than Frozen, too. I really like my babies (AKA Maximus, Rapunzel, and Flynn! *wink wink* Bet you would’ve never guessed I would include ol’ Max. #thishorselovingheartcouldnotresist*)

The humor, the plot, the characters…the EVERYTHING is good in this movie!!!

Also, I’m not a huge romance person but OH MY GOSH YES!!! They did way better than those movies where the characters are making googly eyes at each other from the start. Ugh *rips eyes out* (Sorry for the crudity). I totally do not believe in the love at first sight thing. I mean, good grief, you don’t even KNOW THE PERSON!!! *Bangs head on table* But regardless of my unromantic ideas about romance…Tangled did a lovely job on it!!!

I can’t really think of any movies off the top of my head. I don’t really watch movies. *Hides under table* Yeah, yeah, I know it’s good for writers to do so, but…*grins sheepishly* I just don’t. Not that I don’t enjoy movies – they’re FUN!! But…yeah, let’s not get in too far because I don’t really have a coherent explanation. *blink*

~ Lily Cat (Boots) | lilycatscountrygirlconfessions.blogspot.com

Awwww, thank you! 😀

YESSSS. You can tell the writers really put effort into this one, and it made it shine! And you like it better than Frozen as well??? YAY!!! I felt so alone. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the goodness of Tangled once Frozen came out and it made me sad! (I mean, Frozen is AMAZING. But but but TANGLED, PEOPLE.) (And naturally Max is one of your faves. ;D)

I am EXTREMELY picky with romance myself. It makes me feel better that I’m not the only one who detests instalove! Because, seriously now, how can you love a person you don’t know??? Honestly, I’m not a fan of outright romance stories, but romance subplots are fine. It’s just when the WHOLE plot is centered around romance? PLEASE NO. Not my thing. But if the romance is done WELL, then I will ship it to my dying day! AND RAPUNZEL AND FLYNN WERE DONE SO SO SO WELL AND I LOVE THEM SO VERY MUCH!!!

There is NO shame in not watching movies much! That’s probably a GOOD thing! Besides, reading is way more beneficial for writing than staring at a screen. I should probably watch less TV myself…

*squeals* TANGLED!

These are all fantastic points. “Rapunzel” was one of my favorite fairy tales growing up, and I think it can be a difficult one to retell or reimagine while keeping the iconic elements, but Tangled does this so well. I love the idea of her hair being magical, and how the story builds on that as giving Rapunzel an otherworldly power, but also giving a reason for Gothel to seek her out and be so “protective” of her. It all plays into how she’s able to manipulate Rapunzel’s fear and her concern for other people, and makes her a terrifying villain without feeling shallow.

And I love, love, love the way the relationship between Rapunzel and Flynn develops. Even though they’re falling for each other by the end of a couple days, it’s still a while after this that they get married, and I love how it’s another way around the instalove trope. PLUS THEY ARE ADORABLE.

Totally agree about the pacing! Everything falls into place so well, but without feeling like it’s following a strict pattern. There’s familiarity, but something new as well, in the way the fairy tale is retold. IT’S JUST A REALLY GOOD MOVIE AND I LOVE IT.

YESSSS!!!! I totally agree with all of this! It IS a hard story to tell since, well, the protagonist is locked in a tower for the majority of the tale. But Disney worked their magic and made it such an entertaining film. I love how you said it. Making Rapunzel’s hair magical was such a brilliant way to bring logic to the story. Absolutely!

AND RAPUNZEL AND FLYNN MY OTP. <3333 It's totally true that they fell in love after just a day together, but somehow it still felt so believable. Serious romance writing goals right there! XD AND THEY ARE JUST ADORABLE. YES YES YES!

It's the best finding others who love it just as much as me! GAH. The whole movie makes me so happy! <3

YES THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIES. <333

YAAAAAAY!!!!!! ANOTHER TANGLED OBSESSED PERSON! IT’S JUST SO GOOD!

High five because Tangled is also my favorite animated movie of all time! I just adore it. <333 Loved this whole post, too, btw. 😀

*HIGH-FIVES BACK* THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!!! It’s just the best! GAH. I love it so very much. <333

D'awwww, thank you! I'm so glad! ^_^

One of my favorite movies! Such a good post.

