Tangled

Let me start by saying that I'm an 18 year old male, and was kinda dragged into watching this by my girlfriend, who is a big fan of the Disney princess movies. I finally gave in the other day, and I've very glad that I did.

The movie looked gorgeous, the animation was spot on; all while holding on to the classic Disney feel.

The main characters are extremely likable. Repunzel is your typical Disney princess style character: sweet, funny, etc. Eugene, aka Flynn Rider, kinda stole the show for me, but maybe that's because I'm slightly gender biased. Nonetheless, you can't deny his wit and humor. Maximus the horse fills the role of animal sidekick perfectly; just as good as Donkey was to Shrek even though he doesn't talk.

While the plot is relatively predictable, it was still quite an enjoyable movie. I didn't find myself to be bored at only of the parts, and I was laughing a lot more than I had expected to. This movie is an instant classic, and a near perfect example of what animated fairy tales should be like if they want to appeal to a wide range of viewers, not just tween girls. The ending was sweet and should leave everybody happy.

I think there's enough fun in this movie for all ages, including an 18 year old guy like me.

A few days ago I saw "Megamind", and thought it was just okay. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I didn't think it too spectacular. My faith in CGI entertainment was on the wane.

Well, tonight Disney pulled me from that depression, and help reinvigorate my belief in, well, just plain Disney.

What we have here is Rapuntzel turned on her head, with a dash of "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty" stirred in to keep our interest.

The film was charming, clever and witty without being too much of either. The comic timing was toned down for the young kiddies in the audience, mostly little girls and some younger boys, but the comedic aspect itself did not lose luster for this. If anything it showed just what good clever comedy was. Note Rapuntzel's improvised weapon, and how she brings it to bear on the baddies in the local tavern. Classic character sketch comedy, and I don't care if I was the only one who noticed it and was laughing. You're supposed to laugh!

The story itself regards fleeing the nest from a "Mime" like character, whose interest in our heroine is less than altruistic. The dashing rogue comes in to ground the story and keep Mandy Moore's character from running amuck and falling into despair.

All in all, even though a middle aged dude like myself is no where near the target audience, I enjoyed it immensely.

Some criticisms; the villainess seemed marginally cliché. She had the liberated 70s woman gone bad thing going on for her, but it almost seems like we may have seen this character before. Not sure, really. The horse was extremely likable, but his rider could have played more of a role. In fact the supporting cast almost seemed as if they were denied screen time so we could revel in Rapuntzel's golden locks. For all that, and even though the action did dive into classic Warner Brother's cartoon territory, "Tangled" does make a very respectable showing.

That, and it was good to hear the voice of Richard Kiel play a big galoot who turns out to be a good guy. :)

My final note is that there was a very good message for young girls at the end, and in fact anyone with some sense will have caught on to it. It's a message that won't last too long, but hopefully will serve as a reminder to those who paid attention. Remember, hair isn't everything. Regardless of color *wink*

Take the family, but, if you're the father, then please, PLEASE, do not spend countless minutes like the idiot in front of me paying for his four member family with several credit cards while the ticket taker next to him managed to whiz through four or five parties of several members each for the 7:20 showing at the Redwood City theatre on Theatre Row.

Yeah, if you're reading this, you know who you are. Stop being a putz!

Everyone else, go see and enjoy the film :)

I saw the finished movie at the screening before the wrap party. The movie works on every level. The Characters, the animation, the story, the score, the romance, and it's all very cute as well (in a way Disney can apparently still pull off).

The one thing that I didn't get into was the songs (Except maybe the "Mother Knows Best" reprise). They were a little weak melodically and you won't be singing them for weeks like I do "Part of Your World" every time I watch the "Little Mermaid." However, the songs are good enough not to bring the movie down. There are so many touching scenes in this movie and you will love all of the characters by the end and have an amazing time in the process.

It is definitely worth seeing in the theater, as this is probably the prettiest computer animated movie I've seen. I just can't wait to see it in stereo!

(BTW, I'm a 30 year old male who grew up with Disney. And I feel like I'm being objective when I say this movie works as a movie and not as a movie exclusively for 10 year old girls.)

Honestly, when is the last time you saw a decent Disney Animated feature? No no, PIXAR does not count. I'm talking about just a regular ol' straight laced Disney flick. If your like me, I'm sure your answer falls somewhere in the mid 90's. But isn't that a shame? What happened to the totally awesome Disney movies? If your excuse is because of technology, i assure you that your wrong. You can make a great animated movie without resorting to actual hand drawn art. But where is that old feeling we all use to share? Well i can tell you this much....i already knew that Disney had something special here, mainly because the VP of PIXAR jumped ship and decided to fund this project. The first time anyone from PIXAR has ever done so, let alone the freakin VP. So needless to say, Disney finally had enough, and pulled out all the stops for this one.

I kid you not when i say this...."Tangled" is easily the best Disney Animated feature i have seen since "Aladdin".....yes, it is that good. They finally let go of trying to find something new and different and settled with what was working for them almost 20 years ago. It's a princess tale that easily falls into the same category with the classics. So wait, does that mean i'm comparing it to the likes of "Snow White" "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty"? You damn right i am! Sure the storyline is cliché' and relative to other Disney classics, but it felt so good to see and feel something that helped recall your childhood. But other than those minor speed bumps, the movie is spot on. The animation is spectacular, and you would be a fool not to see it in 3D. The musical sequences didn't seem forced and were never boring. And i can almost guarantee you that it will snag the best song award at the Oscars. I'm just glad that they didn't work the story around the music, which is what a lot of animated features tend to slip up on. But this one did an amazing job of hybriding them together.

Bottom Line, ladies and gentleman, this is the Disney picture you have been waiting for. It will definitely win your heart and please audiences both young and old.

This movie hits the mark on all levels. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is simple, yet works and keeps your interest. I'm not a big song guy..... but the songs in this movie are very good. Either very funny or, when the love songs begin, nicely done with some good lyrics and music. It's a '10' all the way across the board. In keeping with the Disney animators reputation for hiding phallic symbols, this has maybe the most blatant one of all. When the mother is standing near the window, her shadow is unmistakably harder than Chinese arithmetic. Keep an eye out for it..... But, this movie really is well done. The song and visuals in the tavern with all the thug characters is pretty funny. Definitely see this one!!