Tangled (2010)

Tangled made its way through our netflix queue and we previewed it last Monday, then with the kids Tuesday, and Connor has wanted to watch it twice more.  I couldn't remember what happened in the original Rapunzel story past the prince finding her tower, so this was a good reason to brush up on it.

The good:

• They've kept Gothel's name for Rapunzel's adoptive mother.  That's always a nice touch.
• The twist on the Rapunzel story to give her hair magical powers granted by the flower actually gives Mother Gothel a real motivation to keep Rapunzel hidden away.  This is actually an improvement over the "Gothel's a witch; that's what witches do," reasoning of the original fairy tale.**  It's also interesting that Mother Gothel herself is not magical, but simply very competent (if incredibly selfish).
• This is a triumph of computer animation.  The animated faces are so expressive on Rapunzel's real parents that they didn't even bother hiring voice actors for those characters.  The flying lanterns are gorgeous and there's movement in the backgrounds (like the water sloshing up on the shore as Flynn Rider talks to the Stabbington Brothers near the end) that you normally simply don't see in hand-drawn animation***.  Wow.  It looks every bit the second most expensive film ever made, and one of the few in the top 40 I actually liked.

The meh:

• They've changed Rapunzel's parents from poor folks to royalty, and switched the prince of the original fairy tale into a thief; this is no Aladdin-style street rat with a heart of of gold who only steals to eat, this is a cold-hearted professional who breaks into the palace and betrays his co-conspirators without a second thought.  I want to liken him to a Han Solo-style rogue, but while Flynn Rider does have his charming moments, I feel uneasy rooting for him because a truly likable rogue has to be fighting against unjust authority or trying to make the best of a really bad situation.  The kingdom in Tangled appears prosperous and well-ruled, so it doesn't feel right that Flynn is a criminal.  At any rate, it would be nice if Rapunzel were a commoner, too.  No princesses are necessary here, and it feels like a missed opportunity.
• There were no musical numbers that I was humming to myself the next day.  On rewatching, they're all solid, but Gothel's "Mother Knows Best", might be the most memorable****, and it's not quite "Poor Unfortunate Souls"
• The viking thugs feel like an unnecessary addition of forced comedy.  However, their role is small, and the vast majority of the movie revolves around the three principles (Rapunzel, Mother Gothel, Flynn Rider) with not-too-distracting contributions from the sidekicks (Pascal, the Stabbington Brothers, Maximus)

Overall, this isn't vying for a spot atop my list of favorite animated movies, but it's a worthy addition to Disney canon.

** this does present a possible moral that "Only by destroying her unique gift can she lead a normal life and have a family and get married."  Then again, should the hair define who Rapunzel is?  I don't think so.

*** maybe they did all this in Up and Toy Story 3; I haven't seen those.  

**** kudos to Donna Murphy's dominant performance as Mother Gothel; in many ways, she's more interesting than our heroes.