IT’S JUST SUCH A GREAT ONE!!! And awww, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

ASDFGHJKL YOU WROTE ANOTHER TANGLED POST!!! I still remember your post about the campfire scene, and (as Tangled is one of my absolute favorite movies, and your how-to posts are some of my absolute favorite blog posts to read [somehow you manage to squeeze so much information into them?? HOW DO YOU DO THIS]) I still think about it to this day. AND THIS POST IS JUST AS AMAZING AS THE CAMPFIRE ONE. I 100% agree with you on so many things you wrote here, including that SO MUCH can be learned from Disney. They are true storytellers, and I strive to move people even HALF as much as Disney’s stories have moved me over the years.

As far as characters go, this was something that I was literally thinking about just the other day! Plot–while good and necessary in its own right–can only take you so far. You need characters to root for and fall in love with and squeal over you to carry you through the book, and (personally) a relatively low-plot story with characters who I adore is SO much more fun for me to read than a high-level plot with cookie cutouts for characters… It’s just not as interesting to me as a reader, and it’s not as fun to write as a writer. XD

“Speaking of people who would die for Rapunzel… FLYNN!” << OH MY WORD CHRISTINE THIS IS TOO SOON. 😂😂😂 But I mean that GIF of the smolder, though. 😂😂😂 I love Flynn so much. And I ADORE his and Rapunzel's romance! It's just so sweet and slow-burning and I SHALL FLAIL FOR ALL ETERNITY. (Also YES YES YES to all the insta-love annoyance!!! I despise insta-love with a fiery passion.) BUT ALSO THESE GIFS OF RAPUNZEL AND FLYNN ARE KILLING ME, HELP.

Pacing is something that I think I still struggle with, but I have been trying to improve it! (and I have your post on pacing to thank for that!!) And as far as Mother Gothel goes…oh goodness she's chilling. I love a good villain (in fact, villains are some of my favorite characters to read/write, especially when they're quirky and fun [like Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock XD]), but Mother Gothel is a whole other breed of villain, entirely. You pinned down her personality PERFECTLY, and while I typically write my villains quirky, this is making me want to try my hand at a psychologically chilling villain… (I don't think it's possible for me to come out of your blog posts uninspired. What is this magic??? XD)

And I know this comment is already super duper long but!!! The golden nugget! I NEVER thought about this!!! Oh my goodness! I love this idea, and I am totally going to start thinking about what my books' golden nuggets are!! Oh my word, Christine, your posts never cease to amaze me. This was perfection and so so insightful and I am in awe of your knowledge of the writing craft and your way to teach it. Thank you SO much for this post!!!

KENZIE. SO MUCH NICENESS. GAH. What am I to do with you????? I’m sooooo happy you enjoyed this post so much! And even remember my previous Tangled post. I AM HONORED! But I guess the way I squeeze a lot of information in each post is that my posts are RIDICULOUSLY long. Lololol. Brevity is not my strong suit. *cough, cough* BUT SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR KIND WORDS!!!

Disney is the MASTER at storytelling, it really is. I learn so much from them!

Yes yes yes to the character thing! I mean, I prefer complex, epic plots, but nooooot at the expense of cookie cutter characters. Just NO. Can’t we have both???

RAPUNZEL AND FLYNN ARE JUST THE BESSST!!!!! It was SO nice not having another instalove story. (I’m glad I’m not the only one who wants to throw that trope into the sun to burn into ash. XDD) And I’M SORRY about the Flynn dying joke. I mean…it’s been 9 years buuuut it’s still totally too soon!

Pacing has been one of the BIGGEST struggles with writing for me foreverrrr. Which is why I pay extra attention to it while reading or watching movies. I am determined to learn the secret of a perfectly paced story!

Oooh yes, Gothel is something for sure! But I LOOOOVE the quirky villains too! OH MY GOODNESS. My top two favorite characters of mine are quirky villains. (Yes, my favorite characters are villains…not sure what that says about me.) They’re just so much fun! And hey, no reason we can’t have a psychologically chilling + quirky villain. ;D I’d say Moriarty was both!

I give all credit to Nadine Brandes for bringing my awareness to the golden nugget! I knew your stories should have a unique element, but she really pinned it down for me.

BUT KENZIE!!! I am SO happy to hear this post was helpful! I never know if I’m just telling you guys obvious things or actually being useful, so your comment has absolutely blessed me! Thank YOU for all your sweet words! And fangirling about Tangled with me! 😀 YOU’RE THE BEST!

Loved this! Tangled is SUCH a great movie, and yes, for all the reasons you listed! *flail* Now I want to go watch it again for the umpteenth time.

