Film Reviews

Tangled

• Rating:
• Director: Byron Howard
• Starring: Donna Murphy
• Details: US/110mins G

Another sweet, charming animation from The Mouse House, Tangled is an old school tale given just the right amount of a modern twist to amuse those from nappies, to, eh, nappies. As is the norm with Disney nowadays, the main characters provide the comedy, as the studio attempts to move away from the lamp/starfish/miscellaneous animal masquerading as a comedian. The lead male isn't a million miles from the cocky hero in The Princess and the Frog, but he was funny as well so who cares.
Princess Rapunzel was kidnapped when she was a baby by the evil, narcissistic Mother Gothel, who uses her magical long hair to keep her aging mush young - evidently this fairy tale is set in a world without Botox. Keeping Rapunzel in a lofty tower where she instills fear about the outside world so she won't leave; when the young princess hits 18, she decides she wants out. Luckily, around about that time a suave local thief, Flynn Rider, fleeces some burly wrong sorts and scales the tower in the midst of his escape. After a rocky start, the two reach a deal for Flynn to be Rapunzel's guide in the outside world.
Smarter than the average 'toon, intellectual sorts will see Mother Gothel as the American government around the time of the invasion of Iraq, manipulating middle America. But not me, I was enjoying it too much to make such pretentious comparisons. The plot is as so-so as the majority of kiddie flicks nowadays; Disney gets away with it because generally speaking they're classic tales. While copying classics is a bit like tracing the Mona Lisa, it's been a while since we've heard this particular yarn - so many won't remember the details.
Voicing wise, Zachary Levi is aptly cast and very funny as the smug Rider, while Moore was obviously hired because she could burst into (decent) warbling on command. It's those musical numbers that may see the boys bored, but at the same time delight the little princess in your life. There is enough here to keep both genders entertained, and whoever is stumping up the clams to take the rugrats shouldn't feel the time go past too slowly.
A fun, fluffy flick with enough laughs and slick animation to warrant a cinema outing. As for the 3D, its fine, but again, not mandatory when the cost of covering a family ticket is taken into account.

Review by Mike Sheridan