Tangled

Disney has a new princess to add to their line up. This time it's Rapunzel with the long, long, long blond hair. In this version the Queen gets very ill while delivering her child. The King sends everyone out to find a magic flower that fell from the sky and has magical healing powers. The restored Queen is back to health, and the properties what was in the flower had been passed on to their little tow headed daughter. The flower was coveted by an evil witch because the magic of the flower brings her back to her younger self. One night she steals into the castle and attempts to cut a loch of the young princesses hair. Unfortunately all it does is turn the loch brown without the magic. The witch decides to steal the child instead.

Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) has secluded Rapunzel in a tower in a hidden valley in the woods. She tells her “daughter” that the world outside is a scary place where people will want to take advantage of her hair which a few days before she turns 18 is like 70 ft long. Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has managed to be able to manipulate her hair to do some clever maneuvering. She spends her days sequestered from world by her daily chores of cleaning, cooking, reading and painting. Her only companion is a little chameleon. She tells Mother Gothel that for her birthday she wants to see the “stars” that rise to the sky every year on her birthday. She doesn't realize that every year, the King and Queen and their kingdom send off lighted lanterns in honor of their missing princess. Gothel dismisses her request. One afternoon while Gothel is out of the tower, a young thief escaping from the kings soldiers climbs the tower and Rapunzel quickly smacks him with a frying pan. Rapunzel offers his stolen booty in exchange for Flynn Rider (Zach Levy) to take her to the lanterns and back home before her mother returns.

Director Byron Howard and Nathan Greno and screenwriter Dan Fogelman have created one of the better Disney princess movie in decades with Pixar animation. After the disappointing Princess and the Frog, Tangled has some out right hilarious characters and escapades. And the music by Alan Menkin and Howard Ashman who did The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin doesn't really take away from the story or over power the scenes like those other movies. Of course we were not going out of the theater with the music in our heads. Pop singer Mandy Moore adds a nice light touch with the music, and it's a revelation that Zachery Levi can sing. The stand out here is Donna Murphy as faux mom Gothel with her Broadway power voice.

Rapunzel is a good princess role model. She's smart, persistent, and is not waiting to be saved by the handsome prince. In fact the love interest is poor, a thief, and his name isn't really Flynn Rider. Rapunzel is often coming to the rescue. A nice politically correct move that reflects how far we have come since Snow White and Cinderella waiting for their prince to come. And don't wait to find a kid to bring to the film...go on your own. You will not be sorry.
(Review by reesa)