The romance is definitely the best one I think Disney has ever done. Ever. (With the exception of Enchanted, maybe, which was also good, but not a cartoon… so not sure if I can count it in the same category… LOL)

Funny story, the first time I saw this, I took my daughter with me to see it and we missed the first 10 minutes (so ALL of the back story). Which meant that I spent some of the movie thinking that Gothel was actually Rapunzel’s real mother, and only started to put the pieces together during the scene where she sees the mosaic of the royal family in the city. It is a very different ride watching that movie and getting the “AHA” moment at the same time that Rapunzel does!!!

Movies that have taught me about writing… the most recent one that comes to mind is Batman V Superman. A lot of people didn’t like it, but I thought it did such a phenomenal job of telling the story from the perspective of the “unreliable narrator,” which is not an element often used in film, so that was a bonus, as well. Anyway, I love that movie. It’s very different from the MCU movies, but I just… I dunno. I love it. The writing of it takes multiple viewings to catch everything, and it’s not as light and fluffy as the MCU movies, but I loved the depth of it.

Awww, I’m so glad! And YESSS. Tangled is the best! I’m ecstatic I’m not the only one who thinks it’s Disney’s best romance! But oh my goodness, ENCHANTED. It was amazing too! YES. I loved how Disney made fun of some of their old tropes in that one. Such a great movie!

Oh my goodness, that would DEFINITELY make the first viewing of Tangled a different ride! XD Wow! Honestly though, I wonder if the movie would have been even more intriguing if they HADN’T have given us the backstory at the start. I guess since it is a kids movie, they may have needed to have done that. But I can see how having that “AHA” moment would be really exciting!

I’ve been wanting to see Batman vs. Superman! I’m always super behind on the DC films because they don’t interest me like the MCU ones do. Heh. But I have enjoyed some! I have seen a LOT of hate on this one though, so it’s nice to see someone who thought it was a good movie. Yes, I will definitely have to give it a watch sometime!

AGGGHHH TANGLED IS THE ABSOLUTE BESSSSSST. :DDD

I LOVED all of your points!! The romance of this story is probably my favorite part. It’s so pure and beautiful and AGH they’re just such a cute couple!! <33

IT ISSSSS!!!!! *happy flails* I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! And YES TO THE ROMANCE. My favorite Disney romance of ever. THEY’RE JUST TOO PRECIOUS. <3333333

Tangled is definitely one of the best written Disney films for all of these reasons. I love that they gave reason for her long hair too!

It’s just such a masterpiece! And YES! It was GREAT getting a solid reason why she never cuts her hair. I loved everything about that movie. <3

Tangled (2010)

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Tangled Visual & Performing Arts Movie Review Essay (Movie Review Sample)

THE TASK WAS ABOUT MOVIE REVIEW; REVIEWING Tangled. IT REQUIRED ZERO SOURCE, ONE PAGE OF REVIEW IN MLA style.

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject Date Tangled Tangled is a film that explains the adventures of Rapunzel, who lives such a lonely life away from her biological parents for eighteen years. The girl got abducted and was kept in a tower by an old woman, Mother Gothel, when she discovered that Rapunzel’s golden hair could renew her beauty and youth. However, everything changes when Rapunzel meets Flynn Rider. The social psychology topics that are observed in this film include discrimination, friendship, attraction, self-esteem, and love. Mother Gothel denies and discriminates Rapunzel from enjoying her freedom, living with her biological parents, and receiving the love she deserves. A new friendship is made between Rapunzel and Flynn upon their meeting, which leads to a strong sense of attraction and connection linking these two particular characters. The turning poin

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The social network began to go dark in the nation of 200 million, the result of an escalating fight between Elon Musk and a Brazilian judge over what can be said online.

By Jack Nicas and Kate Conger

Jack Nicas reported from Rio de Janeiro, and Kate Conger from San Francisco.

X began to go dark across Brazil on Saturday after the nation’s Supreme Court blocked the social network because its owner, Elon Musk, refused to comply with court orders to suspend certain accounts.

The moment posed one of the biggest tests yet of the billionaire’s efforts to transform the site into a digital town square where just about anything goes.

Alexandre de Moraes , a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, ordered Brazil’s telecom agency to block access to X across the nation of 200 million because the company lacked a physical presence in Brazil.

Mr. Musk closed X’s office in Brazil last week after Justice Moraes threatened arrests for ignoring his orders to remove X accounts that he said broke Brazilian laws.

X said that it viewed Justice Moraes’s sealed orders as illegal and that it planned to publish them. “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” Mr. Musk said on Friday.

In a highly unusual move, Justice Moraes also said that any person in Brazil who tried to still use X via common privacy software called a virtual private network, or VPN, could be fined nearly $9,000 a day.

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