2 Guys 1 Couch

Tangled is an animated film based on the fairytale story of Rapunzel. The animation is

amazing. Although it is CGI, Disney tried to give it the feel of a hand drawn cartoon and

the results are stunning. It’s also Disney’s second highest grossing animated film behind

the Lion King. It feels like a classic Disney movie with a high glossy makeover.

Rapunzel, uh… I mean, Tangled isn’t your typical Disney princess movie. First of all, it’s

not named after the princess. This gives you the impression that it’s not just about her.

It’s not. She plays a co-headlining role alongside a thief named Flynn Rider.

One thing I’m sure most grown ups know is that not every Disney film is completely kid

friendly. Life is such and I get that, but if your child is used to watching strictly Disney

Junior this movie will be a bit out of their viewing capacity.

There is a good love story building between Rapunzel and Rider throughout. They even

end up in some touchy feely situations. Between the baby stealing and some of the darker

moments involving Gothel, the baby-stealing fake mother, it would be best to make

sure your child is ready for this movie before setting them in front of the television and

walking away.

For an adult that enjoys cartoons and films in general this was a thoroughly enjoyable

tale. It has a bit for everyone. The prince doesn’t show up at the last second and walk

away with the princess. It is an action packed tale with fun characters. It’s appealing to

either gender.

I think it’s also a testament to how far animated films have come over the years. Disney

has outdone themselves once again.

Shane’s right, this is not your typical Disney princess movie-it’s better. The Disney princess movies, while amazing in their own right, are becoming a bit outdated in our politically correct society full of the “you can’t say this or that” mantras. In the past Disney princess were completely dependant on their male counterparts. Ariel needed Eric to break Ursula’s spell, Sleeping Beauty needed her Prince to awaken her and Cinderella needed her boo to save her from the wicked step-sisters. It definitely played into the whole, “find a man, make a baby and whip me up a highball” mentality of the 60’s and 70’s”. With Tangled, however, all that has changed. Rapunzel doesn’t need Rider to complete her, she needs him to compliment her. She’s fine whipping her hair about and doing random magical things with it.

I cannot speak to the child-friendly side of this film as I, unlike Shane, do not have children, but I can say that while it does have some intense scenes, you should be alright watching this with them. Just make sure you’re ready to answer some questions should they arise. The animation was top notch. It was, as Shane mentioned, CGI or computer rendered, but it was styled in the classic Disney oil painting design. As a child of the 80’s this film definitely took me back to some classic Disney movies.

The voice acting in the film was also on point. Disney pulled out all the stops, casting an all star team that includes Zachary Levi (“Chuck”), Ron Perlman (“Hellboy”), Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) and of course Rapunzel herself, expertly voiced by Mandy Moore (“I’m missing you like candy” music video). It never once felt cheesy and had a great whimsical flair that, again, brought me back to a better time for film.