Though belated, this is my comments and short review about this movie.
Not considering Pixar-Disney films, the last great Disney film in the traditional 2D-sense was The Lion King. Since then, Disney has been lacking in terms of creativity and making something engaging and entertainging for the audience. There were several very good movies since then– Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan and Tarzan. Then there were just the simply good but not great movies– Atlantis, Lilo & Stitch, and Treasure Planet. And Treasure Planet was the last Disney animated movie I watched. Since then, it was either 3D animated films from Pixar or some 2D and 3D Dreamworks movies last.
So, in a sense, I “miss” Disney.
Tangled is what I would consider a very good start, a return, to the Disney “I knew and loved.” The movie is based on the fairy tale of “Rapunzel” about a young girl alone in a tower who is rescued by a handsome young man by letting her hair hang down so that he can climb up to rescue her. That’s the basic gist of it. However, what Disney has done is take that absolutely short fairy tale and give it “meat” and expanded it to have an original story. And, I thought Disney ran out of fairy tales to animate, but it seems they didn’t. Somehow, they used the creativity I knew they’ve always had it in them and somewhat lost between Lion King and now to create a slightly predictable but very original story. After watching it and if I did not know of Rapunzel beforehand, I surely would have considered this the original story of the fairy tale.
The characters– Rapunzel, Eugene, Maximuss, and Pascal– are both engaging, interesting, and something you can relate to past Disney characters easily. They are also entertaining and with personalities unique to them.
The music is really, really good. This is a Disney music soundtrack again even if the words to some of the songs can’t be resung. From the orchestration to the vocal songs, it really does sound like the Disney of yore. The characters don’t just bust out in song all of a sudden, everything is gradual and fitting to the scene they are in. And, of all the scenes in this movie, the one that sticks out the most is the duet sung by Mandy and Zachary, “I See the Light,” past the halfway point of the movie. You have a duality here, each singing their points of view until their voices come together and you can sense and know what they’re feeling. It was both powerful and moving, and very much romantic. Add to that the very moving background of the floating lanterns behind them, the entire scene and music just pulls you in. I’d have to admit I was in tears at this scene; it was beautiful.
Thus, lastly, we come to the animation and artwork. Regardless whether you are in the 2D-camp or the 3D-camp, this movie is the best example of giving 3D movies the feel of a 2D film without resorting to faux cel shading that is very familiar in some video games in the past five years. The background behind Rapunzel’s tower looked as if it was painted on a canvas yet is fully animated in 3D. The city and the castle that has been looking for their lost princess for years stands out to be panoramic, grand, and colorful. It, again, truly felt like a 2D scene but isn’t. Disney has once returned to what they were good at and that was their art direction and artwork as evident in this movie. Rapunzel has the wide-eyed, adorable look on her. Eugene his toughness and masculinity. Max his comic and shifting facial expressions… on a horse no less. And, Pascal being the ever-changing, believable chameleon pet of Rapunzel. Oh, let’s not forget the animation. Between Toy Story 1 and Tangled, 3D animation surely has advanced, especially when you consider non-Disney 3D animated films like Final Fantasy The Spirits Within. The animation is smooth, organic, and alive. This is even more impressive when you see Rapunzel’s hair (or anyone’s hair in this movie) animated. It looks and moves like real hair. It has weight, density, and is alive.
In the end, I have just one thing to say about this movie: Welcome back, Disney. I hope to see more from Disney at this level again, especially a non-Pixar based film from Disney.
Recommendation: Buy the movie when it comes out on March 29, 2011.