Tangled

I remember seeing a trailer for Tangled several months ago and not really understanding what the movie was about.  It looked like another animated film that was more silly than anything else, with Rapunzel being redefined in a similar mold as Princess Fiona, the spunky, fights-her-own battles princess from Shrek.  So when Tangled was released recently, I didn't pay it much attention, and since Ebert didn't review it, didn't bother reading any of the reviews of Tangled.  But somehow, the movie overtook HP7 for the top box office spot, got a nearly 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and ew started hearing about its merits by word-of-mouth.  And given that the film is animated, word-of-mouth was all ew really needed to convince her to get me to go see it with her.  So, contrary to what I usually do with movies I want to see, I just went and saw it.  No reviews beforehand, no plot synopsis, not even really aware of the cast members.  And I have to say, Tangled really surprised me.  In a good way.

Tangled really should have been pitched the way The Princess and the Frog was last year.  Maybe Disney was scared to because of the poor reception Princess and the Frog received, but Tangled really represents a return to the animated movies that we grew up with, from Little Mermaid to Beauty and the Beast, to Aladdin, to Lion King.  I'm as much of a Pixar fan as everyone else, but sometimes Pixar seems to be too self-aware, whether it's with pop culture references, moral messages, or a seriousness that animated films didn't have back in the day.  So it is refreshing to see a movie that takes us to a world where princesses fall in love, where ruffians and scoundrels are really soft inside, where magical kingdoms exist and prosper in peace (aside from the one deranged person).  Tangled represented all that made us fall in love with Disney: the path of self discovery in a slow, touching, emotional, and musical process.  It is really a movie that became quite beautiful, and has a scene and song that really rivals Kiss the Girls and Aladdin's magic carpet ride.