Opening Day: 23 November 2010

Synopsis:

Walt Disney Pictures presents "Tangled," one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told. When the kingdom's most wanted-and most charming-bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he's taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn's curious captor, who's looking for her ticket out of the tower where she's been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. In theaters this holiday season in Disney Digital 3D, "Tangled" is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair-lots of hair.

Movie Review:

Oh, what a great thing escapism is.

It diverts us mentally from the humdrums of this cold and unfeeling world by means of entertainment or recreation. It helps to relieve us from the pressing feelings of stress and depression by bringing us to worlds we’ve never been before, or for that matter, will never be able to go. And in this reviewer’s humble opinion, no one does it better than the folks at Disney, and he means this in a good way.

The House of Mouse is taking on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale Rapunzel in their 50th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classic series, and viewers, as usual, can expect nothing less of enchantment and delight from these creative minds.

In this version, we first see the baby Rapunzel being blessed with the healing flowers from a magical flower. Such a valuable asset would attract evil beings like Mother Gothel, who kidnapped adorable baby and locked the poor girl in an isolated tower in the woods. Years pass and Rapunzel becomes curious of the outside world. A bandit named Flynn Rider chances upon the tower one day and gets captured by Rapunzel. A deal is struck with the handsome thief, one that will allow her to embark on an exciting journey outside the tower.

Trust Disney to transform Rapunzel into an “I’m no longer a damsel in distress so don’t pull the Prince Charming trick on me” teenager. This is perfectly relevant to today’s time and age, where spunkiness and street smartness embody this generation’s youths. Being a Disney production, there are certain things we can’t run away from – the wide eyed princess (Rapunzel), the charismatic male protagonist (Flynn Rider), the animal sidekicks (an irresistibly cute chameleon and a horse that redefines “anti hero”) and the wicked villain (Mother Gothel).

These characters are beautifully animated in Disney’s first CGI fairy tale film. You’ll be swept off your feet (figuratively, of course) by Rapunzel’s gleaming golden hair. The glow and details will make you want to reach out and touch her flowingly straight hair – imagine how stunning that looks like in Disney 3D. The artistically pleasant landscapes featured in the film are wondrous imaginations of a world we can only visit in our dreams. Watch out for the scene where Rapunzel first sees thousands of floating lights (something which she could only admire from her tower every year on her birthday) – you’d probably be as awed as Rapunzel at the captivating display of lights in the night sky.

True to Disney fairy tales’ tradition, the score composed by Oscar winner Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) provides wondrous moments filled with magic and delight. The songs written by Glenn Slater are enjoyably performed by the underrated Mandy Moore (voice of Rapunzel), Donna Murphy (voice of Mother Gothel) and Zachary Levi (voice of Flynn Rider).

Besides all that have been stated, what’s most striking is how Disney can still manage to move the cynicism in us and have us believe that there is true love in this world. And as long as we believe, even if it’s a form of escapism, fairy tale movies like these play a part in motivating us to push forward in life.

Movie Rating:



(A true Disney charmer that is both entertaining and delightful)

Review by John Li