Las Aventuras Enredadas de Rapunzel

I don't know what I expected from a series made from Tangled, to be honest. I liked Tangled, didn't think it was the best thing ever but definitely a good time. This series however went up and abound my expectations! I didn't expect it to start (in the Before Ever After-movie) with Rapunzel feeling trapped again and not liking her happy ever after, even though Flynn/Eugene settles in like it's the best thing ever. It's so realistic though, for a character that have always been locked up and a character that used to have nothing. Not to mention I have yet to see a tv series EVER to portray such a good, healthy relationship as Raps and Eugenes. All the characters are cool, though slightly more one dimensional at times than the movie. The new characters (Cassandra and Varian especially) are interesting and gives us fun relationship dynamics. There is some silliness that might be a bit much at times but mostly the jokes are genuinely funny. The animation is really nice, and the colour setting in this series is to die for! I couldn't give enough praise to the people working on the colours in this series. The music is also surprisingly good and catchy for a series, things you find yourself humming all day.

As a fan of the original Tangled, I was curious where they were going with this series. Happy to say if you're a Tangled fan the series follows the film almost seamlessly.

First there's the TV movie, Tangled: Before Ever After, which I personally didn't care for too much. It was a bit too hammy and moralistic, low on humor and cliché. "Stubborn princess disobeys father. Father doesn't understand stubborn princess." We've seen this story play out so many times.

Now the SERIES on the other hand really gets things going. I would still recommend watching Before Ever After because you get explanations for some major plot elements of the series.

First there's the humor. I think Tangled the Series is really funny. It's anchored by being set in a renaissance / medieval period and it manages to work the period into its humor, which is really great because it reminds me of things like The Princess Bride or Monty Python and the Holy Grail, other films that did well with not taking the setting seriously. That's a huge plus for Tangled.

Then there's the voice cast which is awesome since it's being helmed by the original voices. You never get a sense that you're not seeing Rapunzel or Flynn being the way they are, and the voices really help with that. In fact one of the best things about Tangled is that we get to see more of Flynn and especially Rapunzel. As much the film developed her character, it was still limited by the runtime. The series really fleshes her out and we have a more defined idea of who Rapunzel is. Flynn was always flashy and we get a lot more of Flynn, the arrogant side and the deeper "Eugene" part of him. Although we really should be calling him Eugene since that's what he goes by in the series. There's also a new character who is just fantastic, Cassandra. The banter being Cassandra and Eugene is one of the running jokes that the series plays with really well. As a trio, they work really well together.

It's also nice to see Rapunzel and Eugene "dating" in a sense. Since the film went by so fast, we have more of a chance to see what their relationship is like.

So far I've been really loving this. It's like an expansion pack of the original movie - more insight into the kingdom, more insight into the characters and a bigger setting to play around with.

This series is great and this is why:

1. Animation

Many people complain about the 2D style... Let me tell you something: this is so much better than the cheap CGI alternative they had. There was no way to create more than 1500 minutes of footage for the whole series in the same style as the movie, which is the most expensive animated movie of all times. Great character design, top quality facial expressions, beautiful backgrounds and colors. The choice was perfect!

2. Voice Actors

We've got the original cast from the movie plus Jeremy Jordan, Eden Espinosa and James Iglehart, among others. They bring TTS characters (old and new) to life, displaying all kind of emotions flawlessly. And their voices... OMG! Wich leads me to the following item.

3. Songs

Alan Menken and Glenn Slater came back to write the songs and it really paid off: Waiting in the Wings (which got an Emmy), Nothing Left to Lose, Crossing The Line, and the list goes on. The songs are beautiful, move the plot forward, bring character depth and the animation on them is just amazing.

4. Writing

The mythology, the expanded universe, the world building and all the characters are amazing. Not to mention these guys had it all planned out right from the start (I can't say more without getting into spoilers)

Watch it!

When I initially saw the trailers advertising that Tangled was becoming a cartoon, my immediate thought was that it would be a superfluous cash grab. I was surprised to find a show that, while aimed towards younger audiences, is actually rather entertaining with a pretty good story arc. It is a kids show, but it's a pretty good kids show with good animation and solid music

Although I can't really tell what audience this show is aiming for, it is quite enjoyable. As many other reviews tell you, "Tangled: The Series" is an overall combination of warm-hearted, fun scenes that are found in the typical children's show and some other scenes that may frighten kids. That combination is a little unusual; nevertheless, the show is still amazing. I'd say pre-teens would enjoy it the most.

As you might have also seen other reviews say, this series contains MANY fillers. Not sure if I would recommend this show to people who want to get straight to the point. Most of the fillers do include character development, though.

One thing I also want to mention that I saw in another review is that the protagonists are a little different than in the movie. Rapunzel's innocence is quirky and lovable in the movie; in the series, to many (not necessarily to me), it just makes her seem annoying and naïve. Which, she was definitely naïve in the movie, but you'd think after all that she'd been through, she would be much less. She was only the slightest bit less. It makes it even more ironic that she mentions quite a few times in the show that she isn't naïve anymore. Eugene, well, is just her go-to guy for emotional support. He wasn't much of an "emotions" guy in the movie, though I understand he could've grown to be like that the more time he spent with Rapunzel. It's just weird to me to go suddenly from an orphan/thief to a sort-of therapist.

One reason I enjoy this show probably a little more than I should is simply because I am a Tangled lover. Definitely recommend to any Tangled lover. Overall wonderful show!