Over the years Disney has had its ups and downs, with runs of classics followed by some rather middling flicks. Recently while the movies theyve been producing have been okay, theyve seemed to be playing catch-up with other animation houses, whether its the wit of Dreamworks, the storytelling bravado of Pixar or the fun of Fox/Blue Sky. Theyve also seemed to have problems matching the quality of the CG of other studios, which isnt good for a company that since the 30s has been the pre-eminent animation factory. However Bolt was a big step up in this arena, while Tangled helps push Disney right back up to the forefront of the art of animation.
Purely visually the movie is a triumph. From the moment Toy Story came out many have suggested that CG simply cant capture the warmth and artistry of old-fashioned hand-drawn animation that its a more clinical, clean look but Tangled sets out to challenge that with computer generated imagery that comes astonishingly close to looking like an old-fashioned Disney film. Whether its in the sets or character animation, this very much fits into the mould of the House Of Mouses other fairytale films, just using up to the minute CGI rather than brushes. Its a truly impressive achievement, with much of the credit having to go with whoever was doing the lighting. Its beautifully done and lends the movie a rather classic sheen, with suffuse dappled light and texture thats wonderful to look at.
But enough with the CG, what about the film itself? Well, its very good. There are a few issues with the story, but nothing too severe and nothing that will enter the head of any youngster watching it. An expanded take of the story of Rapunzel, the film opens with a pregnant but sick queen being magically healed by a plant that grew from a drop of sunlight. However the plant was taken from Mother Gothel, whod been using it for hundreds of years to stay young and beautiful. She wants that power back, and while the flower is gone, the magic still remains in the hair of the child the queen gives birth to.
Mother Gothel sneaks into the castle, steals the baby and locks Rapunzel in a tower. The reason she needs to keep her is that while the hair is magical, it loses its power if its cut, and so Mother Gothel needs the child, and her hair must keep growing if the evil woman is to stay young.
Cut to 18 years later and Rapunzel is now a teen, curious about the outside world. However the woman she believes is her mum Mother Gothel tells her she must not leave the tower as the world is an evil place and so she must remain secluded to protect the gift of her magical hair. However Rapunzels isolated world is thrown into disarray when a man breaks into her tower. After hitting him over the head with a frying pan and tying him up, the young woman discovers his name is Flynn Rider, although what she doesnt know is hes on the run from the law, having stolen the crown Rapunzels real parents had given her as a baby.
Having hidden the mysterious crown away, Rapunzel makes a deal with Flynn. Shell give him back his belongings if hell take her to see the lights that always appear in the sky on her birthday. These are actually lanterns the people of the kingdom send up remembrance of the lost princess. However locked in her tower, to Rapunzel they are a mystery, although she cant shake the feeling they have something to do with her. After striking the deal, they set off, with Rapunzel both excited and afraid about setting foot into the real world for the first time, as well as feeling immensely guilty for disobeying the woman she believes is her mother. Flynn initially just wants to find a way to get back his stolen good and ditch the girl, but he soon begins to fall for her.
Although there are some minor flaws in the story, particularly early on when theyre setting things up, these pale in comparisons to the successes. Like all good Disney fairytale movies the film has a solid emotional core, engaging characters and plenty of humour to keep things moving along (particularly the chameleon sidekick Pascal and super-smart horse Maximus). It also features one of the most beautiful scenes the studio has ever produced, with Rapunzel and Flynn on a boat as the lanterns released on the young womans birthday swirl around them and up into the sky.
While perhaps not the greatest bunch of songs ever seen in a Disney musical, theyre pretty good, and never bog the story indeed. Indeed the song, When Will My Life Begin? is particularly fun, as it starts out seeming like a rather old fashioned pre-feminist cleaning-the-house ditty, of the sort favoured by Snow White and Cinderella, before becoming something a bit more modern, interesting and definitively saying this Rapunzel will not be the meek, mild, passive princess of yore, and is interested in getting involved in her own life, rather than just waiting for her prince to come (or in this case brigand). It is overall a rollicking, adventure-filled fairy tale adventure of the sort Disney hasnt really managed to get right since the era of Beauty And The Beat (The Princess And The Frog was okay, but not great).
As previously mentioned, the animation is superb, and Blu-ray really is the way to see it. Incredibly bright (indeed, at times it seems almost too bright, which may be a result of upping the intensity to combat the dimming effect 3D has in cinemas), with remarkable definition and clarity, it look utterly gorgeous in HD. Indeed, I wouldnt be shocked if some electronics stores end up using it to show off their Blu-ray set-ups as its visually wonderful. Likewise the sound is very good, with a broad base on the musical numbers and clear resonant use of surround sound in the rest.
There are fewer special features than for many Disney animated releases, but whats included isnt bad. There are several interesting deleted scenes, along with a selection of different ways they tried out the opening explaining Rapunzels magical birth and how she got into the infamous tower. Theres also a making of… featurette, which is nicely aimed at all ages and features Mandy Moore and Zachary Live, who are the voices of Rapunzel and Flynn in the movie. Theres also a countdown of Disneys animated films from the first, Snow White, right up to Tangled, down to celebrate the fact this is the studios 50th animated movie. Finally theres Discover Blu-ray 3D With Timon & Pumbaa, which is just a promo for the three-dimensional home format featuring the Lion King characters (if you do have a 3D TV and Blu-ray 3D player, Tangled is also available on that format).
Overall Verdict: Finally Disney have managed to make a CG film that proves that theyre not only still at the top of the animation game, but also that they can use computers to recreate the charm of their classic hand-drawn movies.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Extended Songs
Original Storybook Openings
50th Animated Feature Countdown
Discover Blu-ray 3D With Timon & Pumbaa
Untangled: The Making Of Tangled Featurette
Reviewer: Tim Isaac