Tangled (2010)
Following the turbulent 2000s, Disney found a new sense of appreciation and stability with the release of The Princess and the Frog that proved the maintained interest in the princess genre, as long as Disney embraced social progress to provide more relevant and societally aware stories within it. While The Princess and the Frog showed the potential of this mindset, it was realized in 2010 with Tangled. Adapting the classic Rapunzel fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, Tangled follows the young Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) who had been kept isolated in a tower by the wicked Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) who has convinced Rapunzel that she was her mother and that the world is too dangerous to explore. Gothel has done this as a magic flower she used to stay young had been discovered and used to save the Queen who gave birth to Rapunzel who now possesses the magic from the flower in her hair. Gothel needs to keep Rapunzel away from her true identity as Princess in order to continue to survive off the flower's magic but Rapunzel has become anxious to explore the world outside her tower and ventures off alongside a wanted criminal named Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi).
Tangled finds success on many levels; but perhaps the most notable is the simplest of them all. Disney's Princess lineage has found tales of women that commonly require outside forces, primarily men, to lean on and define their goals and existence. Snow White needs the kiss of a man to come back to life, Ariel literally gives up her life and voice to follow her love interest, Jasmine needs Aladdin to save her kingdom; its endless. Tangled continues the work that The Princess and the Frog started by taking this Princess formula and adding a simple new dynamic: agency for the Princess. Rapunzel might be sheltered and scared, but she is also powerful and capable. She has a mind for exploration and uses both her brain and her physical strength to find ways to survive and thrive. Even with the presence of Rider, the issues and answers for Rapunzel rarely revolve around men with the film taking a feminist approach that almost feels revolutionary for the studio. It feels obvious that this should be the narrative and personalities given to women, but Disney continually dropped the ball for almost 70-years with only limited flawed examples found in between.
The actual drama which Rapunzel faces is also quite inspired by what Disney has historically offered. Within Rapunzel's conflict with Gothel, there are worthwhile messages regarding emotional abuse and gaslighting that strike with a genuine venom. It is also nice to see a complexity given to the villain as Gothel is undeniably a tragic figure. While there is no denying that Gothel is a villain and what she does is wrong, one also can feel empathy for her position as she is forced into a place of survival without secure access to the magic flower. The best villains are the ones the audience can empathize with and understand, yet still villainize and reject. Gothel plays to both of these sides perfectly with the performance given by Gonna Murphy only enhancing the character's effectiveness.
When it comes to faults, Tangled is more guilty with averageness than failures. The romantic relationship that blooms between Rapunzel and Rider isn't the worst, but it also feels completely unneeded for the film's narrative and struggles to build in a way that feels organic. The comedy is often incredibly standard stuff for Disney with the side characters especially never feeling that memorable or funny. The animation is also just at a point where the computer-animated medium is finalizing its core development causing some of the facial reactions especially to fall distractingly flat.
Tangled is a film that is both incredibly important to the modern history of Disney, and is a film that is overall clearly worthwhile as a viewing experience. The emotions and drama of the film are excellent and while some of the narrative beats might leave some to be desired, it is never so underwhelming that it ruins the overall feature.
Tangled finds success on many levels; but perhaps the most notable is the simplest of them all. Disney's Princess lineage has found tales of women that commonly require outside forces, primarily men, to lean on and define their goals and existence. Snow White needs the kiss of a man to come back to life, Ariel literally gives up her life and voice to follow her love interest, Jasmine needs Aladdin to save her kingdom; its endless. Tangled continues the work that The Princess and the Frog started by taking this Princess formula and adding a simple new dynamic: agency for the Princess. Rapunzel might be sheltered and scared, but she is also powerful and capable. She has a mind for exploration and uses both her brain and her physical strength to find ways to survive and thrive. Even with the presence of Rider, the issues and answers for Rapunzel rarely revolve around men with the film taking a feminist approach that almost feels revolutionary for the studio. It feels obvious that this should be the narrative and personalities given to women, but Disney continually dropped the ball for almost 70-years with only limited flawed examples found in between.
The actual drama which Rapunzel faces is also quite inspired by what Disney has historically offered. Within Rapunzel's conflict with Gothel, there are worthwhile messages regarding emotional abuse and gaslighting that strike with a genuine venom. It is also nice to see a complexity given to the villain as Gothel is undeniably a tragic figure. While there is no denying that Gothel is a villain and what she does is wrong, one also can feel empathy for her position as she is forced into a place of survival without secure access to the magic flower. The best villains are the ones the audience can empathize with and understand, yet still villainize and reject. Gothel plays to both of these sides perfectly with the performance given by Gonna Murphy only enhancing the character's effectiveness.
When it comes to faults, Tangled is more guilty with averageness than failures. The romantic relationship that blooms between Rapunzel and Rider isn't the worst, but it also feels completely unneeded for the film's narrative and struggles to build in a way that feels organic. The comedy is often incredibly standard stuff for Disney with the side characters especially never feeling that memorable or funny. The animation is also just at a point where the computer-animated medium is finalizing its core development causing some of the facial reactions especially to fall distractingly flat.
Tangled is a film that is both incredibly important to the modern history of Disney, and is a film that is overall clearly worthwhile as a viewing experience. The emotions and drama of the film are excellent and while some of the narrative beats might leave some to be desired, it is never so underwhelming that it ruins the overall feature.