Tangled

No Knots Here!

[Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett]

image from jsyk.com

RANT: Decided that going to the movies on Black Friday was better than getting up at 4am to go to the stores. Of course, I did stroll into Target to get a couple well-priced Blu-Rays, but that was at 8am. Plenty of time left to get to the 9:45am showing of the new Disney release.

SYNOPSIS: Kidnapped for the magical healing properties of her hair, Rapunzel has been locked away in a hidden tower for 18 years. Yearning to get out to see the annual flying lanterns that light the skies, Rapunzel strikes a deal with thief Flynn Ryder, who hides in her tower after eluding royal guards.

Tangled, brought to the screen and loosely based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Although the Brothers Grimm version is the best known, it is far from being the original. But regardless of the origins, Disney adds twists, braids and knots to make their Tangled version their own.

In the Disney version, the prince that finds Rapunzel is replaced by the rogue Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) on the run from the kingdom's royal guards. Like Aladdin, the orphan thief Ryder dreams of riches and castles. And in the Disney tradition of strong animated females, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) brings naivety, warranted teenage rebellion and a crafty hairdo to the screen. Armed with a iron frying pan and an almost animate mane of golden tresses, she is ready to take on the world - or at least sake the first steps onto the blades of grass at the base of her tower prison. The wicked stepmother in this tale is Mother Gothel Donna Murphy), who abducted Rapunzel as an infant from the castle in order to use Rapunzel's hair to keep herself youthful.

Adding to the humor is Rapunzel's pet chameleon, Pascale. Although it doesn't talk like in many other Disney animations, Pascale gets all of its points across. On the other side of the fence is royal guard stallion, Maximus, whose mission is to recapture the wayward Ryder at all costs. Even Max's disdain for Flynn ends up being hilarious. Other notable castmates include the Stabbington Brothers (voiced by Ron Perlman) and an assortment of ruffians with dreams of being more than they are (voiced by M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett, and others).

As you can expect from any theatrical animated release from Disney, the film is beautifully created. Flynn's theft of the princesses crown is torn right out of one of Disney's other films, The Prince of Persia, proving that the studio knows how to ramp up their action just as well as any Michael Bay flick. And as expected, Tangled has humor and heart in addition to lots and lots of hair.

Worth: Matinee and DVD

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!