Tuesday, December 27, 2011

1671 - Tangled

This came highly recommended and despite the fact that I've always liked big epic kid films, since Ephraim doesn't watch a lot of television yet (just starting to introduce him to television and whatnot) I haven't watched many outside of PIXAR lately.  Of course I was at my sister's and the twins picked this up halfway through, so I caught the back half, then when I got back to the farm I noticed that it was on netflix, so I was able to pick up and see the whole thing.
The quality of this is, I believe, in no small part to the fact that John Lasseter is now the CEO of Disney and oversees their production slate.  The film is gorgeous, and despite the use of CGI animation it really feels like it pays homage to the old Disney fairytale films that made that place such a powerhouse. 
I think that they did a really lovely job of taking the foundation of the Rapunzel story and turning it into an epic tale.  I liked what they did with the magic and the hair and it's connection to the witch, I thought that was really smart.  And I liked how connected everything was to the main storyline of her being a lost princess.  The characters were really excellent, particular the non-speaking roles of the horse Maximus and the little chameleon dude.  Eugene and Rapunzel are a really fantastic pair and you really root for them.  The fact that she beats the hell out of him when he climbs up his tower really sets the tone for the flick (wonderful reoccurring gag with the frying pan as well).  Mandy Moore is delightful as our heroine and you develop a bit of a crush on her as the girl, and then you're downright smitten with her by the time she has her transformation at the end.
I thought that this was a really great flick and it's the kind that I look forward to showing my kids once they're old enough for it.  I'm looking forward to whatever else Disney kicks out under Lasseter's direction as well. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tangled is a wonderful film, and I agree with you that is in large part due to Lasseter.
Hopefully his missteps are few and far between, though I am getting nervous about John Carter (I don't think they really know how to market it).
Visually and story-wise, Tangled was a cut above the usual family fare that Disney had released to date, with any Pixar film being the exception of course.
I hope this gets them back on track as The source for Family Entertainment.

Jeremy said...

I think any one place being "the source" for any one thing would be a scary thing. Diversity is good for storytelling.

Screenwriting Spinster said...

My 3 year old niece loves this movie! She was Tangled for Halloween. She keeps forgetting that he name is Rapunzel and just calls her Tangled. I quite enjoyed it and it was in my Top Ten list of best films that year. Was sweet and made me feel nostalgic for the old days ;)