Tangled

"Something brought you here, Flynn Rider. Call it what you will... fate... destiny..."
"A horse."

Rapunzel (Moore) longs for adventure.  She lives in an isolated tower, with only her mother, Gothel (Murphy), and chameleon, Pascal, for company.  She dreams of leaving the tower and seeing the world, specifically to see the floating lanterns that are released on her birthday every year.  Gothel forbids her from leaving and explains the evils of the world.

Meanwhile, thief Flynn Rider (Levi) is on the run.  After the latest heist, he is trying to avoid his accomplices, the Stabbington Brothers (Ron Perlman), and the authorities.  While on the run, he encounters Rapunzel's tower, and agrees to be her guide to the lanterns.  Can they make the trip without getting into trouble.

Dear Disney,

I was excited to hear about the newest addition to your princess collection.  I read about your exciting new film about Rapunzel (then titled Rapunzel) and couldn't wait for 2010 to arrive.  And then you changed the title... and kept the trailers devoid of songs.  I like Disney movies.  I like Disney Princess movies.  And I like Disney movies (princess or not) to have characters randomly burst into song.  What gives?

I understand that your last princess flick, The Princess and the Frog, was not the commercial success you were hoping for... get over it!  It was a good, respectable film that fits nicely into the Disney collection, unlike other previous films that were complete flops and no one remembers.  Was that any reason to mark a Disney princess movie to boys?  Boys are going to see the movie whether they know its a princess movie or not!

That gripping aside, Tangled, is a cute, memorable, funny film that I watched twice in one evening (because my roommate walked in as the end credits started rolling and wanted to watch it).  Rapunzel is a quirky princess, full of spunk and not afraid to fight her own battles.  Yes, she was sheltered, but she can still kick butt.  She isn't looking for a prince to save her, she is looking for a guide.  Mandy Moore was a great choice!

Flynn, as voiced by Zachary Levi, is an interested character, funny and memorable, but completely overshadowed by the non-talking animal characters: Hercules the horse and Pascal the chameleon.  The thugs are funny and Gothel is creepy.  The songs by Alan Menken are fun, but not super memorable.

A decent entry into the Disney collection, but next time, just admit it's a singing princess movie: you're audience will respect it and as long as it's a good story with some awesome characters and great songs, you'll have success (like Pixar... side note, I'm excited to see what Pixar will do with this genre in their new film Brave).

Thank you,

A concerned fan

Tangled (2010) 100 minutes
Director: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard
Starring: Mandy Moore as Rapunzel
Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider
Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel